Dorothy Parker working at her typewriter.

Dorothy Parker

(1893 - 1967)

Color drawing of Jane Austen sitting in a chair wearing a blue dress

Jane Austen

(1775 - 1817)

Portrait of Chinese fiction writer Pu Songling.

Pu Songling

(1640 - 1715)

Jonathan Swift

Jonathan Swift

(1667 - 1745)

Ukrainian-born Russian novelist Nikolai Gogol.

Nikolai Gogol

(1809 - 1852)

Henri Bergson

Henri Bergson

(1859 - 1941)

Frances Warfield

(1884 - 1969)

color oil painting of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in a red tunic with gray hair

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

(1756 - 1791)

Black and white photograph of Mencken looking over his shoulder at the camera

H.L. Mencken

(1880 - 1956)

photograph of David Foster Wallace speaking at a podium

David Foster Wallace

(1962 - 2008)

black and white photo of Steve Martin wearing a white dinner jacket and black tie

Steve Martin

Don DeLillo standing outside in a jacket, black and white photo

Don DeLillo

color photograph of Victor Frankl with his hand on his chin looking pensive

Victor Frankl

(1905 - 1997)

Sepia colored photo of Oscar Wilde sitting on a rock with a book in his hand

Oscar Wilde

(1854 - 1900)

Billy Collins

Photograph of Charles Baudelaire

Charles Baudelaire

(1821 - 1867)

Robert Benchley

Robert Benchley

(1889 - 1945)

Charlie Chaplin

(1889 - 1977)

Color photograph of comedian and writer Rob Delaney.

Rob Delaney

Image of Renaissance humanist and scholar Poggio Bracciolini.

Poggio Bracciolini

(1380 - 1459)

Black and white photograph of Austrian neurologist Sigmund Freud with cigar.

Sigmund Freud

(1856 - 1949)

Painting of François Rabelais.

François Rabelais

(1494 - 1553)

Japanese diarist and poet Sei Shōnagon.

Sei Shonagon

(c. 966 - c. 1025)

Black and white photograph of a young Mark Twain with dark hair.

Mark Twain

(1835 - 1910)

Pastel drawing of George Eliot.

George Eliot

(1819 - 1880)

Spanish writer Miguel de Cervantes.

Miguel de Cervantes

(1547 - 1616)

Oil painting portrair Michel de Montaigne in red robes and white collar

Michel de Montaigne

(1533 - 1592)

Juvenal

(c. 60 - c. 130)

Photograph of President Abraham Lincoln sitting in a chair.

Abraham Lincoln

(1809 - 1865)

Photograph of Soviet author Mikhail Zoshchenko in military uniform.

Mikhail Zoshchenko

(1895 - 1958)

Black and white photograph of American entertainer Joan Rivers.

Joan Rivers

(1933 - 2014)

Engraving of William Shakespeare from the first folio edition.

William Shakespeare

(1564 - 1616)

Joseph Heller

Joseph Heller

(1923 - 1999)

Classical engraving of Aristophanes with a long beard.

Aristophanes

(c. 446 BC - c. 386 BC)

Black and white photo of Herbert Spencer with long, hairy mutton chops and a stern expression

Herbert Spencer

(1820 - 1903)

Photo of stone Aristotle statue face

Aristotle

(384 BC - 322 BC)

Photograph of American author Ben Tarnoff.

Ben Tarnoff

Samuel Beckett, 1977. Photograph by Roger Pic.

Samuel Beckett

(1906 - 1989)

Painting of Charles Lamb wearing a black suit against a red backdrop.

Charles Lamb

(1775 - 1834)

Portrait bust of presumed author of the Iliad and the Odyssey Homer.

Homer

(c. 800 BC - 725 BC)

Kurt Vonnegut

(1922 - 2007)

Lewis Lapham at his desk

Lewis H. Lapham

(1935 - 2024)

Portrait of George Vasey in a suit with a long white beard

George Vasey

(1822 - 1893)

Photograph of English professor and author Andrew McConnell Stott.

Andrew McConnell Stott

Portrait of Philip Dormer Stanhope wearing a blue sash.

Philip Dormer Stanhope

(1694 - 1773)

Woody Allen in thick black rim glasses

Woody Allen

David Simon sitting outside wearing an Irish driver cap

David Simon

black and white photograph of Sara Silverman performing at the Upright Citizens Brigad

Sarah Silverman

Calvin Trillin standing in front of a refrigerator in a black and white photograph

Calvin Trillin

Color mosaic of earl Church father St. John Chrysostom.

St. John Chrysostom

(347 - 407)

Painting of Jean de la Bruyère wearing a red cape.

Jean de La Bruyère

(1645 - 1696)

Black and white photo of Harry S. Truman holding a newspaper with the headline "Dewey defeats Truman"

Harry S. Truman

(1884 - 1972)

black and white photo of James Thurber lighting a cigarette in the new york times office

James Thurber

(1894 - 1961)

Flann O'Brien in an overcoat standing next to a Dublin Diversion sign

Flann O’Brien

(1911 - 1966)

Sculpture bust of Roman teacher and writer Quintilian.

Quintilian

(35 - c. 96)

Illustration of Plautus with red robes and hat

Plautus

(c. 254 BC - c. 184 BC)

Daniil Kharms looking serious with an intent stare

Daniil Kharms

(1905 - 1942)

Black and white photo of Lenny Bruce being frisked by an officer

Lenny Bruce

(1925 - 1966)

Colorized engraving of Voltaire wearing a wig.

Voltaire

(1694 - 1778)

Image of French poet François Villon.

François Villon

(1431 - c. 1463)

Depiction of Greek philosopher Plato.

Plato

(c. 427 BC - c. 347 BC)

Painting of Thomas Hobbes

Thomas Hobbes

(1588 - 1679)

black and white pencil drawing of Moliere in an ornate frame

Molière

(1622 - 1673)

Sepia toned photograph of Lewis Carroll in a suit, reading a book

Lewis Carroll

(1832 - 1898)

Black and white image of French classical author La Rochefoucauld.

La Rochefoucauld

(1613 - 1680)

Photograph of African-American poet and writer Langston Hughes.

Langston Hughes

(1902 - 1967)

Italian courtier, diplomat, and writer Baldassare Castiglione.

Baldassare Castiglione

(1478 - 1529)

American feminist, activist, and editor Gloria Steinem.

Gloria Steinem

Stanley Kubrick

(1929 - 1999)

Ambrose Bierce

Ambrose Bierce

(1842 - c. 1914)

Abu Nuwas

(c. 755 - c. 814)

black and white photo of Groucho Marx wearing glasses and smoking a cigar from the side of his mouth

Groucho Marx

(1890 - 1977)