List of essayists

This is a list of essayists—people notable for their essay-writing.

Note: Birthplaces (as listed) do not always indicate nationality.

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.

A

• Augurio Abeto (1900–1977, Philippines)
• André Aciman (born 1951, Egypt)
• Joseph Addison (1672–1719, England)
• Theodor W. Adorno (1903–1969, Germany)
• Sheetal Agashe (born 1977, India)
• José de Alencar (1829–1877, Brazil)
• Kingsley Amis (1922–1995, United Kingdom)
• Martin Amis (1949–2023, United Kingdom)
• Oswald de Andrade (1890–1954, Brazil)
• Jacob M. Appel (born 1973, United States)
• Helena Araújo Ortiz (1934–2015, Colombia)
• Matthew Arnold (1822–1888, United Kingdom)
• Anastasia Ashman (born 1964, United States)
• Margaret Atwood (born 1939, Canada)
• Isaac Asimov (1920–1992, Russia)
• W. H. Auden (1907–1973, United Kingdom)
• Joxe Azurmendi (born 1941, Spain)

B

• Rebeca Baceiredo (born 1979, Spain)
• Rambriksh Benipuri (1902–1968, India)
• Francis Bacon (1561–1626, England)
• Walter Bagehot (1826–1877, England)
• James Baldwin (1924–1987, United States)
• Anna Laetitia Barbauld (1743–1825, England)
• John Perry Barlow (1947–2018, United States)
• Julian Barnes (born 1946, United Kingdom)
• Jacques Barzun (1907–2012, France)
• Enis Batur (born 1952, Turkey)
• Charles Baudelaire (1821–1867, France)
• Hilaire Belloc (1870–1953, United Kingdom)
• Walter Benjamin (1892–1940, Germany)
• Wendell Berry (born 1934, United States)
• Jens Bjørneboe (1920–1976, Norway)
• Jorge Luis Borges (1899–1986, Argentina)
• Alain de Botton (born 1969, Switzerland)
• Giannina Braschi (born 1953, Puerto Rico)
• William Brandon (1914–2002, United States)
• Alfred Brendel (born 1931, Czech Republic)
• Christopher Buckley (born 1952, United States)
• Anthony Burgess (1917–1993, United Kingdom)
• Richard de Bury (1287–1345, England)

C-D

• Erskine Caldwell (1903–2007, United States)
• Italo Calvino (1923–1985, Italy)
• Albert Camus (1913–1960, Algeria)
• Rafael Cansinos Assens (1882–1964, Spain)
• Orson Scott Card (born 1951, United States)
• John Carey (born 1934, United Kingdom)
• Simon Carmiggelt (1913–1987, Netherlands)
• Otto Maria Carpeaux (1900–1978, Austria)
• Harriet Frances Carpenter (1868/75 – 1956, United States)
• Saveria Chemotti (born 1947, Italy)
• Kelly Cherry (born 1940, United States)
• G. K. Chesterton (1874–1936, United Kingdom)
• Panashe Chigumadzi (DOB unknown, living, Zimbabwe)
• Noam Chomsky (born 1928, United States)
• Winston Churchill (1874–1965, Great Britain)
• Emil Cioran (1911–1995, Romania)
• J. M. Coetzee (born 1940, South Africa)
• William Cobbett (1763–1835, Great Britain)
• Anthony Collins (1676–1729, England)
• Charles Caleb Colton (1780–1832, Great Britain)
• Cyril Connolly (1903–1974, United Kingdom)
• Abraham Cowley (1618–1667, Great Britain)
• A. J. Cronin (1896–1981, Scotland)
• Samuel McChord Crothers (1857–1927, United States)
• Richard Dawkins (born 1941, United Kingdom)
• Mike Daisey (born 1976, United States)
• Theodore Dalrymple (born 1949, United Kingdom)
• Nik De Dominic (born 1981, United States)
• Joan Didion (1934–2021, United States)
• Annie Dillard (born 1945, United States)
• Babacar Sedikh Diouf (born 1928, Senegal)
• Alfred Döblin (1878–1957, Germany)
• John Dolan (1955–1981, United States)
• Joe Dolce (born 1947, Australia)
• Denis Donoghue (1928–2021, Ireland)
• John Dryden (1631–1700, England)

E-G

• Klaus Ebner (born 1964, Austria)
• Umberto Eco (1932–2016, Italy)
• T. S. Eliot (1888–1965, United States)
• Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882, United States)
• Joseph Epstein (born 1937, United States)
• Filip Erceg (born 1979, Croatia)
• Barbara Ehrenreich (born 1941, United States)
• Jaime Eyzaguirre (1908–1968, Chile)
• Anne Fadiman (born 1953, United States)
• Femi Fani-Kayode (born 1960, Nigeria)
• Frantz Fanon (1925–1961, Martinique)
• Richard Farmer (1735–1797, England)
• Gérard Fauré (born 1946, Morocco)
• Benito Jerónimo Feijoo e Montenegro (1676–1764, Spain)
• Lawrence Ferlinghetti (1919–2021, United States)
• Predrag Finci (born 1946, Bosnia and Herzegovina)
• Élisabeth de Fontenay (born 1934, France)
• E. M. Forster (1879–1970, England)
• John Foster (1770–1843, United Kingdom)
• Ian Frazier (born 1951, United States)
• Robert Fulghum (born 1937, United States)
• Joan Fuster (1922–1992, Spain)
• Harry Gamboa, Jr. (born 1951, United States)
• William H. Gass (1924–2017, United States)
• Karl-Markus Gauß (born 1954, Austria)
• Malcolm Gladwell (born 1963, United Kingdom)
• Adam Gopnik (born 1956, United States)
• Stephen Jay Gould (1941–2002, United States)
• Mohammed Lotfy Gomaa (1886–1953, Egypt)
• Paul Graham (born 1964, England)
• Clement Greenberg (1909–1994, United States)
• A. C. Grayling (born 1949, United Kingdom)
• Gordon Grice (born 1965, United States)
• Stanka Gjurić (born 1956, Croatia)

H-J

• Carla Harryman (born 1952, United States)
• William Hazlitt (1778–1830, England)
• Peter Handke (born 1942 Griffen, Austria)
• Saeko Himuro (1957–2008, Japan)
• Fumi Hirano (born 1955, Japan)
• Christopher Hitchens (1949–2011, United Kingdom)
• Peter Hitchens (born 1951, United Kingdom)
• Hugh Hood (1928–2000, Canada)
• Langston Hughes (1902–1967, United States)
• David Hume (1711–1776, United Kingdom)
• Hamid Rashidi (1961–2020, Iran)
• Leigh Hunt (1784–1859, England)
• Aldous Leonard Huxley (1894–1963, England)
• Lucie Fulton Isaacs (1841–1916, United States)
• Shigesato Itoi (born 1948, Japan)
• Molly Ivins (1944–2007, United States)
• Jwalamukhi (1938–2008, India)
• Michael Johns (born 1964, United States)
• Diane Johnson (born 1934, United States)
• Electa Amanda Wright Johnson (1938–1929, United States)
• Samuel Johnson (1709–1784, England)
• June Jordan (1936–2002, United States)
• Rebecca Richardson Joslin (1846–1934, United States)

K-L

• Steven G. Kellman (born 1947, United States)
• Ted Kaczynski (1942–2023, United States)
• Shakuntala Karandikar (1931–2018, India)
• Frank Kermode (1919–2010, United Kingdom)
• Tracy Kidder (born 1945, United States)
• Chuck Klosterman (born 1972, United States)
• Rudy Kousbroek (1929–2010, Netherlands)
• Hans Krieger (born 1933, Germany)
• Miroslav Krleža (1893–1981, Croatia)
• Tomislav Ladan (1932–2008, Serbia)
• Laila Lalami (born 1968, Morocco)
• Anne Richelieu Lamb (1807–1878, Scotland)
• Charles Lamb (1775–1834, England)
• Shankar Lamichhane (Nepal)
• Anne Lamott (born 1954, United States)
• Corinne Lee (United States)
• Gottfried Leibniz (1646–1716, Germany)
• Albert Leung (born 1961, Hong Kong)
• C. S. Lewis (1898–1963, Ireland)
• Li Ao (1935–2018, China, Taiwan)
• Liang Shiqiu (1903–1987, China, Taiwan)
• Lin Yutang (1895–1976, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong)
• Alan Lightman (born 1948, United States)
• Tim Lilburn (born 1950, Canada)
• Lin Wenyue (born 1933, Taiwan)
• Joan Lindsay (1896–1984, Australia)
• María López Sández (born 1973, Spain)
• E. V. Lucas (1868–1938, England)^[1]
• Lu Xun (1881–1936, China)

M-N

• Maurice Maeterlinck (1862–1949), Belgium)
• Norman Mailer (1923–2007, United States)
• Jorge Majfud (born 1969, Uruguay)
• Laura Mancinelli (1933–2016, Italy)
• Francis T. McAndrew (born 1953, Germany)
• Nathan McCall (born 1955, United States)
• Mary McCarthy (1912–1989, United States)
• Tim McKay (1947–2006, United States)
• John McPhee (born 1931, United States)
• Louis Menand (born 1952, United States)
• H. L. Mencken (1880–1956, United States)
• Arthur Miller (1915–2005, United States)
• Pankaj Mishra (born 1969, India)
• Donald Grant Mitchell (1822–1908, United States)
• Michel de Montaigne (1533–1592, France)
• Angela Morales (born 1966, United States)
• Michele Moramarco (born 1953, Italy)
• V. S. Naipaul (1932–2018, Trinidad and Tobago)
• Nakane Kōtei (1839–1913, Japan)
• Ukichiro Nakaya (1900–1962, Japan)
• Marie NDiaye (born 1967, France)
• John Neal (1793–1876, United States)
• Virgil Nemoianu (born 1940, Romania)
• Natias Neutert (born 1941, Germany)

• Kathleen Norris (born 1947, United States)

O-R

• Joyce Carol Oates (born 1938, United States)
• George Orwell (1903–1950, United Kingdom)
• Borislav Pekić (1930–1992, Serbia)
• Noel Perrin (1927–2004, United States)
• Samuel F. Pickering Jr. (born 1941, United States)
• Stanley Plumly (1939–2019, United States)
• Mestrius Plutarch (46–127, Boeotia, Ancient Greece)
• Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849, United States)
• Katherine Ann Porter (1890–1980, United States)
• Rebecca N. Porter (1883-1963, United States)
• Anna M. Longshore Potts (1829–1912, United States)
• J.B. Priestley (1894–1984, England)
• Kevin Prufer (born 1969, United States)
• Thomas de Quincey (1785–1859, England)
• Indra Bahadur Rai (1927–2018, India)
• Fanny Raoul (1771–1833, France)
• María del Carmen Reina Jiménez (born 1942, Spain)
• Emily Browne Powell (1847-1938, United States)
• Gabrielle Réval (1869–1938, France)
• Kenneth Rexroth (1905–1985, United States)
• Marilynne Robinson (born 1943, United States)
• Tjalie Robinson (1911–1974, Netherlands)
• Richard Rodriguez (born 1944, United States)
• Arundhati Roy (born 1961, India)
• Bertrand Russell (1872–1970, United Kingdom)

S

• Rahul Sankrityayan (1893–1963, India)
• Edward Said (1935–2003, Palestine)
• John Ralston Saul (born 1947, Canada)
• Dan Schneider (born 1965, United States)
• Robert Schumann (1810–1856, Germany)
• Roger Scruton (1944–2020, England)
• David Sedaris (born 1956, United States)
• John Robert Seeley (1834–1895, England)
• Rafael Calvo Serer (1916–1988, Spain)
• George Bernard Shaw (1856–1950, Ireland)
• Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792–1822, England)
• Fannie Isabelle Sherrick (fl. 1860–1880, United States)
• David Shields (born 1956, United States)
• Clay Shirky (born 1964, United States)
• Simeon Simev (born 1949, Republic of Macedonia)
• Ramdhari Singh 'Dinkar' (1908–1974, India)
• Matias Skard (1846–1927, Norway)
• Jean Edward Smith (1932–2019, United States)
• Zadie Smith (born 1975, England)
• Amelia Solar de Claro (1836–1915, Chile)
• Walid Soliman (born 1975, Tunisia)
• Rebecca Solnit (born 1961, United States)
• Susan Sontag (1933–2004, United States)
• Dejan Stojanović (born 1959, Serbia)
• Lytton Strachey (1880–1932, United Kingdom)
• Cheryl Strayed (born 1968, United States)

T-Z

• Rabindranath Tagore (1861–1941, India)
• Nassim Nicholas Taleb (born 1960, Lebanon)
• Alain Tasso (born 1962, Lebanon)
• Vijay Tendulkar (1928–2008, India)
• Issa Laye Thiaw (1943–2017, Senegal)
• Colm Tóibín (born 1955, Ireland)
• Leo Tolstoy (1828–1910, Russia)
• Lionel Trilling (1905–1975, United States)
• George W. S. Trow (1943–2006, United States)
• Andrew Vachss (1942–2021, United States)
• Paul Valéry (1871–1945, France)
• Erico Verissimo (1905–1975, Brazil)
• Gore Vidal (1925–2012, United States)
• Voltaire (1694–1778, France)
• Kurt Vonnegut (1922–2007, United States)
• Richard Wagner (1813–1883, Germany)
• David Foster Wallace (1962–2008, United States)
• Rebecca West (1892–1983, United Kingdom)
• E. B. White (1899–1985, United States)
• Oscar Wilde (1852–1900, Ireland)
• Tom Wolfe (1931–2018, United States)
• Virginia Woolf (1882–1941, United Kingdom)
• Yang Jiang (1911–2016, China)
• Marguerite Yourcenar (1903–1987, France)
• Asunción de Zea-Bermúdez (1862–1936, Spain)