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Alice Walker by Virginia DeBolt from

10 Most Famous Authors You Did not Know are Blind

The Story of My Life became Helen Keller’s most prominent work. It details her triumph over deafness and blindness. Additionally, it shows her undying spirit to triumph over her obstacles in life while growing up.

Moreover, she overcame all odds and learned to communicate and interact with the outer world meaningfully. James Thurber, and Jorge Luis Borges, are also literary greats that were blind.

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Here are the 10 Most Famous Authors You Did not Know are Blind.

1. Helen Keller

Helen Keller in 1904 by an Unknown author from

She was born on June 27, 1880, in Alabama. Keller lost her sight as well as her hearing when she was an infant. Her famed book was The Story of My Life first published in 1903.

The book details Keller’s life and was adapted into a play and film called The Miracle Worker. She received an induction to the Alabama Women’s Hall of Fame in 1971. Also, into the Alabama Writers Hall of Fame on June 8, 2015. She died on June 1, 1968, aged 87.

2. James Thurber

James Thurber by Fred Palumbo from

Thurber was renowned for short story writing but he also doubled as a playwright and a cartoonist. He was born in Ohio on December 8, 1894. He lost his sight when he was a child while playing with his brother who shot his left eye hence its removal. Afterward, his eyesight developed complications which left him visually challenged.

His most acclaimed work is the short story The Secret Life of Walter Mitty published in 1939. The story has received two film adaptations by the same name. First into a comedy film in 1947 and later into an adventure comedy-drama in 2013.

The Catbird Seat (1942) is another famous short story by James. It was adapted into the 1959 film The Battle of the Sexes. His other notable work is his autobiography My Life and Hard Times (1933). He died on November 2, 1961, in New York City.

3. John Milton

This English author was a household name in poetry during the 17^th century and beyond. He was born on 9 December 1608 in London. Milton lost his eyesight in 1652 after encounters with declining vision over the years. Though the exact cause of his blindness is uncertain.

His prominent works are Lycidas, a poem written in 1637 and Paradise Lost, a poem first published in 1667. The Areopagitica book is also another popular work by the poet. He died on 8 November 1674 at the age of 65 in London.

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4. Jorge Luis Borges

Jorge Luís Borges in 1951 by Grete Stern from

The short-story writer, essayist, cum poet was born on 24 August 1899 in Argentina. In 1914, he moved to Switzerland with his family.

The author developed visual challenges in his childhood. He went through treatment including surgery but lost complete sight in his mid-fifties. Borges associated his eyesight difficulties with a hereditary cataract which also claimed his father and grandfather’s vision.

His masterpieces include A Universal History of Infamy short story collection first published in 1935. Moreover, Ficciones (1944), El Aleph (1949), Labyrinths (1962), and The Book of Sand (1975) are also renowned creations by Jorge Borges.

He was awarded many accolades such as the Prix International award in 1961. Further, he was given the Commandeur de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 1962. He died on 14 June 1986 at 86 years in Switzerland.

5. Sue Townsend

She was born Susan Lillian Townsend on 2 April 1946 in England. Townsend was known for writing novels and plays. She lost her eyesight in 2001 when she was 55 years. Her diabetes condition contributed to her eyesight problem. It also affected her kidney forcing her to get a kidney donation from her eldest son, Sean.

The Adrian Mole book series is her highest source of praise. On top of that, she received honorary degrees from several universities in England. She died on 10 April 2014 in Leicester, England aged 68.

6. Tilly Aston

Her official address was Matilda Ann Aston. She was born on 11 December 1873 in Australia. She was visually impaired from birth and lost her sight completely before she reached 10 years.

The author is celebrated for her efforts in advocating for the rights of the visually impaired. Thus she founded a few groups to advance her activism, such as the Victorian Association of Braille Writers in 1894. It later became the Victorian Braille Library.

Aston’s famed books are The woolinappers: or, some tales from the by-ways of Methodism published in 1905. Old Timers: Sketches and Word Pictures of the Old Pioneers(1938) also make up her famous creations. She died in Australia on 1 November 1947 at age 73.

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7. Taha Hussein

Taha Hussein by Van Leo from

He was born on November 15, 1889, in Egypt and was diagnosed with an eye illness when he was under five years. Yet due to faulty treatment, he lost his sight.

He is recognized for authoring An Egyptian Childhood (1932) and The Stream of Days (1943). Furthermore, he wrote over 60 titles and many articles. He was honored with a Google Doodle on November 14, 2010, to commemorate his 121st birthday. Hussein died on 28 October 1973 in Egypt at 83 years.

8. Stephen Kuusisto

This American author, poet cum professor writes material that focuses on disabilities, more so blindness. He was born in March 1955 in New Hampshire. Kuusisto was blind from birth. His notable works are the memoirs Planet of the Blind (1998) and Eavesdropping: A Memoir of Blindness and Listening (2006).

9. Alice Walker

She was born on February 9, 1944, in Georgia. Walker is a renowned novelist celebrated for her novel The Color Purple published in 1982. Besides novels, she has penned short stories, essays, and poetry. She received the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1983 as well as the National Book Award in the same year.

Walker was accidentally blinded in her right eye by her sibling during childhood play. She was less than 10 years when the incident occurred.

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10. Oliver Sacks

Oliver Sacks at the 2009 Brooklyn Book Festival by Luigi Novi from

The author was a neurologist by profession. He was born on 9 July 1933 in London. His blindness was in one eye caused by a cancerous tumor.

He wrote about his experiences with some of his neurological patients and contributed to many publications. His headlined books include Awakenings in 1973. The book was adapted into a film of the same name in 1990.

Over and above that, Seeing Voices, was his 1989 release while The Island of the Colorblind was published in 1997. To add on, The Mind’s Eye came in 2010,  Hallucinations in 2012, and On the Move: A Life in 2015.

Oliver was awarded many honorary degrees. Further, in 2008 he received the Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) award. He died on 30 August 2015 aged 82 in New York City.

Here are extra Famous Authors You Did not Know are Blind.

Nikolai Ostrovsky

He was born on 29 September 1904 in the Russian Empire. He was famed for writing in the socialist realism genre. How the Steel Was Tempered is his well-known work. He suffered from ill health which deprived him of his mobility and sight. He died on 22 December 1936 in the Soviet Union.

Jean Little

She was born on January 2, 1932. She centered on children’s books. Some of her popular books are Mine for Keeps published in 1962 and From Anna in 1972. She was born with partial blindness and used a guide dog most time. Jean died on April 6, 2020, aged 88 in Canada.