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2003 in literature

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This article contains information about the literary events and publications of 2003.

Events

  • February 12 – An invitation from the First Lady of the United States, Laura Bush, for some poets to attend a conference at the White House is postponed when one of them, Sam Hamill, organizes a "Poets Against the War" group for poetry readings across the United States on the same date.{{Cite web |url=http://www.inthesetimes.com/site/main/article/49/ |last=Knowles |first=Joe |title=Poets Against the War |work=In These Times |date=2003-02-14 |access-date=2014-11-10 |archive-date=2008-09-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080906211132/http://www.inthesetimes.com/site/main/article/49/ |url-status=dead }}
  • February 15 – Anti-war protests occur in London. They are later used as the setting for Ian McEwan's 2005 novel Saturday.{{cite journal|author=Christopher Hitchens|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200504/hitchens|title=Civilisation and its malcontents|journal=The Atlantic|date=April 2005|issue=April 2005|access-date=17 January 2021}}
  • March – The University of Mosul library is damaged and looted during the Iraq War, but many volumes are removed for protection by staff.
  • April 14 – The Iraq National Library and Archive is burned down during the Battle of Baghdad.{{Cite journal |last=Eskander |first=Saad |title=The Tale of Iraq's 'Cemetery of Books' |journal=Information Today |volume=21 |issue=11 |pages=1–54 |date=December 2004}}
  • April – Nicholas Hytner succeeds Sir Trevor Nunn as artistic director of London's Royal National Theatre.{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/1562593.stm|title=Hytner appointment welcomed|website=BBC News|date=25 September 2001|access-date=17 January 2021}}
  • November 7 – UNESCO places among the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity wayang kulit, a shadow puppet theatre and best known of the Indonesian wayang.[http://www.unesco.org/culture/ich/index.php?RL=00039 Indonesian wayang Inscribed in 2003 on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity].

New books

=Fiction=

=Children and young people=

=Drama=

=Poetry=

{{Main|2003 in poetry}}

=Non–fiction=

Films

Deaths

  • January 5 – Jean Kerr, American author and playwright (born 1923)
  • January 21 – Paul Haines, American-born Canadian poet and songwriter (born 1933)
  • February 16 – Aleksandar Tišma, Serbian novelist (born 1924)
  • February 26 – Quentin Keynes, English explorer, writer and filmmaker (born 1921)
  • March 11 – Brian Cleeve, English-born Irish writer and broadcaster (born 1921)
  • March 12 – Howard Fast, American novelist (born 1914)
  • March 14 – Lucian Boz, Romanian and Australian literary critic (born 1908)
  • April 3 – Michael Kelly, American journalist (born 1957)
  • April 7 – Cecile de Brunhoff, French children's writer (born 1903)
  • June 21
  • George Axelrod, American dramatist and screenwriter (born 1922)
  • Leon Uris, American novelist (born 1924)
  • July 6 – Kathleen Raine, English poet, scholar, and translator (born 1908){{cite web |last1=Watts |first1=Janet |title=Obituary: Kathleen Raine |url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/2003/jul/08/guardianobituaries.books |website=The Guardian |access-date=11 October 2018 |language=en |date=8 July 2003}}
  • July 10 – Winston Graham, English novelist (born 1908){{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/winston-graham-36740.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220501/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/winston-graham-36740.html |archive-date=2022-05-01 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Winston Graham obituary |work= The Independent|access-date= March 9, 2015}}{{cbignore}}
  • July 14 – Éva Janikovszky, Hungarian novelist and children's writer (born 1926)
  • July 15 – Roberto Bolaño, Chilean-born fiction writer (born 1953)
  • July 16 – Carol Shields, American-born Canadian novelist (breast cancer; born 1935){{cite news| url = https://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/18/obituaries/18SHIE.html| title = Carol Shields, Pulitzer-Prize Winning Novelist, Dies at 68| first = Christopher | last = Lehmann-Haupt|work=The New York Times| date = July 18, 2003}}
  • September 3 – Alan Dugan, American poet (born 1923)
  • September 12 – Profira Sadoveanu, Romanian journalist, memoirist, biographer, editor and translator (born 1906)
  • September 24 – Derek Prince, English biblical scholar, author and radio presenter (born 1915)
  • September 25 – Edward Said, Palestinian-American literary critic (born 1935){{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/26/arts/edward-w-said-literary-critic-advocate-for-palestinian-independence-dies-67.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm|title=Edward W. Said, Literary Critic and Advocate for Palestinian Independence, Dies at 67|last=Bernstein|first=Richard|date=26 September 2003|work=The New York Times|page=23|access-date=6 June 2013}}
  • November 9 – Alan Davidson, Northern Irish historian and food writer (born 1924)
  • December 3 – Sita Ram Goel, Indian historian, publisher and author (born 1921)
  • December 11 – Ahmadou Kourouma, Ivorian writer (born 1927){{cite news| url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/ahmadou-kourouma-37643.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220501/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/ahmadou-kourouma-37643.html |archive-date=2022-05-01 |url-access=subscription| title=Ahmadou Kourouma| work=The Independent|first=Margaret|last=Busby|author-link=Margaret Busby| date=16 December 2003| location=London}}{{cbignore}}
  • December 12 – Fadwa Toukan, Palestinian poet (born 1917)

Awards

=Australia=

=Canada=

=Sweden=

=United Kingdom=

=United States=

:Fiction: Courtney Angela Brkic (fiction/nonfiction), Alexander Chee, Agymah Kamau, Ann Pancake, Lewis Robinson, Jess Row

:Nonfiction: Christopher Cokinos, Trudy Dittmar

:Plays: Sarah Ruhl

:Poetry: Major Jackson

=Other=

See also

Notes

  • {{cite book |last1=Hahn |first1=Daniel |title=The Oxford Companion to Children's Literature |date=2015 |publisher=Oxford. University Press |isbn=9780198715542 |edition=2nd}}

References

{{reflist|30em}}

{{Year in literature article categories}}

Category:2003-related lists