Famous authors born in June

As 2025 has somehow reached June already, it was interesting to note how many famous authors were born in June. It is also my birth month, which I'll admit is of rather less significance!

Today (2nd June) is Thomas Hardy's birthday. He was born in 1840 and is regarding as one of the great Victorian novelists. His works include Tess of the Durbervilles, Jude the Obscure and Far from the Madding Crowd. He was brought up in Dorset on the south coast of England and his cottage in Dorchester is now a National Trust property.

4th June 1955 saw the birth of Scottish crime writer Val McDermid. She is one of two famous authors to come from the Scottish town of Kirkcaldy, the other being fellow crime writer Ian Rankin. She has written no fewer five famous series, with main characters including journalist Lindsay Gordon, DCI Karen Pirie and investigator Kate Brannigan.

Another female author born in June is Patricia Cornwell, who was born 9th June 1956. She is best known for her series featuring forensic scientist Kay Scarpetta. She is also known for promoting the theory that painter Walter Sickert was Jack the Ripper.

Salman Rushdie was born on 19th June 1947. He found fame with Midnight's Children in 1981, and caused controversy among Muslims with his book The Satanic Verses in 1989. His other works have included The Moor's Last Sigh (1995) and Shalimar the Clown (2005). He was blinded in one eye by an attacker who tried to kill him in 2022.

Another author who caused controversy (to a lesser extent) was Dan Brown, born on 22nd June 1964. His most controversial work, The Da Vinci Code, was published in 2003. It involved investigators trying to crack a code hidden in paintings by Da Vinci and raised eyebrows with its portrayal of historic and religious figures.

The last mention should go to Anne Frank, who was born on 12th June 1929. Her diaries tell the story of her family's life hiding from the Nazis in Amsterdam. Tragically, they were eventually captured in 1944 and Anne died around February 1945 at a concentration camp. Her memory however has lived on and will continue to long into the future.

June seems to have been a good month for author births down the years. Who are your favourite June-born authors?