December remains an important time as the year comes to a close. Here at Echo-Lit we have compiled a list of important authors born in the wintery month. From their biographies to their works to their legacies, authors like Jane Austen, Emily Dickinson, and Henry Miller are sure to ring a bell. 

Willa Cather December 7th, 1873

Willa Cather, born December 7th, 1873, is a famous American author best known for her depictions of frontier life in the Great Plains during the early 20th century. Born in Virginia, Cather`s family moved to Nebraska in 1883 in hopes of tapping into rich farmland. When that prospect failed, her family went on to create small businesses that afforded the children to get an education. Cather attended the University of Nebraska, all the while soaking in the vastness of the prairie and the culture of European and Native American influence. Cather worked for magazines and as a school teacher while also publishing numerous short stories. Cather`s first novel appeared in 1912, but she did not reach major popularity until publishing O Pioneers! a year later along with two other of her most famous works The Song of the Lark (1915) and My Ántonia (1918). Cather received the Pulitzer Prize in 1923 for her novel One Of Ours (1922). 

Emily Dickinson December 10th, 1830

Perhaps one of the most well-known poets of all time, Emily Dickinson was born into a prominent family in Amherst, Massachusetts on December 10th, 1830. Well educated at the Amherst Academy, Emily was well behaved and a fervent scholar. However, after multiple deaths of loved ones, she entered a melancholy state of seclusion in her adulthood. Dickinson made the most of her time alone by writing and gathering her poems for manuscripts from the 1850s to the 1860s. Dickinson became completely homebound starting in the year 1867, but the poet still kept correspondence with numerous people during this time. During the 1870s, Dickinson continued her writings but her father and mother died within a year of each other, and Dickinson`s writings slowed down in her later years. The poet died in 1899, leaving her collected works to her sister Lavinia, who discovered them upon her death. Dickinson`s popularity sparked when the poems were publicized in their intended form years later. 

Gustave Flaubert 12th, 1821

A French novelist of the 19th century, Gustave Flaubert is considered a major proponent of literary realism. Born in Rouen in the northern part of France, Flaubert began writing an an early age. Flaubert went on to study law, but found he had no taste for it or the city of Paris. He finished his first novella in 1842 titled November, but his most well known and prolific work is considered to be Madame Bovary. After a trip to Egypt, Flaubert began the five year task of writing Madame Bovary. The French government found the book to be immoral and scandalous, however, their attempts to thwart the story were unsuccessful and the novel gained popular success. Both romantic and realist, Flaubert is still considered one of the greatest French writers of all time. 

Jane Austen December 16th, 1775

Jane Austen, a highly recognizable author in English literature, was born in Steventon, Hampshire on December 16th, 1775 to a modest family who relied on their kin to support them. Austen was educated at home but also attended a girls school in her later years to broaden her horizons. Austen`s family was very open to new ideas and discussions of politics and social issues in the home. An avid reader, Austen began to write plays, short stories and even novels during her childhood and teen years. Sadly, during the time female authors were not highly regarded, so Austen chose to remain anonymous to publish her famous novels such as Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, Mansfield Park, and Persuasion. The financial success of these novels gave Austen some independence and peace of mind, but the author fell ill and slowly deteriorated until her passing in July of 1847. Since 1833, Austen`s novels have never been out of print. 

photographed by Carl Van Vechten

Henry Miller December 26th, 1891

Born in New York City on December 26th, 1891, Henry Miller made new waves in literary form during the 20th century. Miller worked at a Western Union in the city until moving to Paris to write his most famous novel Tropic of Cancer (1934) which was banned on the pretense of obscenity in the United States. His other novels Black Spring (1936) and Tropic of Capricorn (1939)  maintained notoriety as well, gaining underground buzz in the states. Miller eventually returned to the U.S. to live in California, and his books gained even more traction in Europe and the U.S.. Miller went on to write The Rosy Crucifixion trilogy which fictionalized his relationship with his second wife June as he became a budding writer. Miller`s works were eventually allowed to be published in the United States after a few famous Supreme Court Trials in the 1960s that deemed his books of literary merit.