List of humorists

A humorist (American English) or humourist (British English) is an intellectual who uses humor in writing or public speaking.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Humorists are distinct from comedians, who are show business entertainers whose business is to make an audience laugh, though it is possible for some persons to occupy both roles in the course of their careers.

List

Notable humorists include:

• Ada Roach<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• Alexander Posey<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• André Franquin<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> (1924–1997) French comic book author of Spirou & Fantasio and creator of the Marsupilami.
• Anita Loos<ref name=":0">Template:Cite book</ref>
• Anne Roumanoff<ref name=":1">Template:Cite book</ref>
• Aziz Nesin<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• Benjamin Franklin (1706–1790), as a newspaper editor and printer, became one of America's first humorists,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> most famously for Poor Richard's Almanack published under the pen name "Richard Saunders".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• Bennett Cerf (1898–1971) one of the founders of the publishing firm Random House, known for his own compilations of jokes and puns, for regular personal appearances lecturing across the United States, and for his television appearances on the panel game show What's My Line?<ref name=obit>Template:Cite news</ref>
• Carlos Loiseau<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Carolyn Wells<ref name=":0" />
• Carrie Carlton (1834–1868)<ref name="Bancroft1890">Template:Cite book Template:Source-attribution</ref>
• Dorothy Parker<ref name=":0" /> (1893–1967) writer for Vanity Fair, Vogue and other magazines, playwright, and a close friend of Benchley, was known for her biting, satirical wit.
• Eric Omondi<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• Erma Bombeck<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> (1927–1996) newspaper columnist and writer of 15 books who specialized in humorously describing midwestern suburban home life.
• Fanny Fern<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• Florence Foresti<ref name=":1" />
• Florence King<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• Fran Lebowitz<ref name=":0" /> (born 1950) writes sardonic social commentary from a New York City point of view.
• Frances Miriam Whitcher<ref name=":0" />
• Gary Owens<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> (1934–2015) was a long-time afternoon radio show host in Los Angeles.
• George Ade<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> (1866–1944) American writer and newspaper columnist.
• George S. Kaufmann<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> (1889–1961) was a playwright, theatre director and producer, and drama critic. He wrote two Broadway musicals for the Marx Brothers: The Cocoanuts and Animal Crackers.
• Gina Barreca<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• Grace King<ref name=":0" />
• H. L. Mencken (1880–1956) journalist, satirist, cultural critic and scholar of American English.<ref name="WVobit">Template:Citation</ref> Known as the "Sage of Baltimore", he is regarded as one of the most influential American writers and prose stylists of the first half of the 20th century. He commented widely on the social scene, literature, music, prominent politicians and contemporary movements. He is known for dubbing the Scopes trial "the Monkey Trial".
• Helen Rowland<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• Ibn Sukkara<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• Jamel Debbouze<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• James Gillray (1756–1815) father of British political cartoon known for his wit.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• James Thurber<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> (1894–1961) cartoonist, author, journalist, playwright, and celebrated wit, best known for his cartoons and short stories published mainly in The New Yorker.
• Jane Goude<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• Jean Paul<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• Jean Shepherd<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> (1921–1999) was a radio and literature humorist best known for writing the book In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash which was later adapted to the 1983 movie A Christmas Story.
• Jippensha Ikku (1765–1861) was a prolific Japanese writer and humorist<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> who helped establish the Kokkeibon genre.
• John Henry Faulk<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• John Neal (1793–1876) American critic, activist, lecturer, and writer who played a pivotal role in the development of satirical and humorous short stories between the 1820s and 1840s.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="ABC-CLIO">Template:Cite book</ref>
• Chief John Smith<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• Jyotindra Dave<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• Lao She<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• Margaret Cameron<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>(1867–1947), novelist, short story writer, playwright, and author of non-fiction works related to mysticism.
• Marietta Holley<ref name=":0" />
• Mario Benedetti<ref name=":2">Template:Cite book</ref>
• Mark Twain (pen name of Samuel Langhorn Clemens, 1835–1910) was widely considered the "greatest humorist" the U.S. ever produced, as noted in his New York Times obituary.<ref name="Obituary New York Times">Template:Cite news</ref> It's a distinction that garnered wide agreement, as William Faulkner called him "the father of American literature".<ref name="faulkner">Template:Cite book</ref>
• Mary Eleanor Wilkins Freeman<ref name=":0" />
• Mencius<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• Michèle Laroque<ref name=":1" />
• Moin Akhter<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> (1950–2011) Pakistani TV and radio comedian.
• Molly Ivins<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• Muriel Robin<ref name=":1" />
• Niní Marshall<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• Noël Coward<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> (1899–1973) was a playwright, composer, director, actor and singer.
• Omar Sy<ref name=":1" />
• Oscar Wilde (1854–1900) Irish poet and playwright known for his biting wit.
• Nora Ephron<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• P. G. Wodehouse (1881–1975) one of the most widely read humorists of the 20th century.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• Peg Bracken<ref name=":0" />
• Phyllis McGinley<ref name=":0" />
• Robert Benchley (1889–1945) best known for his work as a newspaper columnist and film actor, began writing humorously for The Harvard Lampoon while attending Harvard University, and for many years wrote essays and articles for Vanity Fair and The New Yorker.
• Roberto Fontanarrosa<ref name=":2" />
• Ruth McEnery Stuart<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• Ruth McKenney<ref name=":0" />
• Sarah Vowell<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Seba Smith (1792–1868) American writer and editor,<ref name="ABC-CLIO"/> most famous for his editorial character, Jack Downing.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• Sholom Aleichem<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>(1859–1916) pen name of the leading Yiddish author and playwright Solomon Naumovich Rabinovich, on whose stories the musical Fiddler on the Roof was based.
• Simo Puupponen<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• Tabitha Gilman Tenney<ref name=":0" />
• Terry Pratchett (1948–2015) author known for comic fantasy novels, most notably the Discworld series of 41 novels. He was strongly influenced by Wodehouse, Sharpe, Jerome, Coren,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and Twain.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Veronica Geng<ref name=":0" />
• Wahome Mutahi<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>