Today in history

• 1578

  Robert Southwell – Southwell joined a probation house at Sant' Andrea in October 1578 to train as a novitiate. [Rome, Italy]

• 1586

  Sir Philip Sidney – On the 17th of October 1586 Sir Philip Sidney passes away at the age of 31 in Arnhem, Netherlands [Arnhem, Netherlands]

• 1910

  Julia Ward Howe – On October the 17th, 1910 Julia Ward Howe passes away [Portsmouth, Rhode Island, United States]

• 1933

  Marcus Garvey – On the 17th of October 1933 The Negro World ceases publication [London, United Kingdom]

• 1937

  Thomas Hardy – On the 17th of October 1937 Hardy's second wife Florence Emily Dugdale passes away [Dorchester, Dorset, United Kingdom]

• 1942

  B. H. Fairchild – On October the 17th, 1942 B. H. Fairchild is born in Houston, Texas, United States [Houston, Texas, United States]

• 1973

  Ingeborg Bachmann – On the 17th of October 1973 Ingeborg Bachmann passes away at the age of 47 [Rome, Italy]

• 2013

  Maya Angelou – Given by the The Norman Mailer Center and The Norman Mailer Writers Colony to celebrate writers and their works [New York, United States]

Featured news

Anne Carson Wins Nobel / T. S. Eliot Prize Shortlist – Poetry News Roundup October 9th

This week in our poetry news round up we look at the Canadian poet Anne Carson, who has been awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, and the shortlist for this year's T. S. Eliot Prize. Anne Carson Awarded the 2026 Nobel Prize in Literature [caption id="attachment_21073" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Anne Carson © Jeff Brown[/caption] Anne Carson, the Canadian poet, essayist, translator and classicist, has been named as the winner of the 2026 Nobel Prize ...

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