November 18 in Literary History: George Bernard Shaw Turns Down Nobel Prize Money

The most significant events in the history of books on the 18th of November

1307: According to Tschudi, it is on this day that William Tell shot the arrow off his son’s head in Swiss legend.

1836: W. S. Gilbert is born. Gilbert is best known for his songwriting partnership with composer Arthur Sullivan, which would result in the Savoy Operas such as HMS Pinafore and The Pirates of Penzance. Gilbert died in May 1911, after diving into a lake to save a drowning girl and suffering a heart attack.

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Writers and Their Lungs

In this special guest post, Michael Nath takes a look at the link between writers and lung complaints Read Ye and Wheeze! To this hour art thou not tormented with the vile asthma that thou gattest in skating against the wind in Flanders? [Laurence Sterne, The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman (1759-1767), Vol … Read more