Eduard Mörike

After a career as a clergyman, Eduard Mörike (1804–75) became one of the most prominent poets of his day, also penning prose works, notably the novellas The Painter Nolten and Mozart’s Journey to Prague.

Voltaire

Voltaire (1694–1778) was a French man of letters and a leading figure of the Enlightenment, known for his outspokenness and polemical writings. The philosophical novellas Candide and Zadig are among his most celebrated works.

George Eliot

Mary Ann Evans (1819–1880), better known by her pen name George Eliot, was one of the leading writers of the Victorian era. Her novels, largely set in provincial England, are well known for their realism and psychological insight. Middlemarch is her masterpiece.

David Greene

David Greene is co-host of NPR’s Morning Edition. He is NPR’s former Moscow bureau chief and has spent more than a decade covering politics and events from the White House and abroad. He lives in Washington, DC, with his wife, Rose, a restaurant owner and fellow traveller.

Read an interview with David Greene here

Herman Melville

Now considered one of America’s greatest and most influential authors, Herman Melville (1819–1891) wrote novels, travel books and novellas inspired by his experiences in the merchant navy – with Moby Dick and Billy Budd generally regarded as his masterpieces.

Edmondo de Amicis

The poet, novelist and travel writer Edmondo de Amicis (1846–1908) began his career as a soldier, before switching to journalism. He is now best remembered for his collection of children’s stories Heart of a Boy.

Gustave Flaubert

Born in Rouen in northern France, Gustave Flaubert (1821–80) is regarded as one of the greatest novelists of all time. He is best known for his works Madame Bovary and A Sentimental Education, and for his stylistic perfectionism and scrupulous commitment to le mot juste.

George R. Sims

George R. Sims (1847–1922) was one of the leading satirists and playwrights of his time. A friend of W.S. Gilbert and Ambrose Bierce, he was the author of over thirty plays, some of which enjoyed long runs across Britain.

Jules Massenet

Ranked as one of the greatest melodists of his era, Jules Émile Frédéric Massenet (1842–1912) was a French composer whose operas fell out of fashion after his death. However, since the mid-1970s, interest has been rekindled.

Joseph von Eichendorff

Despite leading a life of ordinary officialdom, Joseph von Eichendorff (1788–1857) was one of the most important German Romantic poets, also famous for his prose tales.