- The Story has a beginning, middle and end. The moment the first person sat by a warm fire, there were stories to tell. As humankind evolved, so did the story and its story tellers. These tales that became legend were written down. Books such as China's Five Classics(Wujing), the Bible to The Canterbury Tales were stories, poems and lessons that have influenced billions. From Aesop, Jane Austen to modern day writers such Gabriel Garcia-Marquez, here is a list of famous story tellers.
- Though little is known about Aesop, we do know this ancient story teller was a slave around 620 BC. Scholars and experts have disagreed as to his Greek or African background. Upon being freed, Aesop traveled to many countries, refining his wit and intellect. Whether at court in Sardis or endless conversations with philosophers, Aesop rose above his servant status with his tales of moral lessons. "The Hare and the Tortoise," "The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse" and "The Boy Who Cried Wolf" are tales known around the world.
- The great Dane of the 19th Century was made famous by his poetry and stories for children. At 14, Hans Christian Andersen moved to Copenhagen to pursue acting, but was later encouraged to become a writer when his voice changed. A writer of many novels during the 1830s, including "The Ugly Duckling," Andersen would become a national and European treasure during his lifetime. His intimate life of love affairs and his loneliness would translate into amazing fairy tales and books such as "Thumbelina," "The Little Mermaid" and "The Emperor's New Clothes."
- One would think that the writer of "Sense and Sensibility," "Pride and Prejudice" and "Emma" would be the most celebrated story teller of her time, but not so. Deciding to publish anonymously, Jane Austen, 1775-1817, lived a quiet and domestic life with her family in the early 19th century. Never married, Austen wrote expertly on women and their social standings. Her popularity did not start for some 50 years after her death. These new found fans, or "Janeities" included another famous story teller, E.M. Forster, who read Austen's novels with 'the mouth open and the mind closed.'" Austen's books found a modern, pop culture revival in recent decades with cinematic versions of her acclaimed novels.
- Profound and real, Fyodor Dostoyevsky was a Russian novelist and journalist whose work would have a lasting effect on the modern novel. A lifelong epileptic, Dostoyevsky wrote about deeply psychological, social and religious themes like no one else had before. His writings on the human condition and violence were visionary and dark. "The House of the Dead," published after 8 years of imprisonment, "Notes From the Underground" and "Crime and Punishment" are among his best works. "The Idiot" is considered by many to be his greatest novel.
- Gabriel Garcia Marquez -- The master of Magic Realism. Books include, "Love in the Time of Cholera," "One Hundred Years of Solitude" and "Of Love and Other Demons."
Maya Angelou -- Pulitzer Nominee for "Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water 'Fore I Diiie." She read her poem, "On the Pulse of Morning" at President Clinton's inauguration in 1993.
Sandra Cisneros -- "Literary critic Claudia Sadowski-Smith has called Cisneros 'perhaps the most famous Chicana writer." Well known novels are, "The House on Mango Street" and "Woman Hollering Creek and Other Stories."
Cormac MacCarthy -- Epic works include, "No Country for Old Men," "Blood Meridian," "All the Pretty Horses" and "The Road."
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