| Individual | Background | Date of death | Age | Cause of death | Ref. |
|---|
| January |
| Lise Nørgaard | Danish journalist and writer (Matador) | January 1 | 105 | | [57] |
| Edith Pearlman | American short story writer | January 1 | 86 | | [58] |
| Suzy McKee Charnas | American novelist (The Kingdom of Kevin Malone,The Holdfast Chronicles) and short story writer ("Boobs") | January 2 | 83 | | [59] |
| Catherine David | French-American literary critic and novelist | January 2 | 73 | | [60] |
| Dumitru Radu Popescu | Romanian novelist and poet | January 2 | 87 | | [61] |
| Mohamed Enani | Egyptian writer and translator | January 3 | 83 | | [62] |
| Fay Weldon | British author (The Life and Loves of a She-Devil,Puffball,The Cloning of Joanna May), essayist and playwright | January 4 | 91 | | [63] |
| Victoria de Stefano | Italo-Venezuelan novelist, essayist and philosopher | January 6 | 82 | | [64] |
| Russell Banks | American novelist (Continental Drift,The Sweet Hereafter,Cloudsplitter) | January 7 | 82 | Cancer | [65] |
| Aleksey Slapovsky | Russian novelist, playwright and screenwriter (The Irony of Fate 2) | January 8 | 65 | Pneumonia | [66] |
| Rehman Rahi | Indian poet, translator and literary critic | January 9 | 97 | | [67] |
| Charles Simic | Serbian-born American poet (The World Doesn't End: Prose Poems) | January 9 | 84 | Complications fromdementia | [68][69] |
| Sara Aboobacker | Indian novelist, short story writer and translator | January 10 | 86 | | [70] |
| Paul Johnson | British journalist and historian (Modern Times: A History of the World from the 1920s to the 1980s, A History of the American People,A History of Christianity) | January 12 | 94 | | [71][72] |
| Claudio Willer | Brazilian poet, essayist and translator | January 13 | 82 | Bladder cancer | [73] |
| Ronald Blythe | English writer and columnist | January 14 | 100 | | [74] |
| Gordana Kuić | Serbian novelist (The Scent of Rain in the Balkans) | January 15 | 80 | | [75] |
| Gáspár Miklós Tamás | Hungarian philosopher and academic | January 15 | 74 | | [76] |
| Mousse Boulanger | Swiss writer and journalist | January 16 | 96 | | [77] |
| Luisa Josefina Hernández | Mexican writer, playwright and translator | January 16 | 94 | | [78] |
| Jonathan Raban | British travel writer, critic, and novelist (Soft City,Waxwings,For Love & Money) | January 17 | 80 | | [79][80] |
| Jacques Jarry | French linguist and archeologist | January 18 | | | [81] |
| Claude Guillon | French writer and philosopher | January 19 | 70 | | [82] |
| Nilmani Phookan Jr | Indian poet | January 19 | 89 | | [83] |
| Grigorijus Kanovičius | Lithuanian writer | January 20 | 93 | | [84] |
| Paul LaFarge | American novelist, essayist and academic | January 20 | 52 | Cancer | [85] |
| Nano Riantiarno | Indonesian playwright | January 20 | 73 | | [86] |
| Georges Banu | Romanian-born French writer | January 21 | 79 | | [87] |
| Pino Roveredo | Italian writer and theater director | January 21 | 68 | | [88] |
| Friedrich Weissensteiner | Austrian historian and writer | January 21 | 95 | | [89] |
| Ian Black | British journalist and author (Israel's Secret Wars) | January 22 | 69 | complications fromfrontotemporal lobar degeneration | [90] |
| Joseph Agassi | Israeli philosopher and author (The Continuing Revolution) | January 23 | 95 | | [91] |
| Dmytro Pavlychko | Ukrainian poet, translator and diplomat | January 29 | 93 | | [92] |
| K. V. Tirumalesh | Indian writer and poet | January 30 | 82 | | [93] |
| Linda Pastan | American poet | January 30 | 90 | | [94] |
| Cleonice Berardinelli | Brazilian academic and writer | January 31 | 106 | | [95] |
| Henrik Nordbrandt | Danish poet (Drømmebroer), novelist, and essayist | January 31 | 77 | | [96] |
| February |
| René Schérer | French philosopher | February 1 | 100 | | [97] |
| Alain Lacouchie | French poet and illustrator | February 3 | 76 | | [98] |
| Knut Borchardt | German historian | February 5 | 93 | | [99] |
| Renato Del Ponte | Italian essayist | February 5 | 78 | | [100] |
| Josep Maria Espinàs | Spanish writer ("Cant del Barça"), journalist and publisher | February 5 | 95 | | [101] |
| May Sayegh | Palestinian poet and political activist | February 5 | 82 | | [102] |
| Răzvan Theodorescu | Romanian historian and politician | February 6 | 83 | | [103] |
| Nicolò Mineo | Italian literary critic, literary historian and philologist | February 6 | 89 | | [104] |
| Richard Kell | Irish poet, composer, and teacher | February 7 | 95 | | [105] |
| Leontii Voitovych | Ukrainian historian | February 7 | 71 | | [106] |
| Subimal Mishra | Indian novelist and short story writer | February 8 | 79 | | [107] |
| Agnès Laroche | French novelist and author | February 11 | 57 | | [108] |
| Lualhati Bautista | Filipino novelist (Dekada '70,'GAPÔ,Bata, Bata... Pa'no Ka Ginawa?), screenwriter (Bulaklak sa City Jail) and activist | February 12 | 77 | | [109] |
| Robert Sauzet | French historian | February 12 | 95 | | [110] |
| Suzanne Sens | French author and educator | February 13 | 92 | | [111] |
| Giampiero Neri | Italian poet | February 15 | 95 | | [112] |
| Helen Fogwill Porter | Canadian poet, essayist and activist | February 16 | 92 | | [113] |
| Mario Vitti | Italian philologist | February 6 | 96 | | [114] |
| Richard Belzer | American actor, stand-up comedian, and author | February 19 | 78 | Unspecified circulatory and respiratory conditions | [115][116] |
| Daniel Roche | French historian | February 19 | 87 | | [117] |
| Michael S. Heiser | American biblical scholar and author | February 20 | 60 | Pancreatic cancer | [118] |
| Philip Ziegler | British historian and biographer | February 22 | 93 | | [119] |
| Irving Wardle | English theatre critic and playwright | February 23 | 93 | | [120] |
| Mihai Șora | Romanian philosopher, essayist and politician | February 25 | 106 | | [121] |
| Günther von Lojewski | German journalist, television presenter, and author | February 26 | 87 | | [122] |
| Amy Schwartz | American author and illustrator of children's books | February 26 | 68 | | [123][124] |
| Juan Muñoz Martín | Spanish children's author (El Barco de Vapor) | February 27 | 93 | | [125] |
| Javad Tabatabai | Iranian philosopher and political scientist | February 28 | 77 | | [126] |
| March |
| Anise Koltz | Luxembourgish author | March 1 | 94 | | [127] |
| Sasthipada Chattopadhyay | Indian novelist (Pandab Goenda) | March 3 | 81 | Stroke | [128] |
| Christopher Fowler | British science fiction writer | March 3 | 69 | Cancer | [129] |
| Kenzaburō Ōe | Japanese writer (1994 Nobel laureate in literature) | March 3 | 88 | Natural causes | [130] |
| Yuri Zhukov | Russian historian | March 3 | 85 | | [131] |
| Judith Heumann | American disability rights activist and author | March 4 | 75 | | [132] |
| Matti Klinge | Finnish historian | March 5 | 86 | | [133] |
| Sylviane Telchid | Guadeloupean writer and translator | March 5 | 81 | Complications fromAlzheimer's disease | [134] |
| Ian Falconer | American author andillustrator of children's books (Olivia) | March 7 | 63 | | [135] |
| Salvador García-Bodaño | Spanish poet | March 7 | 87 | | [136] |
| Jitendra Nath Mohanty | Indian philosopher | March 7 | 95 | | [137] |
| Dhiruben Patel | Indian novelist, playwright and translator | March 10 | 96 | | [138] |
| John Jakes | American writer (North and South,The Kent Family Chronicles) | March 11 | 90 | | [139] |
| William G. Johnsson | Australian theologian and author | March 11 | 88 | | [140] |
| Michel Peyramaure | French writer | March 11 | 101 | | [141] |
| Isabel Colegate | British author (The Shooting Party) and literary agent | March 12 | 91 | | [142] |
| Karel Kaplan | Czech historian | March 12 | 94 | | [143] |
| Jaume Medina | Spanish philologist, translator and poet | March 12 | 73 | | [144] |
| Dragoslav Mihailović | Serbian academic and playwright | March 12 | 92 | | [145] |
| Momoko Kuroda | Japanesehaiku poet and essayist | March 13 | 84 | Brain hemorrhage | [146] |
| Richard Wagner | Romanian-born German novelist | March 14 | 70 | | [147] |
| Patrick French | British writer and historian (Tibet, Tibet,The World Is What It Is) | March 16 | 57 | Cancer | [148] |
| Anna Sujatha Mathai | Indian poet | March 16 | 89 | | [149] |
| Jorge Edwards | Chilean novelist, journalist and diplomat | March 17 | 91 | | [150] |
| Abdul Rahman Majeed al-Rubaie | Iraqi novelist (The Tattoo Mark) | March 20 | 83 | | [151] |
| Eric Brown | British science fiction writer | March 21 | 62 | Sepsis | [152] |
| Harri Nykänen | Finnish crime writer | March 21 | 69 | | [153] |
| Howard Fergus | Montserratian author and historian | March 23 | 85 | | [154] |
| Rivka Basman Ben-Hayim | Lithuanian-born Israeli Yiddish poet | March 23 | 98 | | [155] |
| Jean-Marie Apostolidès | Greek-French novelist, essayist, and theater director | March 24 | 79 | | [156] |
| María Kodama | Argentine writer and translator; wife ofJorge Luis Borges | March 26 | 86 | Breast cancer | [157] |
| D. M. Thomas | British poet, translator and novelist (The Flute-Player,The White Hotel) | March 26 | 88 | | [158] |
| April |
| Rachel Pollack | Americanscience fiction author, comic book writer, and activist | April 7 | 77 | | [159] |
| Anne Perry | British crime writer (The Cater Street Hangman) | April 10 | 84 | | [160] |
| Harold Kushner | Americanrabbi, author, and lecturer (When Bad Things Happen to Good People) | April 28 | 88 | | [161] |
| May |
| Andrew Delaplaine | American novelist and screenwriter (Meeting Spencer) | May 1 | 73 | Stomach cancer | [162] |
| Gabrielle Carey | Australian novelist (Puberty Blues) | May 2 | 64 | | [163] |
| Henri Coulonges | French novelist and painter | May 4 | 86 | | [164] |
| Rafael Guillén | Spanish poet | May 4 | 90 | Stroke | [165] |
| Haidar Haidar | Syrian novelist (The Desolate Time,A Feast for the Seaweeds,The Mirrors of Fire) | May 5 | 87 | | [166] |
| Bruce McCall | Canadian author and illustrator | May 5 | 87 | Complications fromParkinson's disease | [167] |
| Philippe Sollers | French writer and literary critic, founder ofTel Quel andL'Infini | May 5 | 86 | | [168] |
| Ingrid Arvidsson | Swedish poet, author, and diplomat | May 7 | 103 | | [169] |
| Vladimir Dybo | Russian linguist | May 7 | 92 | | [170] |
| Fred Siegel | American historian and conservative writer | May 7 | 78 | | [171] |
| Ronald Steel | American author and biographer (Walter Lippmann) | May 7 | 92 | | [172] |
| Samaresh Majumdar | Indian writer | May 8 | 79 | Complications fromCOPD | [173] |
| Heather Armstrong | Americanblogger and author | May 9 | 47 | Suicide | [174] |
| Josef Ehmer | Austrian historian | May 9 | 74 | | [175] |
| Wilferd Madelung | German-British author and scholar of Islamic history | May 9 | 92 | | [176] |
| Rosemary Crossley | Australian author | May 10 | 78 | | [177] |
| Ian Hacking | Canadian philosopher (The Taming of Chance,Rewriting the Soul,Mad Travelers) | May 10 | 87 | | [178] |
| Leon Comber | British military officer and author | May 11 | 101 | | [179] |
| Sibylle Lewitscharoff | German writer | May 13 | 69 | | [180] |
| Hassan Hallak | Lebanese historian and academic | May 15 | 77 | | [181] |
| Eugene Kozlovsky | Russian writer, screenwriter, theatre and film director | May 15 | 76 | | [182] |
| Inger Sandberg | Swedish children's author (The Little Ghost Godfrey,Lilla Anna and the Tall Uncle) | May 16 | 92 | | [183] |
| Martin Amis | British novelist (London Fields,Money,Time's Arrow) | May 19 | 73 | Esophageal cancer | [184] |
| Pete Brown | English poet, lyricist ("I Feel Free", "Sunshine of Your Love", "White Room") and singer | May 19 | 82 | | [185] |
| Dževad Karahasan | Bosnian writer, essayist and philosopher | May 19 | 70 | | [186] |
| Veno Taufer | Slovenian poet, translator and playwright | May 20 | 90 | | [187] |
| Antón Arrufat | Cuban writer and poet | May 21 | 87 | Bronchopneumonia | [188] |
| Erick Pohlhammer | Chilean poet | May 22 | 68 | Complications from astroke | [189] |
| John Dunning | American novelist | May 23 | 81 | | [190] |
| Lin Wenyue | Taiwanese writer and translator | May 26 | 89 | | [191] |
| Govindray H. Nayak | Indian writer and academic | May 26 | 89 | | [192] |
| Anita Cornwell | American author and activist | May 27 | 99 | | [193] |
| Frédéric Barbier | French historian | May 28 | 70 | | [194] |
| Choi Il-nam | South Korean writer | May 28 | 90 | | [195] |
| Antonio Gala | Spanish poet, playwright and writer | May 28 | 92 | | [196] |
| Asad Gulzoda | Tajik poet and linguist | May 29 | 88 | | [197] |
| Ama Ata Aidoo | Ghanaian author and playwright (The Dilemma of a Ghost,Anowa) | May 31 | 81 | | [198] |
| Vellayani Arjunan | Indian literary scholar | May 31 | 90 | | [199] |
| June |
| Ronald L. Baker | American folklorist | June 1 | 85 | | [200] |
| Byron Barton | American author and illustrator of children's books | June 3 | 92 | | [201] |
| Khalid Kishtainy | Iraqi writer and satirist | June 3 | 93 | | [202] |
| Mochtar Pabottingi | Indonesian writer | June 4 | 77 | Heart attack | [203] |
| Cormac McCarthy | American writer (Suttree,Blood Meridian,The Border Trilogy,No Country for Old Men,The Road) | June 13 | 89 | | [204] |
| Robert Gottlieb | American author and editor | June 14 | 92 | | [205] |
| Micere Githae Mugo | Kenyan writer, activist and professor | June 20 | 80 | Cancer | [206] |
| July |
| Ahn Junghyo | South Korean novelist and translator | July 1 | 81 | Cancer | [207] |
| Victoria Amelina | Ukrainian novelist | July 1 | 37 | Russian attack | [208] |
| Valeriano Bozal | Spanish historian and philosopher | July 2 | 82 | | [209] |
| Zé Celso | Brazilian playwright and stage director (Teatro Oficina) | July 6 | 86 | Injuries from a fire | [210] |
| Lâm Thị Mỹ Dạ | Vietnamese poet | July 6 | 73 | | [211] |
| Mary Ann Hoberman | American author and poet | July 7 | 92 | | [212] |
| Ahmed Ilias | Bangladeshi poet | July 7 | 88 | | [213] |
| José Mattoso | Portuguese historian and medievalist | July 8 | 90 | | [214] |
| Adrian Tan | Singaporean novelist (The Teenage Textbook,The Teenage Workbook) and lawyer | July 8 | 57 | Cancer | [215] |
| Alain Besançon | French historian | July 9 | 91 | | [216] |
| Jean-Jacques Becker | French historian | July 10 | 95 | | [217] |
| Richard G. Hovannisian | American historian | July 10 | 90 | | [218] |
| Marga Minco | Dutch journalist and writer | July 10 | 103 | | [219] |
| Per Odensten | Swedish novelist and poet | July 10 | 84 | | [220] |
| Ahmadreza Ahmadi | Iranian poet and screenwriter | July 11 | 83 | | [221] |
| Milan Kundera | Czech-French writer (The Unbearable Lightness of Being,The Joke,The Book of Laughter and Forgetting) | July 11 | 94 | | [222] |
| Colin Spencer | English writer and artist | July 13 | 89 | | [223] |
| Bernard Bachrach | American historian | July 14 | 84 | | [224] |
| Harry Frankfurt | American philosopher and author (On Bullshit,On Truth) | July 16 | 94 | congestive heart failure | [225] |
| Wasef Bakhtari | Afghan poet, literary figure and intellectual | July 19 | 80 | | [226] |
| Silvana Lattmann | Italian-Swiss poet and author | July 19 | 104 | | [227] |
| Jaime Galarza Zavala | Ecuadorian writer | July 20 | 92 | lung disease | [228] |
| Malú Urriola | Chilean poet | July 21 | 56 | | [229] |
| Russell H. Greenan | American author (It Happened in Boston?) | July 22 | 97 | | [230] |
| Howard Adelman | Canadian philosopher and academic | July 23 | 85 | | [231] |
| Seiichi Morimura | Japanese novelist | July 24 | 90 | | [232] |
| Gérard Besson | Trinidadian writer and publisher | July 25 | 81 | | [233] |
| Shirish Kanekar | Indian writer and journalist | July 25 | 80 | | [234] |
| Eduardo Pitta | Portuguese poet, fiction writer and essayist | July 25 | 73 | | [235] |
| Lâm Quang Mỹ | Vietnamese-Polish poet | July 26 | 79 | | [236] |
| Keith Waldrop | American poet | July 27 | 90 | | [237] |
| Danila Comastri Montanari | Italian historical fiction novelist | July 28 | 74 | | [238] |
| Martin Walser | German writer (Runaway Horse,A Man in Love,Marriage in Philippsburg) | July 28 | 96 | | [239] |
| David Albahari | Serbian writer and translator | July 30 | 75 | | [240] |
| August |
| Michela Murgia | Italian novelist and journalist | August 10 | 51 | Cancer | [241] |
| October |
| Louise Meriwether | American novelist, journalist and activist | October 10 | 100 | | [242] |
| Louise Gluck | American poet (2020 Nobel Laureate in Literature) | October 13 | 80 | Cancer | [243] |
| November |
| A. S. Byatt | English novelist (The Virgin in the Garden,Possession,Still Life) and critic | November 16 | 87 | | [244] |
| Eddie Linden | Scottish poet and publisher (Aquarius magazine) | November 19 | 88 | | [245] |
| Tim Dorsey | American novelist | November 26 | 62 | | [246] |
| John Nichols | American novelist | November 27 | 83 | | [247] |
| December |
| Benjamin Zephaniah | British poet | December 7 | 65 | Brain tumour | [248] |