David Simon pays tribute to Elmore Leonard (1925-2013)

In this post from his blog, David Simon, the creator of The Wire, remembers the day he met one of the great writers of the 20th century

Albert Murray obituary

Writer who explored the role of black culture in what he called 'omni-American' life

One of Poland's greatest playwrights whose most famous play, Tango, was a modern-day Hamlet

Crime writer known for Get Shorty, Out of Sight and Hombre whose work served as a barometer of modern America

Journalist and writer who worked on several women's magazines before taking the helm as editor at the Lady

Other lives: Freelance editor who was a pioneering firebrand of the women's liberation movement of the 1970s

Other lives: Author of textbooks for students on a wide range of business subjects

Child radio star of the 1940s and 50s best remembered for playing Richmal Crompton's Just William

Other lives: Former teacher and author of crime fiction featuring DI Jim Meldrum

Italian screenwriter, novelist and poet who formed a successful partnership with film director Roberto Benigni

Popular archaeologist who raised the profile of his subject by appearing on Channel 4's Time Team

Science fiction author and inspiration to Stephen King whose novels, such as I Am Legend, were adapted for film and TV

Educationist who helped found the Open University and writer whose books included biographies of Dickens and Wells

Israeli novelist who became disillusioned with his homeland

Artist at the forefront of printmaking in Britain