Famous Authors with Disabilities

Hans Christian Andersen

• disability:dyslexia (source: 2RPS Dyslexia site)

Famous Danish author and story-teller, whose works - especially popular with children - include The Ugly Duckling, The Emperor's New Clothes, The Snow Queen, The Red Shoes, and The Little Mermaid.

• About Hans Christian Andersen
• Hans Christian Andersen fairy tales and stories

Isaac Asimov

• disability: suspected autism (source: Famous People with Autistic Traits)

Famous science fiction author, most famous for his Robot and Foundation series'.

• Asimov Online

Christy Brown

• disability: cerebral palsy (source: San Francisco Mayor's Committee for Employment of People with Disabilities)

Published numerous poetry collections, and his autobiography entitled "My Left Foot"

• Christy Brown feature at Irish Writers Online
• About the film version of My Left Foot at Radharc Films

Lord Byron

Famous anti-establishment poet and liberal social reformer

• disabilities: epilepsy (source: Representative Poetry Online) and club foot (source: Spartacus Schoolnet on Byron)

Despite the title of "Lord", Byron was a left-wing social reformer who sided with the Luddites against the capitalist establishment of the early 1800s. This was apparent in his poetry, which often had a radical political message.

• English History - Lord Byron
• Spartacus Schoolnet section on Lord Byron
• BBCi section on Lord Byron
• Socialist Review - "A Thunderstorm Against The Wind"

Colin Dexter

• Disability: diabetes (source: Journal of Diabetes Nursing)

Author of Inspector Morse  (as later adapted for TV).

• Official Inspector Morse Website

Charles Dickens

• disability:    thought to have had epilepsy (source: What is Epilepsy?)

Famous Victorian writer, whose books include Oliver Twist, Great Expectations, The Pickwick Papers

• Website: The Dickens Page

• blind (source: BBC news report)
• diabetes

• Sue Townsend bibliography on Fantastic Fiction site
• Adrian Mole official site

H.G. Wells

• Disability: diabetic (source: Spacelight HG Wells section)

Science fiction writer, most famous for War Of The Worlds and The Time Machine

Founder member of the British Diabetic Association (now named Diabetes UK).

Known to have had left-wing politics, was also a founder member of the National Council for Civil Liberties (now named Liberty.)

His left-wing viewpoint is occasionally evident in his books
- for example, in War Of The Worlds, he compares the Martians' treatment of the earthlings to the European invaders' treatment of the American Indians.

• H G Wells section on Spartacus Schoolnet
• H G Wells biography and works

There are, of course, many less-famous disabled authors, including some who have written at length about their disabilities.

In addition, some disabled people famous for other things have also written books.
Examples include Stuart Henry, the radio DJ, who wrote the book Pirate Radio - Then And Now in the late 1980's.
Also, the famous astronomical physicist Stephen Hawking has written many books, including A Brief History Of Time and Black Holes and Baby Universes.

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