2008 in literature

• January 1 – In the UK's 2008 New Year Honours List, Hanif Kureishi (CBE), Jenny Uglow (OBE), Peter Vansittart (OBE) and Debjani Chatterjee (MBE) are all rewarded for "services to literature."
• February 29 – Belgian-born "Misha Defonseca" admits that her bestselling Misha: A Mémoire of the Holocaust Years (1997) is a literary forgery.
• April – Signet Books announce they will cease to publish the American historical romance novelist Cassie Edwards after a dispute over plagiarism.
• May 7–11 – The first Palestine Festival of Literature is held.
• June 15 – Gore Vidal, asked in a New York Times interview how he felt about the death of his rival William F. Buckley, Jr., replies: "I thought hell is bound to be a livelier place, as he joins forever those whom he served in life, applauding their prejudices and fanning their hatred."
• July – Salman Rushdie's Midnight's Children (1981) is the winner of a poll to select the "Best of the Booker".

Uncertain date

• The first Twitter novels appear.

Margaret Truman

• January 2 – George MacDonald Fraser, Scottish novelist and screenplay writer (born 1925)
• January 3 – Henri Chopin, French poet (born 1922)
• January 11 – Nancy Phelan, Australian writer (born 1913)
• January 13 – Patricia Verdugo, Chilean journalist and writer (born 1947)
• January 16 – Hone Tuwhare, New Zealand poet (born 1922)
• January 17 – Edward D. Hoch, American detective fiction writer (born 1930)
• January 26
  • John Ardagh, Nyasaland-born English journalist and writer (born 1928)
  • Abraham Brumberg, American writer and editor (born 1926)
• January 29 – Margaret Truman, American crime novelist and singer (born 1924)
• January 30 – Miles Kington, Northern Irish-born English journalist and writer (born 1941)

Steve Gerber

• February 4 – Rose Hacker, English writer and journalist (born 1906)
• February 7 – Richard Altick, American literary historian (born 1915)
• February 8 – Phyllis A. Whitney, Japan-born American mystery writer (born 1903)
• February 10 – Steve Gerber, American comic book writer (born 1947)
• February 18 – Alain Robbe-Grillet, French novelist (born 1922)
• February 21
  • Archie Hind, Scottish novelist (born 1928)
  • Robin Moore, American novelist and memoirist (born 1925)
• February 22 – Stephen Marlowe, American science fiction and crime writer (born 1928)
• February 28 – Julian Rathbone, English novelist (born 1935)
• February 29 – Val Plumwood (Val Routley), Australian philosopher (born 1939)

Arthur C. Clarke

• March 16 – Jonathan Williams, American poet (born 1929)
• March 19
  • Arthur C. Clarke, English science fiction writer and futurologist (born 1917)
  • Hugo Claus, Belgian writer in Flemish and English (born 1929)
• March 23 – E. A. Markham, Montserrat poet, writer and activist (born 1939)
• April 3 – Andrew Crozier, English poet and scholar (born 1943)
• April 7 – Ludu Daw Amar, Burmese writer and journalist (born 1915)
• April 13 – Robert Greacen, Irish poet (born 1920)
• April 17
  • Aimé Césaire, Martinique poet and writer in French (born 1913)
  • Zoya Krakhmalnikova, Russian writer and editor (born 1929)
• April 18
  • Michael de Larrabeiti, English young-adult novelist and travel writer (born 1934)
  • William W. Warner, American biologist and Pulitzer Prize writer (born 1920)
• May 1 – Elaine Dundy, American novelist, biographer and playwright (born 1921)
• May 9 – Nuala O'Faolain, Irish critic and writer (born 1940)
• May 11 – Jeff Torrington, Scottish novelist (born 1935)
• May 12 – Oakley Hall, American novelist (born 1920)
• May 14 – Roy Heath, Guyanese novelist (born 1926)
• May 19 – Vijay Tendulkar, Indian playwright (born 1928)
• May 23 – Alan Brien, English journalist and novelist (born 1925)
• May 28 – Elinor Lyon, British children's writer (born 1921)

Chinghiz Aitmatov

• June 2 – Ferenc Fejtő, Hungarian-born French historian and journalist (born 1909)
• June 4 – Matthew Bruccoli, American biographer and scholar (born 1931)
• June 5 – Angus Calder, British writer and scholar (born 1942)
• June 8 – Peter Rühmkorf, German poet and writer (born 1929)
• June 9 – Algis Budrys (John A. Sentry), American science fiction writer of Lithuanian origin (born 1931)
• June 10
  • Chinghiz Aitmatov, Kyrgyz writer in Kyrgyz and Russian (born 1928)
  • Eliot Asinof, American novelist and baseball writer (born 1919)
• June 16 – Mario Rigoni Stern, Italian novelist (born 1921)
• June 18 – Tasha Tudor, American children's writer and illustrator (born 1915)
• June 22 – Albert Cossery, Egyptian-born French novelist (born 1913)
• June 24 – Ruth Cardoso, Brazilian anthropologist and writer (born 1930)
• June 25 – Lyall Watson, South African scientist and new age writer (born 1939)
• June 27 – Lenka Reinerová, Czech writer in German (born 1916)

Thomas M. Disch

• July 1
  • Clay Felker, American magazine editor and journalist (born 1925)
  • Robert Harling, English typographer and novelist (born 1910)
• July 2 – Simone Ortega, Spanish cookery writer (born 1919)
• July 4
  • Thomas M. Disch, American science fiction author and poet. (born 1940)
  • Janwillem van de Wetering, Dutch novelist and writer in Dutch and English (born 1931)
• July 20 – Roger Wolcott Hall, American memoirist and novelist (born 1919)
• July 27 – Bob Crampsey, Scottish writer (born 1930)
• July 30 – Peter Coke, English playwright (born 1913)

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

• August 3 – Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, Russian writer and Nobel laureate (born 1918)
• August 7 – Simon Gray, English playwright and memoirist (born 1936)
• August 9 – Mahmoud Darwish, Palestinian poet (born 1942)
• August 11 – George Furth, American playwright (born 1932)
• August 17 – Dave Freeman, American writer and advertising executive (born 1961)
• August 23 – John Russell, English art critic (born 1919)
• August 25 – Ahmed Faraz (Syed Akhmad Shah), Pakistani poet in Urdu (born 1931)
• August 31 – Ken Campbell, English novelist and playwright (born 1941)

David Foster Wallace

• September 5 – Robert Giroux, American editor and publisher (born 1914)
• September 7 – Gregory Mcdonald, American mystery writer (born 1937)
• September 12 – David Foster Wallace, American novelist (born 1962)
• September 17 – James Crumley, American crime writer (born 1939)
• September 20 – Duncan Glen, Scottish poet, critic and literary historian (born 1933)
• September 23 – William Woodruff, English historian and autobiographer (born 1916)
• September 24 – Bengt Anderberg, Swedish poet, novelist and children's writer (born 1920)
• September 29 – Hayden Carruth, American poet and literary critic (born 1921)
• October 4 – Peter Vansittart, English novelist and historical writer (born 1920)
• October 14 – Barrington J. Bayley, English science fiction writer (born 1937)
• October 26 – Tony Hillerman, American mystery writer (born 1925)
• October 27 – Es'kia Mphahlele, South African writer in English (born 1919)
• October 29 – William Wharton (Albert William Du Aime), American novelist (born 1925)
• October 31 – Studs Terkel, American historian and broadcaster (born 1912)
• November 4 – Michael Crichton, American writer and scholar (born 1942)
• November 13 – Jules Archer, American historian and author (born 1915)
• November 14 – Kristin Hunter, American author and academic (born 1931)
• December 1 – Dorothy Sterling, American non-fiction writer for children and historian (born 1913)[3]
• December 15 – Anne-Catharina Vestly, Norwegian children's book author (born 1920)[4]
• December 24 – Harold Pinter, English playwright and screenwriter (born 1930).
• December 31 – Donald E. Westlake, American novelist (born 1933)[5]

• Camões Prize: João Ubaldo Ribeiro
• Europe Theatre Prize: Patrice Chéreau
• International Dublin Literary Award: Rawi Hage, De Niro's Game
• International Prize for Arabic Fiction: Bahaa Taher, Sunset Oasis
• Nobel Prize in Literature: J. M. G. Le Clézio

• List of literary awards
• List of poetry awards
• 2008 in comics
• 2008 in Australian literature