Blind Horse Books

    Today we celebrate the birth of George Eliot, the pen name of Mary Ann Evans—one of the most influential novelists of the Victorian era and a writer whose psychological depth and moral insight remain unmatched. Evans adopted the name George Eliot in 1856 to ensure her work would be taken seriously in a male-dominated publishing world. The strategy worked: within a few years, she became the most respected novelist in Britain, admired by readers and fellow writers alike. Her early novels, including Adam Bede and The Mill on the Floss, established her as a powerful interpreter of provincial life. But it was Middlemarch (1871–72)—her masterpiece—that secured her reputation for all time. Virginia Woolf famously called it “one of the few English novels written for grown-up people,” praising Eliot’s ability to explore the intertwined lives, motives, and moral struggles of her characters with unparalleled subtlety. Eliot’s work blends realism, compassion, and philosophical inquiry...

 Happy Birthday to Alan Moore (born 1953),  one of the most influential voices in modern graphic literature. Alan Moore is widely regarded as one of the greatest graphic novelists of all time—a writer whose work transformed comics into a serious literary art form. His landmark creations Watchmen, V for Vendetta, From Hell, and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen reshaped both the industry and popular culture. Hollywood embraced his stories, though Moore famously rejected all film adaptations and declined royalties, insisting they be given to the artists he worked with—a testament to his fierce creative integrity. A mentor and inspiration to later storytellers such as Neil Gaiman, Damon Lindelof, and Joss Whedon, Moore pushed the boundaries of narrative form, character psychology, and world-building. Did You Know? • A practicing ceremonial magician, Moore has often described writing as a form of magic—turning thoughts into reality. • He once legally declared himself a wizard....

TODAY IN LITERARY HISTORY: November 16 Celebrating Chinua Achebe (1930–2013),  Nigerian novelist, poet, professor, and critic.   Born Albert Chinualumogu Achebe, he was given the name Albert after Queen Victoria’s husband, Prince Albert—a mark of British colonial convention. In time, Achebe shed that name, reclaiming his Igbo heritage by adopting Chinua, derived from a traditional prayer meaning “May God fight on my behalf.” His debut novel, Things Fall Apart (1958), drew its title from W. B. Yeats’s poem “The Second Coming.” The book revolutionized African literature, presenting the collision between traditional Igbo society and European colonialism through the tragic story of Okonkwo. It remains the most widely read modern African novel, translated into more than fifty languages. Achebe was also an outspoken critic of imperialist depictions of Africa in Western literature. His famous essay “An Image of Africa” condemned Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness as the work of a “blo...

 TODAY IN LITERARY HISTORY: November 13 Remembering Robert Louis Stevenson (1850 – 1894) Scottish novelist, essayist, and poet Robert Louis Stevenson gave readers some of the most enduring adventure and horror tales ever written—from Treasure Island to The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. But here’s a birthday story unlike any other. While living in Samoa, Stevenson learned that the 12-year-old daughter of Henry Clay Ide, the U.S. Commissioner to Samoa, had been born on Christmas Day and disliked sharing her birthday with the holiday. In an act of generosity perfectly in character, Stevenson legally transferred his own birthday, November 13, to her. His letter of 1891 reads in part: “I… Have transferred, and do hereby transfer to the said A. H. Ide, all and whole of my rights and privileges in the 13th day of November, formerly my birthday, now, hereby, and henceforth, the birthday of the said A. H. Ide…” What a remarkable gift—from a man who gave the world so many others. ...

  Happy Birthday to Kurt Vonnegut (1922–2007) November 11 One of the most distinctive American voices of the 20th century, Kurt Vonnegut blended satire, science fiction, and dark humor to question everything from war to free will. His writing—part tragicomedy, part moral fable—helped readers see the absurdity of modern life while holding on to compassion for its flawed participants. I first read Slaughterhouse-Five in ninth grade, and it changed how I thought about storytelling. Later, in high school, I made a deal with my German teacher: I’d stay quiet in the back of the room reading—so long as I stuck to German authors. Vonnegut, thankfully, snuck through the loophole. In a career that spanned over fifty years, he published fourteen novels, three short story collections, five plays, and five works of nonfiction. Slaughterhouse-Five, inspired by his experience as a WWII POW who survived the firebombing of Dresden, remains his most celebrated and haunting work. ‘We are here on Eart...

  TODAY IN LITERARY HISTORY: November 10 Happy Birthday to Neil Gaiman (born 1960) British novelist, screenwriter, and comic book author Neil Gaiman has built a career out of bending genres and blurring boundaries. Best known for The Sandman graphic novels, American Gods, Coraline, and The Graveyard Book, Gaiman’s work moves easily between myth and modern life—equal parts eerie, tender, and wildly imaginative. Beginning as a journalist, Gaiman’s early fascination with storytelling led him to comics, where The Sandman became a cultural landmark: the first graphic novel to win a World Fantasy Award. His novels and screen adaptations have since made him one of the most beloved storytellers of his generation, with themes that celebrate belief, dreams, and the power of words. Fun Fact: Before fame, Gaiman’s first published book was a quick-turnaround 1984 biography of Duran Duran—written in just three months to help pay the rent! He later joked it was “the least-rock-and-roll book ever...

 🎂 Happy Birthday to Russian novelist Ivan Turgenev! Turgenev was the quiet craftsman of Russian realism—a writer who believed in art for art’s sake. His first major success, A Sportsman’s Sketches (1852), was so powerful that it helped open the eyes of a nation; the book’s vivid portraits of peasant life reportedly moved Tsar Alexander II to begin the emancipation of the serfs. His masterpiece Fathers and Sons (1862) remains one of the 19th century’s most influential novels, introducing readers to the word “nihilism” and sparking debate across Europe. Writers from Henry James to Joseph Conrad admired his restraint and artistry, preferring him to his more volcanic peers, Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky. Vladimir Nabokov once praised Turgenev’s “plastic musical flowing prose,” though he couldn’t resist teasing him for his “labored epilogues.” Fun Fact: Turgenev spent much of his life in France and was close friends with novelist George Sand—and even more famously, the opera singer Pauline ...

TODAY IN LITERARY HISTORY: November 1 Happy Birthday to H. G. “Buzz” Bissinger American journalist and author, Buzz Bissinger is best known for Friday Night Lights (1990), his riveting account of a small Texas town where high-school football defines identity, pride, and heartbreak. The book became a cultural touchstone, spawning both a feature film (2004) and the acclaimed NBC series that ran from 2006–2011. Written with the eye of a reporter and the pacing of a novelist, Friday Night Lights captured the human side of sports—ambition, class tension, and the weight of community expectation. Bissinger’s work elevated sportswriting to literature, setting a new standard for narrative nonfiction. Fun Facts: • Bissinger wrote Friday Night Lights after moving to Odessa, Texas, and spending a full year with the Permian Panthers team and their families. • The title came from a Texas expression describing the glow of stadium lights seen miles away on a Friday night. • He later co-authored ...