Research Guides: Myths, Fairy Tales and Folklore: Biographies

Finding Biographies

Biography in Context
Online biographical reference database in the fields of literature, science, business, entertainment, politics, sports, history, current events and the arts. Biographical information on over one million people throughout history, around the world.
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It has overlap with Literature Resource Center, but contains biographical information across disciplines. Literature-specific resources include:

Contemporary Authors. Vols. 1-270.1962-2008
Contemporary Novelists. 7th ed., 2001. Detroit: St. James Press.
Contemporary Poets. 7th ed., 2001. Detroit: St. James Press.
Contemporary Popular Writers. Detroit: St. James Press, 1999.
Contemporary Southern Writers. Detroit: St. James Press, 1997.
Contemporary Women Poets. Detroit: St. James Press, 1999.
St. James Guide to Children's Writers. 5th ed. Detroit: St. James Press, 1999
St. James Guide to Crime & Mystery Writers. 4th ed. Detroit: St. James Press, 1996.
St. James Guide to Fantasy Writers. Detroit: St. James Press, 1996.
St. James Guide to Horror, Ghost & Gothic Writers. Detroit: St. James Press, 1998.
St. James Guide to Science Fiction Writers. 4th ed. Detroit: St. James Press, 1996.
St. James Guide to Young Adult Writers. 2nd ed. Detroit: St. James Press, 1999.
Writers Directory. 24th ed. Detroit: St. James Press, 2008.
Biography Reference Bank
Contains biographical information on approximately half a million people, from antiquity to the present. Dates of coverage: Ancient Times to present.
Literature Resource Center
Resource for research on literary topics, authors, and their works. Its coverage includes all genres and disciplines, all time periods, and all regions of the world. Includes links to: Dictionary of literary biography, Contemporary authors, Contemporary literary criticism, and more, including full texts of critical articles.
Literature Online
A fully searchable library of more than 350,000 works of English and American poetry, drama and prose. LION is the single most extensive and wide-ranging online collection of English and American literature. To access author biographies, click on the "authors" link on the left-hand side of the screen.
Twayne's Author Series
Twayne’s Authors Series offers in-depth introductions to the lives and works of writers, the history and influence of literary movements, and the development of literary genres. The online version of Twayne's Authors Series includes content from six print series, including U.S. Authors, English Writers, and World Authors.