The Best Female Authors to Read Before You Die

Are you looking for a way to become a better writer? Then, you should consider getting some inspiration from famous writers who have achieved significant success before you in literature. Even though the names of male writers are among the most popular ones, female writers also deserve celebration. In this article, you can find the list of the most influential women in literature.

Jane Austen (1787-1817)

One of the most beloved authors in the world, Jane Austen introduced her first book in 1811. This happens in those times when women were not allowed to have their own contracts with publishers, so she sold her first novel, Sense and Sensibility, with the help of her brother. Austen’s works have a unique sense of humor, satire, and romance, which won the hearts of many people.
Most of Austen’s books cover the theme of marriage. Interestingly, the writer herself has never been married despite multiple proposals. Her works have become the inspiration for different works of art, literature, film, and many more. In 1816, Austen got ill and died at the age of 41.
Up until this day, Jane Austen has remained a great figure in literature. Pride and Prejudice, one of her most famous works, served as the bases for numerous film adaptations.

Wisława Szymborska (1923-2012)

Not many women won the Nobel Prize in Literature. Wisława Szymborska was one of them. Her Poems New and Collected, a collection of the best poems, has become a career-changing work. Even though Szymborska published a few hundred poems during her lifetime, she received a title as one of the century’s finest poets in Europe. Her works featured ironic precision which created the historical and biological context to come through the prism of human reality. Rich imagery and versatile stylistic methods made Szymborska’s works personal, timeless, and universally acclaimed.

Virginia Woolf (1882-1941)

Being one of the most significant modernists, Virginia Wolf was good at revealing the stream of consciousness. Her narrative device was based on her ability to depict numerous thoughts and feelings which pass through the human mind. During her lifetime, she had to deal with mental illnesses which might have helped her create sensitive literature. The Voyage Out, To the Lighthouse, and A Room of One’s Own are some of her prominent works which have been examined by critics throughout the last century.

Emily Bronte (1818 – 1848) and Charlotte Bronte (1816 – 1855)

Emily Bronte, the sister of famous Charlotte Bronte, was a well-known female author of the Victorian era. Her Wuthering Heights has been added to the list of golden literature of all times. Bronte was also an amazing poet who brought her works under the pen name Ellis Bell. Her unique writing style could be easily observed in the Poems by Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell.

Agatha Christie (1890 – 1976)

The lovers of high-quality detectives simply couldn’t leave this name ignored. Agatha Christie got more than two billion copies of her detective crime books sold across the world. No wonder she has become recognized as the best-selling fiction author of all time by Guinness World Records. Her fictional investigators Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple are legendary characters who serve as an inspiration to other detective writers these days. Her works The Mousetrap, Murder on the Orient Express, and The ABC Murders are only some works to mention from Agatha Christie’s bibliography.

Mary Ann Evans/ George Eliot (1819–1880)

Mary Ann Evans, known as George Eliot, was an amazing novelist, poet, journalist, translator, and one of the top writers of the Victorian era. She has been the author of seven novels written in strong realism. The presentation of the spiritual, emotional, and mental lives of the characters was one of her key tricks, which made her a name.
Eliot’s poems like How Lisa loved the King, and Count that Day Lost were critically acclaimed. Adam Bede, The Mill on the Floss, Romola, and Middlemarch remain in the list of the greatest novels written in the English language.

Final Word

Over the course of history, female writers have made great contributions to literature. Only some of them have received a deserved level of recognition though. Hopefully, you have the intention to change this situation. The above names will surely serve you as an excellent source of motivation and encouragement.