This year we're honoring the classic literature of our favorite authors. What better way to do that than by celebrating each of their birthdays? Every month on the Prestwick House Blog, you'll find free literary resources — including crossword puzzles, posters, lesson plans, eBooks, How to Teach resource guides, and more — to commemorate the dates of birth for our honorary authors. Share the never-to-be-forgotten works of iconic writers with your students and make use of these resources in your classroom this (and every) March.

Ralph Ellison

Born March 1, 1914

After abandoning his musical aspirations in 1936, Ralph Ellison relocated to New York where he was mentored by some of the greatest African American writers of the Harlem Renaissance — Richard Wright, Langston Hughes, and Alain Locke. Ellison's career kick started when his debut novel, Invisible Man, was published in 1952. It was awarded a National Book Award the following year. In 1998 — four years after Ellison's death — Invisible Man was chosen to be a part of the Modern Library's list of the 100 best English-language novels of the 20th century.

Khaled Hosseini

Born March 4, 1965

Born the son of an Afghan Foreign Ministry diplomat, Khaled Hosseini lived in a number of different countries before settling down in California where he eventually became a medical doctor. Upon its publication in 2003, Hosseini's debut novel, The Kite Runner, maintained its place on the New York Times best seller list for over one hundred weeks. His second novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns, was on the bestseller list for almost a year. For fifteen of those weeks it was ranked number one. Now the author of three critically acclaimed novels, Hosseini no longer practices medicine, employing his time as a full-time writer instead.

Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Born March 6, 1927

Renowned as one of the most influential Latin American authors of the twentieth century, Gabriel Garcia Marquez is best known for his contribution to the genre of magical realism. Marquez received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1982. At the end of his career, he had written six novels, five novellas, five short story collections, and eight non-fiction works. When Marquez died in 2014 — only a month after his eighty-seventh birthday — the president of Colombia called the author “the greatest Colombian who ever lived.”

Henrik Ibsen

Born March 20, 1828

A nineteenth century Norwegian playwright, Henrik Ibsen is commonly considered both the "Father of Realism" and a founder of the Modern theatre. Ibsen left his home in Norway in 1862 to live and write in Italy where he soon became famous for his tragedy, Brand. He moved to Germany six years later where he wrote A Doll's House, his most widely-recognized work in classrooms today. In 1906, Ibsen died in Norway as an internationally celebrated playwright.

Lois Lowry

Born March 20, 1937

In about third grade, Lois Lowry had already decided she wanted to be an author. After high school, she completed two years at Brown University before leaving to marry a naval officer. She later returned to school and received her bachelor's degree from the University of Southern Maine. In 1989, Lowry published her first award-winning book, Number the Stars. This work and The Giver — which was published four years later — won Newberry Awards, one of the highest honors for children's literature. A film adaptation of The Giver was released in 2011.

Tennessee Williams

Born March 26, 1911

At age twenty-eight, Thomas Williams changed his name to "Tennessee" and relocated to New Orleans, the city that would inspire his Pulitzer Prize winning work, A Streetcar Named Desire. Known today as one of America's most notable twentieth century playwrights, Williams struggled personally throughout his life; he often used his writing as a method of coping. Williams died in his hotel room in 1983 after he choked to death on the cap of his eyedrops bottle.