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

Sarah Silverman

Ukrainian-born Russian novelist Nikolai Gogol.

Nikolai Gogol

(1809 - 1852)

Italian courtier, diplomat, and writer Baldassare Castiglione.

Baldassare Castiglione

(1478 - 1529)

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

George Vasey

(1822 - 1893)

Colorized engraving of Voltaire wearing a wig.

Voltaire

(1694 - 1778)

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

Harry S. Truman

(1884 - 1972)

Samuel Beckett, 1977. Photograph by Roger Pic.

Samuel Beckett

(1906 - 1989)

Black and white photograph of American entertainer Joan Rivers.

Joan Rivers

(1933 - 2014)

Japanese diarist and poet Sei Shōnagon.

Sei Shonagon

(c. 966 - c. 1025)

Photograph of Soviet author Mikhail Zoshchenko in military uniform.

Mikhail Zoshchenko

(1895 - 1958)

Photograph of Charles Baudelaire

Charles Baudelaire

(1821 - 1867)

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

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

(1756 - 1791)

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

Mark Twain

(1835 - 1910)

David Simon sitting outside wearing an Irish driver cap

David Simon

American feminist, activist, and editor Gloria Steinem.

Gloria Steinem

Color mosaic of earl Church father St. John Chrysostom.

St. John Chrysostom

(347 - 407)

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

Calvin Trillin

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

Oscar Wilde

(1854 - 1900)

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

Steve Martin

Portrait of Chinese fiction writer Pu Songling.

Pu Songling

(1640 - 1715)

Kurt Vonnegut

(1922 - 2007)

Frances Warfield

(1884 - 1969)

Abu Nuwas

(c. 755 - c. 814)

Billy Collins

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

H.L. Mencken

(1880 - 1956)

Woody Allen in thick black rim glasses

Woody Allen

Photograph of English professor and author Andrew McConnell Stott.

Andrew McConnell Stott

Spanish writer Miguel de Cervantes.

Miguel de Cervantes

(1547 - 1616)

Photograph of American author Ben Tarnoff.

Ben Tarnoff

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

Flann O’Brien

(1911 - 1966)

Engraving of William Shakespeare from the first folio edition.

William Shakespeare

(1564 - 1616)

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

Homer

(c. 800 BC - 725 BC)

Color photograph of comedian and writer Rob Delaney.

Rob Delaney

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

Lenny Bruce

(1925 - 1966)

Jonathan Swift

Jonathan Swift

(1667 - 1745)

Juvenal

(c. 60 - c. 130)

Stanley Kubrick

(1929 - 1999)

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

Don DeLillo

Robert Benchley

Robert Benchley

(1889 - 1945)

Charlie Chaplin

(1889 - 1977)

Classical engraving of Aristophanes with a long beard.

Aristophanes

(c. 446 BC - c. 386 BC)

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

Lewis Carroll

(1832 - 1898)

Daniil Kharms looking serious with an intent stare

Daniil Kharms

(1905 - 1942)

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

Jane Austen

(1775 - 1817)

Painting of Jean de la Bruyère wearing a red cape.

Jean de La Bruyère

(1645 - 1696)

Portrait of Philip Dormer Stanhope wearing a blue sash.

Philip Dormer Stanhope

(1694 - 1773)

Pastel drawing of George Eliot.

George Eliot

(1819 - 1880)

Depiction of Greek philosopher Plato.

Plato

(c. 427 BC - c. 347 BC)

Photo of stone Aristotle statue face

Aristotle

(384 BC - 322 BC)

Painting of François Rabelais.

François Rabelais

(1494 - 1553)

photograph of David Foster Wallace speaking at a podium

David Foster Wallace

(1962 - 2008)

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

James Thurber

(1894 - 1961)

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

Groucho Marx

(1890 - 1977)

Black and white image of French classical author La Rochefoucauld.

La Rochefoucauld

(1613 - 1680)

Joseph Heller

Joseph Heller

(1923 - 1999)

Image of Renaissance humanist and scholar Poggio Bracciolini.

Poggio Bracciolini

(1380 - 1459)

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

Charles Lamb

(1775 - 1834)

Dorothy Parker working at her typewriter.

Dorothy Parker

(1893 - 1967)

Henri Bergson

Henri Bergson

(1859 - 1941)

Photograph of African-American poet and writer Langston Hughes.

Langston Hughes

(1902 - 1967)

Sculpture bust of Roman teacher and writer Quintilian.

Quintilian

(35 - c. 96)

Painting of Thomas Hobbes

Thomas Hobbes

(1588 - 1679)

Illustration of Plautus with red robes and hat

Plautus

(c. 254 BC - c. 184 BC)

Ambrose Bierce

Ambrose Bierce

(1842 - c. 1914)

black and white pencil drawing of Moliere in an ornate frame

Molière

(1622 - 1673)

Image of French poet François Villon.

François Villon

(1431 - c. 1463)

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

Herbert Spencer

(1820 - 1903)

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

Michel de Montaigne

(1533 - 1592)

Lewis Lapham at his desk

Lewis H. Lapham

(1935 - 2024)

Photograph of President Abraham Lincoln sitting in a chair.

Abraham Lincoln

(1809 - 1865)

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

Victor Frankl

(1905 - 1997)

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

Sigmund Freud

(1856 - 1949)