Encyclopedia subject

20th-century librettists

168 published records, arranged alphabetically. Each entry is published only where a named source supports it.

Abel MeeropolAuthor · BooksAbel Meeropol (February 10, 1903 – October 29, 1986) was an American songwriter and poet whose works were published under his pseudonym Lewis Allan.
Adam CornfordAuthor · BooksAdam Francis Cornford (born 26 February 1950) is a British poet, journalist, and essayist and the great-great-grandson of Charles Darwin.
Adam WażykAuthor · BooksAdam Ważyk born Ajzyk Wagman (17 November 1905 – 13 August 1982) was a Polish poet, essayist and writer born to a Jewish family in Warsaw.
Ahmed ArifAuthor · BooksAhmed Arif (21 April 1927 in Siverek – 2 June 1991 in Ankara) was a Turkish-Kurdish poet.
Allen GinsbergAuthor · BooksIrwin Allen Ginsberg (June 3, 1926 – April 5, 1997) was an American poet and writer.
Ana BlandianaAuthor · BooksAna Blandiana (ˈana blandiˈana; pen name of Otilia Valeria Coman; born 25 March 1942) is a Romanian poet, essayist, and political figure.
Andreas BouraniPerson · Music memorabiliaAndreas Bourani (born Stiegelmair; 2 November 1983) is a German pop singer and songwriter.
Angela Sommer-BodenburgAuthor · BooksAngela Sommer-Bodenburg (born December 18, 1948) is the author of a number of fantasy books for children.
Anne SextonAuthor · BooksAnne Sexton (born Anne Gray Harvey; November 9, 1928 – October 4, 1974) was an American poet known for her highly personal, confessional verse.
Anne WeberAuthor · BooksAnne Weber (born 13 November 1964) is a German-French author, translator and self-translator.
Aonghas MacNeacailAuthor · Books
Aribert ReimannPerson · Music memorabiliaAribert Reimann (4 March 1936 – 13 March 2024) was a German composer, pianist, and accompanist, known especially for his literary operas.
Armando IannucciPerson · Film memorabiliaArmando Giovanni Iannucci (born 28 November 1963) is a Scottish satirist, writer, director, producer, and performer.
Bengt PohjanenPerson · Film memorabiliaBengt Erik Benedictus Pohjanen (born 26 June 1944 in Kassa in Pajala, Norrbotten, Sweden), is a Swedish author, translator and priest living in Överkalix.
Betty ComdenPerson · Music memorabiliaBetty Comden (May 3, 1917 – November 23, 2006) was an American lyricist, playwright, and screenwriter who contributed to numerous Hollywood musicals and Broadway shows of the mid-20th…
Boris BlacherPerson · Music memorabiliaBoris Blacher (19 January [O.S. 6 January] 1903 – 30 January 1975) was a German composer and librettist.
Boris VianPerson · Music memorabiliaBoris Vian (French: [bɔʁis vjɑ̃]; 10 March 1920 – 23 June 1959) was a French polymath who is primarily remembered for his novels.
Brian MortonPerson · Music memorabiliaBrian Morton (born 1954) is a Scottish writer, journalist and former broadcaster, specialising in jazz and modern literature.
Brian YorkeyPerson · Music memorabiliaBrian Yorkey is an American playwright and lyricist. His works often explore dark and controversial subject matter such as mental illness, grief, the underbelly of suburbia, and ethics in…
Cecilie LøveidAuthor · BooksCecilie Løveid (born 21 August 1951) is a Norwegian novelist, poet, playwright, and writer of children's books.
Cesare PaveseAuthor · BooksCesare Pavese (9 September 1908 – 27 August 1950) was an Italian novelist, poet, short story writer, translator, literary critic, and essayist.
Chaya CzernowinPerson · Music memorabiliaChaya Czernowin (ˌχaja t͡ʃɛʁˈnobin; born December 7, 1957) is an Israeli American contemporary classical composer internationally known for her extensive oeuvre which includes opera,…
Christoph HeinAuthor · BooksChristoph Hein (German: [ˈkʁɪstɔf ˈhaɪn]; born 8 April 1944) is a German author and translator.
Claude-Michel SchönbergPerson · Music memorabiliaClaude-Michel Schönberg (born 6 July 1944) is a French record producer, actor, singer, songwriter, and musical theatre composer, best known for his collaborations with lyricist Alain…
Daron HagenPerson · Music memorabiliaIllustration — Daron Hagen
David Henry HwangAuthor · Books
David MaloufAuthor · BooksDavid George Joseph Malouf (mə-LOOF; 20 March 1934 – 22 April 2026) was an Australian poet, novelist, short story writer, playwright and librettist.
Derek WalcottAuthor · BooksSir Derek Alton Walcott (23 January 1930 – 17 March 2017) was a Saint Lucian poet and playwright.
Dieter TrautweinPerson · Music memorabiliaDieter Trautwein (30 July 1928 – 9 November 2002) was a German Protestant theologian and writer of numerous Christian hymns of the genre Neues Geistliches Lied (NGL).
Dimitri VerhulstPerson · Film memorabiliaDimitri Verhulst (born 2 October 1972) is a Belgian writer and poet. He is best known for his novels Problemski Hotel and The Misfortunates.
Dmitri ShostakovichPerson · Music memorabiliaDmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich (25 September 19069 August 1975) was a Soviet-era Russian composer and pianist who became internationally known after the premiere of his First Symphony in…
Don BlackAuthor · BooksDonald Blackstone (born 21 June 1938), known professionally as Don Black, is an English lyricist. His works have included numerous musicals, movie, television themes and hit songs.
Dorothy FieldsPerson · Music memorabiliaDorothy Fields (July 15, 1904 – March 28, 1974) was an American librettist and lyricist. She wrote more than 400 songs for Broadway musicals and films.
Dorothy PorterAuthor · BooksDorothy Featherstone Porter (26 March 1954 – 10 December 2008) was an Australian poet. She was a recipient of the Christopher Brennan Award for lifetime achievement in poetry.
Durs GrünbeinAuthor · BooksDurs Grünbein (born 9 October 1962) is a German poet and essayist.
Elfriede JelinekAuthor · BooksElfriede Jelinek (lang; born 20 October 1946) is an Austrian playwright and novelist.
Elizabeth BishopAuthor · BooksElizabeth Bishop (February 8, 1911 – October 6, 1979) was an American poet and short-story writer.
Enda WalshPerson · Film memorabiliaEnda Walsh (born 1967) is an Irish playwright. After growing up in a large family in Dublin, Walsh worked as a film editor and theatre actor before debuting his first play, Disco Pigs in…
Enn VetemaaPerson · Music memorabiliaEnn Vetemaa (June 20, 1936 – March 28, 2017) was an Estonian writer sometimes referred to as a "forgotten classic", as well as "the unofficial master of the Estonian Modernist short novel".
Eric CrozierPerson · Music memorabiliaEric Crozier OBE (14 November 1914 – 7 September 1994) was a British theatrical director, opera librettist and producer, long associated with Benjamin Britten.
Eric de KuyperPerson · Film memorabiliaEric de Kuyper (born 2 September 1942) is a Flemish-Belgian and Dutch writer, semiologist, art critic, and experimental film director.
Erich FriedAuthor · BooksErich Fried (6 May 1921 – 22 November 1988) was an Austrian-born poet, writer, and translator.
Eva StrittmatterAuthor · BooksEva Strittmatter (née Braun; 8 February 1930 – 3 January 2011) was a German writer of poetry, prose, and children's literature.
Floyd MutruxPerson · Film memorabiliaFloyd Mutrux (born June 25, 1941) is an American stage and film director, writer, producer, and screenwriter.
Frank SchöbelPerson · Music memorabiliaFrank Schöbel (born 11 December 1942, Leipzig, Saxony, Germany) is a German musician.
Franz Josef DegenhardtPerson · Music memorabiliaFranz Josef Degenhardt (3 December 193114 November 2011) was a German poet, satirist, novelist, and – first and foremost – a folksinger/songwriter (Liedermacher) with decidedly left-wing…
George Mackay BrownAuthor · BooksGeorge Mackay Brown (17 October 1921 – 13 April 1996) was a Scottish poet, author and dramatist with a distinctly Orcadian character.
Gerald FreedmanPerson · Music memorabiliaGerald Alan Freedman (June 25, 1927 – March 17, 2020) was an American theatre director, librettist, and lyricist, and a college dean.
Gérard PresgurvicPerson · Music memorabiliaGérard Presgurvic (born 1953) is a French popular composer. He was the author of 1980s pop hits "Chacun fait c'qui lui plait" and "Marre de cette nana-là", but is best known for the 2001…
Gioconda BelliAuthor · BooksGioconda Belli Pereira (born December 9, 1948) is a Nicaraguan-born novelist and poet known for her contributions to Nicaraguan literature.
Gro DahleAuthor · BooksShe was born in Oslo.
György KurtágPerson · Music memorabilia
Hans KellerPerson · Music memorabiliaHans (Heinrich) Keller (11 March 19196 November 1985) was an Austrian-born British musician and writer, who made significant contributions to musicology and music criticism, as well as…
Helmut HeißenbüttelAuthor · BooksHelmut Heißenbüttel (21 June 1921 – 19 September 1996) was a German novelist and poet. Among Heißenbüttel's works are Das Textbuch (The Textbook) and Marlowe's Ende (Marlowe's End).
Horst BienekAuthor · BooksHorst Bienek (7 May 1930 in Gleiwitz – 7 December 1990 in Munich) was a German novelist and poet.
Hugo ClausIllustrator · IllustrationHugo Maurice Julien Claus (5 April 1929 – 19 March 2008) was a leading Belgian author who published under his own name as well as various pseudonyms.
Ingeborg BachmannAuthor · BooksAnrufung des großen Bären (1956, "Invocation of Ursa Major")
Inger ChristensenAuthor · BooksInger Christensen (16 January 1935 – 2 January 2009) was a Danish poet, novelist, essayist and editor. She is considered the foremost Danish poetic experimentalist of her generation.
Ingrid JonkerAuthor · BooksIngrid Jonker (19 September 1933 – 19 July 1965) was a South African poet and accomplished figure in modern Afrikaans literature. Her poems have been widely translated into other languages.
Jack HibberdAuthor · BooksJohn Charles Hibberd (12 April 1940 – 30 August 2024) was an Australian playwright best known for his plays Dimboola (1969) and A Stretch of the Imagination (1972). He was also a physician.
Jacques De DeckerAuthor · BooksJacques De Decker (19 August 1945 – 12 April 2020) was a Belgian writer and author.
János PilinszkyAuthor · BooksJános Pilinszky (27 November 1921 – 27 May 1981) was a Hungarian poet regarded as one of the greatest Hungarian poets of the 20th century.
Jaromír NohavicaAuthor · BooksJaromír Nohavica or Jarek Nohavica (born 7 June 1953, in Ostrava) is a Czech recording artist, songwriter, lyricist and poet.
Jean TardieuAuthor · BooksJean Tardieu (born in Saint-Germain-de-Joux, Ain, 1 November 1903, died in Créteil, Val-de-Marne, 27 January 1995) was a French artist, musician, poet and dramatic author.
Jean-Luc LagarcePerson · Film memorabiliaJean-Luc Lagarce (14 February 1957 – 30 September 1995) was a French actor, theatre director and playwright.
Jochen KlepperAuthor · BooksJoachim Georg Wilhelm Klepper (22 March 1903 – 11 December 1942) was a German Christian writer, poet and journalist.
Joe DiPietroPerson · Music memorabiliaJoe DiPietro (born 1961) is an American playwright, lyricist and author. He is best known for the Tony Award-winning musical Memphis, for which he won the Tony Awards for Best Book of a…
John AugustPerson · Film memorabiliaJohn August (born August 4, 1970) is an American screenwriter, director, producer, and novelist.
John BrileyAuthor · BooksRichard John Briley[1][2] (June 25, 1925 – December 14, 2019) was an American writer best known for screenplays of biographical films.
John WeidmanPerson · Music memorabiliaJohn Edgar Wideman
Johnny BurkePerson · Music memorabiliaJohn Francis Burke (October 3, 1908 – February 25, 1964) was an American lyricist, successful and prolific between the 1920s and 1950s.
Jonathan HarveyPerson · Music memorabiliaJonathan Dean Harvey (3 May 1939 – 4 December 2012) was a British composer. He held teaching positions at universities and music conservatories in Europe and the United States.
Jonathan LarsonPerson · Film memorabiliaJonathan David Larson (February 4, 1960 – January 25, 1996) was an American composer, lyricist and playwright, most famous for writing the musicals Rent and Tick, Tick..
Jorge Silva MeloPerson · Film memorabiliaJorge Freitas e Silva Melo (7 August 1948 – 14 March 2022) was a Portuguese actor, playwright, theatre director, and translator.
Joseph SteinAuthor · BooksJoseph Stein (May 30, 1912 – October 24, 2010) was an American playwright best known for writing the books for such musicals as Fiddler on the Roof and Zorba.
Judith HerzbergAuthor · BooksJudith Frieda Lina Herzberg (born November 4, 1934) is a Dutch poet and writer.
Judith WeirPerson · Music memorabiliaDame Judith Weir (born 11 May 1954) is a British composer. She served as Master of the King's Music from 2014 to 2024.
Julian FellowesPerson · Film memorabiliaJulian Alexander Kitchener-Fellowes, Baron Fellowes of West Stafford (born 17 August 1949), known professionally as Julian Fellowes, is an English actor, novelist, writer, producer, film…
Jurek BeckerAuthor · BooksJurek Becker (German: [ˈjuːʁɛk ˈbɛkɐ]; c. 30 September 1937 – 14 March 1997) was a Polish-born German writer, screenwriter and East German dissident.
Karl KrolowAuthor · BooksKarl Krolow (11 March 1915 – 21 June 1999) was a German poet and translator. In 1956 he was awarded the Georg Büchner Prize.
Klaus HändlPerson · Film memorabiliaKlaus Händl (born 17 September 1969) is an Austrian actor, writer and director.
Lillian HellmanAuthor · BooksLillian Florence Hellman (June 20, 1905 – June 30, 1984) was an American playwright, prose writer, memoirist, and screenwriter known for her success on Broadway as well as her communist…
Linn BerggrenPerson · Music memorabiliaMalin Sofia Katarina Berggren (born 31 October 1970) is a former Swedish singer-songwriter, best known as a member of the pop music band Ace of Base.
Luc BondyPerson · Film memorabiliaLuc Bondy (17 July 1948 – 28 November 2015) was a Swiss theatre and film director.
Maarja KangroAuthor · BooksMaarja Kangro (born 20 December 1973 in Tallinn) is an Estonian poet, short story writer, novelist, essayist, nonfiction writer and librettist.
Mack DavidPerson · Music memorabiliaMack David (July 5, 1912 – December 30, 1993) was an American lyricist and songwriter, notable for his work in film and television, with a career spanning the period between the early 1940s…
Marcus PfisterArtist · PaintingsMarcus Pfister (born 30 July 1960 in Bern, Switzerland) is a Swiss author and illustrator of children's picture books.
Marie Luise KaschnitzAuthor · BooksMarie Luise Kaschnitz (born Marie Luise von Holzing-Berslett; 31 January 1901 – 10 October 1974) was a German short story writer, novelist, essayist and poet.
Marilyn BoweringAuthor · BooksMarilyn Bowering (born April 13, 1949) is a Canadian poet, novelist and playwright.
Mario PanzeriPerson · Music memorabiliaMario Panzeri (11 October 1911 – 19 May 1991) was an Italian lyricist and composer.
Michael CristoferPerson · Film memorabiliaMichael Cristofer (born January 22, 1945) is an American actor, playwright, and filmmaker.
Michael MasserPerson · Music memorabiliaMichael William Masser (March 24, 1941 – July 9, 2015) was an American songwriter, composer and producer of popular music.
Myfanwy PiperPerson · Music memorabiliaMary Myfanwy Piper (məˈvanuj; 28 March 1911 – 18 January 1997) was a British art critic and opera librettist. She was the founder of the periodical Axis, which was devoted to abstract art.
Neil SimonAuthor · BooksMarvin Neil Simon (July 4, 1927 – August 26, 2018) was an American playwright, screenwriter and author.
Nick CavePerson · Music memorabiliaNicholas Edward Cave (born 22 September 1957) is an Australian singer, musician and writer. He is the frontman of the rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds.
Oskar PastiorAuthor · BooksOskar Pastior (20 October 1927 – 4 October 2006) was a Romanian-born German poet and translator. He was the only German member of Oulipo.
Pablo NerudaAuthor · BooksPablo Neruda (nə-ROO-də; Spanish: [ˈpaβlo neˈɾuða]; born Ricardo Eliécer Neftalí Reyes Basoalto;
Paul-Eerik RummoAuthor · BooksPaul-Eerik Rummo (born 19 January 1942) is an Estonian poet, playwright, translator and politician who was the former Estonian Minister of Culture and Education, as well as the former…
Péter EötvösPerson · Music memorabiliaPéter Eötvös (pron; 2 January 194424 March 2024) was a Hungarian composer, conductor and academic teacher.
Peter GoldsworthyAuthor · BooksPeter David Goldsworthy (born 1951) is an Australian writer and medical practitioner. He has won major awards for his short stories, poetry, novels, and opera libretti.
Peter HacksAuthor · BooksPeter Hacks (21 March 1928 – 28 August 2003) was a German playwright, author, and essayist.
Peter HortonPerson · Music memorabiliaPeter Müller (19 September 1941 – 22 September 2023), better known by the stage name Peter Horton, was an Austrian guitarist, singer, composer, and writer, noted for representing Austria at…
Peter SellarsPerson · Film memorabiliaPeter Sellars (born September 27, 1957) is an American theatre director, noted for his unique stagings of classical and contemporary operas and plays.
Peter TurriniAuthor · BooksPeter Turrini (born 26 September 1944 in St Margarethen im Lavanttal, Carinthia) is an Austrian playwright known for his socio-critical work and earlier folk-dramas.
Peter-Jürgen BoockAuthor · BooksPeter-Jürgen Boock (born 3 September 1951) is a German former terrorist of the Red Army Faction.
Petr WeiglPerson · Film memorabiliaPetr Weigl (16 March 1939 – 14 July 2018) was a Czech director and playwright.
Rawdna Carita EiraAuthor · BooksIllustration — Rawdna Carita Eira
Raymond RadiguetAuthor · BooksRaymond Radiguet (lang; 18 June 1903 – 12 December 1923) was a French novelist and poet.
René CharAuthor · BooksRené Émile Char (lang; 14 June 1907 – 19 February 1988) was a French poet and member of the French Resistance in World War II.
Rhiannon GiddensPerson · Music memorabiliaRhiannon Giddens (born February 21, 1977) is an American musician, actress, and author known for her eclectic folk music.
Robert AltmanPerson · Film memorabiliaRobert Bernard Altman (February 20, 1925 – November 20, 2006) was an American filmmaker.
Roberto JuarrozAuthor · BooksRoberto Juarroz (5 October 1925 – 31 March 1995) was an Argentine poet famous for his "Poesía vertical" (Vertical poetry).
Rodion ShchedrinPerson · Music memorabiliaRodion Konstantinovich Shchedrin (rədʲɪˈon kənstɐnʲˈtʲinəvʲɪtɕ ɕːɪˈdrʲin; 16 December 1932 – 29 August 2025) was a Soviet and Russian composer, pianist, and music teacher.
Roma RyanAuthor · BooksRoma Shane Ryan (born 20 January 1950) is an Irish writer, poet, and lyricist who lives in Killiney, Ireland.
Rose AusländerAuthor · BooksRose Ausländer (born Rosalie Beatrice Scherzer; May 11, 1901 – January 3, 1988) was a Jewish poet writing in German and English.
Sholeh WolpeAuthor · BooksSholeh Wolpé (born 1962 in Tehran, Iran) is an Iranian and American award-winning poet, author, playwright, librettist, and literary translator.
Stanley CrouchPerson · Music memorabiliaStanley Lawrence Crouch (December 14, 1945 – September 16, 2020) was an American cultural critic, poet, playwright, novelist, biographer, and syndicated columnist.
Stephan HermlinAuthor · BooksStephan Hermlin (German: [ˈʃtɛ.fan ˈhɛʁm.liːn]; 13 April 1915 – 6 April 1997), real name Rudolf Leder, was a German author.
Stevie SmithIllustrator · IllustrationFlorence Margaret Smith (20 September 1902 – 7 March 1971), known as Stevie Smith, was an English poet and novelist.
Terrence McNallyAuthor · BooksTerrence McNally (November 3, 1938 – March 24, 2020) was an American playwright, librettist, and screenwriter.

Related subjects

Librettists487
19th-century librettists207
German librettists82
18th-century librettists67
French librettists66
American librettists64
British librettists33
17th-century librettists32
Italian librettists29
Russian librettists25
Austrian librettists22

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