Literary Late Bloomers: Great Authors Who Took A Little Longer (PHOTOS)

Not everyone can be a literary prodigy. There are plenty of authors who didn't reach publishing success until mid-life, or later. There's a fantastic list of literary late bloomers.

We compiled a list of some of our favorites, including a Japanese grandmother who became a bestseller at 99 years old. May it encourage any older writers out there!

Did we leave out any of your favorites? Let us know in the comments!

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Wallace Stevens

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He was first published at 38, and his canonical works were not published until he was in his 50s.

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He was first published at 38, and his canonical works were not published until he was in his 50s.

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This Late Bloomer

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Why'd this author make the list? Great author!

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Comments

[YourNewNeighbor]

09:30 PM on 03/16/2011

How old was Snooki when her first book was published?

[ilaughtilicried]

11:26 AM on 03/12/2011

Love the pix of Toyo Shibata. Where can I find her poetry? I'm feeling quite sprightly and creative after the success of a 99 year old. Very cool article. Thank you!

[Bill Bradley Presents]

07:01 AM on 03/12/2011

Don't forget James Michener who was 45 when he was first published!

[Bryce James]

04:15 PM on 03/11/2011

You know what I want to see? I want to see Acting Late Bloomers. Working actors who got their start later in life.

[carnegie]

09:06 PM on 03/10/2011

I'd hardly consider being first published in your 30's a late bloomer.

[bethanieg]

08:32 PM on 03/10/2011

How could we omit Harry Bernstein who wrote "the Invisible Wall" when he was 93 and got it published when he was 96? In 2007 he wrote "the Dream" and then in 2008 he wrote another memoir. He's probably working on a new book right this minute. He was born in 1910!

[tenzilkem]

10:42 AM on 03/10/2011

DEAR HUFFINGTON POST:
I go to your website in order to read an intelligent and independent-thinking alternative to CNN, MSNBC, TIME, etc., etc., etc. What a letdown then, to read your list of 'late bloomer' authors, as a kind of response to the celebrated twenty-something wunderkinds dominating the pages of The New Yorker, Salon, etc. Why contribute to the obsession with age? Why feed the youth-obsessed media machine? To say that an author publishing at age 37 is a late bloomer makes anybody publishing past the age of 40 feel old, as if they're somehow behind schedule, and are lucky to even be publishing at all. I'll be publishing my first book at the age of 39, and I don't feel like a late bloomer at all-- I feel I'm right on target, with decades and decades ahead of me, with better work to come.

This article represents the most mundane and conventional thinking, something I thought the Huffington Post was beyond. I was wrong, and I'm sad to say you've lost a reader.

T. Kem

[carnegie]

09:16 PM on 03/10/2011

Beyond? Haven't you read it? There's a ton of dreck on this thing.

[IsisCat]

02:13 AM on 03/17/2011

Agreed!! I'm hoping to publish my first book in the next few years and I'm 38 this year. I hardly feel like a late bloomer.

[oscar solis]

10:24 PM on 03/09/2011

Talent knows no age.

This all brings to mind the theories of David Galenson, who wrote about two kinds of genius: Conceptualists and Experimentalists. Conceptualists tend to be young and do their best work before middle age. Their later works generally don't measure up (there are exceptions to this, of course). Experimentalists tinker along working and reworking their creations until they are ready. They make their mark at middle age and older.

Examples: Conceptualist: Herman Melville, Typee published at age 25
Experimentalist: Richard Adams, Watership Down published at age 51

Interestingly, Galenson himself would be classified as an Expeimentalist as he did not publish his theory until middle age.

[Soulfest]

12:15 PM on 03/09/2011

I often think of those folks in the mid years as a somewhat neglected demographic. The forty and fifty somethings. The world is gaga over youth and the senior citizens have many of their own gigs and discounts, but the ones after their thirties but before the baby boomers are a bit forgotten. Nice to see many on here in that mid range being celebrated.

[Brainstormy]

12:14 PM on 03/09/2011

Hard to see how 41 is "late-blooming," but interesting little piece here. Wish it had included Angela's Ashes author, Frank McCourt.

[B Silk]

12:02 AM on 03/11/2011

Yes, I was thinking of McCourt too. He's inspiring. And, believe me, I need inspiration.

[Midlife Coach for Women]

11:58 AM on 03/09/2011

How about Maya Angelou? Her first book, "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" was published when she was 41. Great to see posts on talent expressing itself at whatever age!

[Catherine Aman]

08:07 AM on 03/09/2011

Has anyone mentioned Penelope Fitzgerald yet?

[rblument]

01:52 PM on 03/11/2011

I did and received a snarky comment saying that she isn't a great writer--go figure.

[maattwo]

01:28 AM on 03/09/2011

PD James published her first book at age 42. Since then, her mysteries have sold millions. She may be too popular to be great, but she has given me hours of pleasure.

[iLuvKOSHi]

01:28 AM on 03/09/2011

Better late than never! Great lil post...

[Olderandwiser55]

10:46 PM on 03/08/2011

Harriet Doerr-amazing.

[eyelashviper]

12:41 PM on 03/09/2011

Agree, "Stones for Ibarra" was wonderful.

[Olderandwiser55]

01:01 PM on 03/09/2011

"Consider This Senora' was just beautiful as well. They should be required reading for anyone that wants to live in a Latin American country!

[Olderandwiser55]

01:08 PM on 03/09/2011

Isabelle Allende is wonderful too. She was close to 40 when she wrote her first book. "My Invented Country" is actually my favorite.