Events on January 23, 2007:

Author Birthdays: Stendahl & Walcott

Today is the birthday of Stendhal (1893), born Marie-Henri Beyle. A soldier under Napoleon, Stendhal is the author of The Red and the Black and The Charterhouse of Parma.

Today is also the birthday of Derek Walcott (1930), West Indian poet and playwright noted for works that explore the Caribbean cultural experience. Walcott was born in Castries, Saint Lucia, and is best known for his poetry (The Collected Poems 1948-1984), most notably his book-length poem Omeros (1990), which links the world of the Caribbean with that of Homer. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1992.