History and literature are two different things. The former is the study of the full series of events from the past that center on people and their affairs. The latter, however, is the platform that contains a wide array of written and printed material that possesses artistic value and long lasting merit. How awesome would it be if these two are being combined? Thus, the birth of the literary genre called historical fiction. It is the category that houses brilliant works of fiction that revolve around a fictional story that has been injected with a particular remarkable past events.
Over time, there have been several historical works published. These pieces wouldn’t live their glory days if there were no talented people behind the words. Hence, listed below are the best historical fiction authors that you MUST check-out!
Anthony Doerr
Are you familiar with or have you read the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction winner All the Light We Cannot See? If yes, then you might already know Anthony Doerr. He is the author of the said book. Moreover, Doerr is an American novelist who was born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1973. He went to Bowdoin College to get his bachelor’s degree and later on attended Bowling Green State University to get his MFA. His first novel is an anthology of short stories titled Shell Collector. Afterward, he published his second novel — which is All the Light We Cannot See, in 2014 and it paved the way for him to get the Pulitzer Prize. It was a historical fiction novel set in the Second World War in occupied France. It was also recognized as the National Book Award for Fiction finalist, New York Times bestseller, Dayton Literary Peace Prize for Fiction runner-up, and 2015 Ohioana Library Association Book Award for Fiction winner.
Kristin Hannah
In September 25, 1960 at Garden Grove, California, Kristin Hannah was born. She is one of the top writers of fiction and historical fiction in this generation. Hannah wrote 24 books that are making differences in the lives of her readers. She attended the University of Washington where she got her bachelor’s degree in communication. Kristin also went to law school in the University of Puget Sound, and practiced law in Seattle for quite some time. Moreover one of her best books is The Nightingale, which sold more than two million copies all around the world. The book has been translated into 43 languages and is currently on the works for its film adaptation. Apart from The Nightingale, some of her books include A Handful of Heaven, Nigh Road, Waiting for the Moon, The Great Along, Four Winds, and more.
Irv Lampman
Deerfield, Wisconsin is the place where the Angels and Mysteries author Irv Lampman was born and raised; specifically in a little farm approximately 15 miles eastern Madison. His love and interest in reading started because of his dear mother Dorothy. With his mom’s great influence in reading works about angels, mysteries, and the Wild West, he created a book based on the tales. His historical fiction work was titled Angels and Mysteries: And the Incredible Happenings in the Wild Wild West. The setting of the book was during the time that the Westerners decided to extend their territories in the United States. Almost all of the tales in the book were stories told by an old woman to the author. This woman was born close to the finishing of the American Civil War and was raised during the era of Billy the Kid, Wyatt Earp, Doc Holiday, the cattle drives, and the wagon trains going to the west.
Colson Whitehead
The award-winning novelist Arch Colson Chipp Whitehead was born in New York City, New York on November 6, 1969. The literary awards that he received are the 2016 National Book Award for Fiction and the 2017 and 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction awards. Furthermore, Whitehead studied in Harvard University in 1991. The Intuitionist is his first novel that was published in 1999. He has eight fiction books, two nonfiction books, 4 essays, and 2 short stories. The Intuitionist, John Henry Days, Apex Hides the Hurt, Sag Harbor, Zone One, The Underground Railroad, The Nickel Boys, and Harlem Shuffle are his promising and critically-acclaimed books in fiction.
Oliver’s Twist 