Percy Bysshe Shelley, author of The Necessity of Atheism

This is an incomplete list, which may never be able to satisfy certain standards for completeness.

Revisions and sourced additions are welcome.

Atheists are persons who either affirm the nonexistence of gods^[1] or simply do not believe in a god.^[2] When defined more broadly, atheists are those without a belief in deities,^[3] alternatively called nontheists.^[4] Atheist redirects here. ... Arguments for and against the existence of God have been proposed by philosophers, theologians, and others. ... This article is about the term Deity in the context of mysticism and theology. ... This article is about the term God in the context of monotheism and henotheism. ... Nontheism is a term that covers a range of both religious and nonreligious attitudes characterized by the absence of—or the rejection of—theism or any belief in a personal god or gods. ...

Persons listed here have either been specifically identified as an "atheist" by a reliable source, or have expressed a position that is uncontroversially regarded as atheistic (that is, they have affirmed the nonexistence of gods). Note that, due to divergences in definition and usage, those who have merely expressed nonbelief in gods are not universally regarded as atheists. Such persons are not listed here without specific identification as an "atheist" in a reliable source, but may be found in the list of nontheists. // A nontheist is any person who does not believe in the existence of a deity. ...

Excluded from this list are persons who have denied being an atheist, or who choose a label besides atheist for themselves with regards to their position on the existence of deities (such as agnostic), even if they have been identified elsewhere as atheists. Persons who have merely expressed skepticism about the existence of deities or who have criticized religion are excluded. Such sentiments are insufficient to identify someone as an atheist. Thomas Huxley, coiner of the term agnostic. ... This article is about the psychological term. ...

List

Activists and educators

Ali

Holyoake

Kropotkin

Sanger

• Pietro Acciarito (1871–1943): Italian anarchist activist who attempted to assassinate King Umberto I.^[5]
• Zackie Achmat (1962–): South African anti-HIV/AIDS activist; founder of the Treatment Action Campaign.^[6]
• Clark Adams (1969–2007): Prominent American freethought leader and activist.^[7]
• Ayaan Hirsi Ali (1969–): Dutch feminist and politician.^[8]
• Baba Amte: Respected Indian social activist, known for his work with lepers.^[9]
• Natalie Angier (1958–): Nonfiction writer and science journalist for The New York Times; 1991 winner of Pulitzer Prize for Beat Reporting.^[10]
• Dan Barker (1949–): American atheist activist.^[11]
• Peter Brearey (1939–1998): British secularist, socialist and journalist, Editor of The Freethinker from 1993 until his death.^[12]
• Yaron Brook (1961–): Current president and executive director of the Ayn Rand Institute.^[13]
• William Montgomery Brown (1855–1937): Episcopal bishop and Communist author.^[14]
• Richard Carrier (1969–): historian, philosopher, and atheist activist.^[15]
• Chapman Cohen (1868–1954): English freethought writer and lecturer, and an editor of The Freethinker and president of the National Secular Society.^[16]
• Margaret Downey is an atheist activist who is the current President of Atheist Alliance International.^[17]
• Joseph Edamaruku (1934–2006): Indian journalist, author, leader in the rationalist movement, and winner of the International Atheist Award in 1979.^[18][19]
• Sanal Edamaruku (1955–): Indian rationalist, president of the Indian Rationalist Association.^[20]
• Reginald Vaughn Finley, Sr. (1974–): ("The Infidel Guy"): Internet radio host and Podcaster in Atlanta, Georgia, co-founder of the Atheist Network and founder of FreethoughtMedia.com.^[21]
• David D. Friedman (1945–): Economist, law professor, novelist, and libertarian activist.^[22]
• Annie Laurie Gaylor (1955–): co-founder of the Freedom From Religion Foundation and, with her husband Dan Barker, is the current co-president.^[23]
• Emma Goldman (1869–1940): Lithuanian-born radical, known for her writings and speeches defending anarchist communism, feminism, and atheism.^[24]
• Gora (1902–1975): Indian atheist leader, co-founder with his wife of the Atheist Centre in Andhra Pradesh.^[25]
• Saraswathi Gora (1912–2006): Indian social activist, wife of Gora and leader of the Atheist Centre for many years, campaigning against untouchability and the caste system.^[26]
• John William Gott (1866–1922): English trouser salesman and leader of the Freethought Socialist League, the last person in Britain to be sent to prison for blasphemy.^[27]
• E. Haldeman-Julius (1889–1951): American social reformer and publisher, most noted as the editor of Appeal to Reason newspaper.^[28]
• Erkki Hartikainen (1942–): is a Finnish atheist activist. He is the chairman of the Atheist Association of Finland (Suomen Ateistiyhdistys) and former chairman of the Union of Freethinkers of Finland (Vapaa-ajattelijoiden liitto), the biggest atheistic association in Finland.^[29]
• Austin Holyoake (1826–1874): English freethought printer and publisher, vice-president and first treasurer of the National Secular Society.^[30]
• George Holyoake (1817–1906): English secularist. Holyoake was the last person in England to be imprisoned (in 1842) for being an atheist.^[31] He coined the term "secularism" in 1846.^[32]
• Ellen Johnson: President of American Atheists, 1995-2008.^[33]
• Edwin Kagin (1940–): lawyer, activist, founder of the Camp Quest secular summer camp, and American Atheists' Kentucky State Director.^[34]
• Norma Kitson (1933–2002): South African anti-apartheid activist.^[35]
• Dave Kong (19??–): Director of the California chapter of the American Atheists.^[36]
• Peter Kropotkin (1842–1921): Russian anarchist communist activist and geographer, best known for his book, Mutual Aid: A Factor of Evolution, which refutes social Darwinism.^[37]
• Paul Kurtz (1925–): Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at the State University of New York at Buffalo, best known for his prominent role in the United States humanist and skeptical communities.^[38]
• Joseph Lewis (1889–1968): American freethinker and atheist, president of Freethinkers of America 1920–1968.^[39]
• Emma Martin (c.1811–1851): English socialist and freethinker.^[40]
• Hemant Mehta (c.1983–): Author of I Sold My Soul on eBay, chair of the Secular Student Alliance and author of the blog FriendlyAtheist.com.^[41][42]
• Taslima Nasrin (1962–): Bangladeshi physician, writer, feminist human rights activist and secular humanist.^[43]
• Michael Newdow (1953–): American physician and attorney, who sued a school district on the grounds that its requirement that children recite the U.S. Pledge of Allegiance, containing the words "under God", breached the separation-of-church-and-state provision in the establishment clause of the United States Constitution.^[44]
• Madalyn Murray O'Hair (1919–1995): founder of American Atheists, campaigner for the separation of church and state; filed the lawsuit that led the US Supreme Court to ban teacher-led prayer and Bible reading in public schools.^[45]
• Keith Porteous Wood (19??–): Executive Director, formerly General Secretary, of the National Secular Society in the United Kingdom.^[46]
• James Randi, (1928–): magician, debunker, and founder of the James Randi Educational Foundation.^[47]
• A. Philip Randolph, (1889–1979): African-American civil rights leader.^[48]
• Ron Reagan (1958–): American magazine journalist, board member of the politically activistic Creative Coalition, son of former U. S. President Ronald Reagan.^[49]
• J. M. Robertson (1856–1933): Scottish journalist, advocate of rationalism and secularism, social reformer and Liberal Member of Parliament.^[50]
• Terry Sanderson (1946–): British secularist and gay rights activist, author and journalist, President of the National Secular Society since 2006.^[51]
• Margaret Sanger (1879–1966): American birth-control activist, founder of the American Birth Control League, a forerunner to Planned Parenthood. The masthead motto of her newsletter, The Woman Rebel, read: "No Gods, No Masters".^[52]
• Vinayak Damodar Savarkar (1883–1966): Indian revolutionary freedom fighter, and Hindu nationalist leader.^[53]
• Robert I. Sherman: atheist advocate and member of Illinois Green Party.^[54]
• Bhagat Singh (1907–1931): Indian revolutionary freedom fighter.^[55]
• Charles Lee Smith (1887–1964): an atheist activist in the United States and an editor of the Truth Seeker until his death. He also founded the American Association for the Advancement of Atheism. Smith was arrested twice in 1928 for selling atheist literature and for blasphemy. Since he refused to swear an oath to God on the Bible, he was not allowed to testify in his own defense.^[56]
• Barbara Smoker (1923–): British humanist activist and freethought advocate. Wrote the book Freethoughts: Atheism, Secularism, Humanism – Selected Egotistically from The Freethinker.^[57]
• Charles Southwell (1814–1860): English freethinker and journalist.^[58]
• Marie Souvestre (1830–1905): French headmistress, a feminist educator who sought to develop independent minds in young women.^[59]
• David Suzuki (1936–): Canadian university professor, science broadcaster, and environmental activist.^[60]
• Polly Toynbee (1946–): columnist for The Guardian.^[61]

Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1200x1600, 225 KB) Op deze afbeelding staat een (voormalig) lid van de van VVD afgebeeld. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1200x1600, 225 KB) Op deze afbeelding staat een (voormalig) lid van de van VVD afgebeeld. ... Ayaan Hirsi Ali, MA ( ; Somali: ; born Ayaan Hirsi Magan 13 November 1969[2] in Mogadishu, Somalia) is a Dutch feminist and political writer, daughter of the Somali scholar, politician, and revolutionary opposition leader Hirsi Magan Isse. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 236 × 318 pixelsFull resolution (236 × 318 pixel, file size: 11 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg)George Jacob Holyoake in later life. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 236 × 318 pixelsFull resolution (236 × 318 pixel, file size: 11 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg)George Jacob Holyoake in later life. ... George Jacob Holyoake (April 13, 1817 - January 22, 1906), English secularist and co-operator, was born in Birmingham, England. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 605 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1614 × 1600 pixel, file size: 611 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 605 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1614 × 1600 pixel, file size: 611 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Prince Peter (Pyotr) Alexeyevich Kropotkin (Russian: ) (December 9, 1842–February 8, 1921) was one of Russias foremost anarchists and one of the first advocates of anarchist communism: the model of society he advocated for most of his life was that of a communalist society free from central government. ... Download high resolution version (1071x1359, 162 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Download high resolution version (1071x1359, 162 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Margaret Higgins Sanger (September 14, 1879 – September 6, 1966) was an American birth control activist, an advocate of negative eugenics, and the founder of the American Birth Control League (which eventually became Planned Parenthood). ... Pietro Acciarito (1871 - 1943) was an Italian anarchist. ... Anarchist redirects here. ... Umberto I, King of Italy or Humbert I of Italy (Umberto Ranieri Carlo Emanuele Giovanni Maria Ferdinando Eugenio di Savoy), (14 March 1844 – 29 July 1900) was the King of Italy from 9 January 1878 until his death. ... Zackie Achmat (born Abdurazzack Achmat in 1962) is a South African activist of Malay Muslim descent, most widely known as founder and chairman of Treatment Action Campaign. ... The Treatment Action Campaign is a South African grassroots pressure group which was founded by Zackie Achmat, an HIV-positive activist who refused anti-retroviral treatment (ARVs) until they were universally available. ... Clark Davis Adams (July 23, 1969 – May 21, 2007) was a prominent American freethought leader and activist. ... Ayaan Hirsi Ali, MA ( ; Somali: ; born Ayaan Hirsi Magan 13 November 1969[2] in Mogadishu, Somalia) is a Dutch feminist and political writer, daughter of the Somali scholar, politician, and revolutionary opposition leader Hirsi Magan Isse. ... The Dutch (Ethnonym: Nederlanders meaning Lowlanders) are the dominant ethnic group[1] of the Netherlands[2]. They are usually seen as a Germanic people. ... Feminism is a social theory and political movement primarily informed and motivated by the experience of women. ... Murlidhar Devidas Amte (born December 24, 1914), or Baba Amte, as he is fondly known, was born in Wardha in a family of jagirdars. ... Natalie Angier is a science writer for the New York Times. ... The New York Times is a daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed internationally. ... The Pulitzer Prize is an American award regarded as the highest national honor in print journalism, literary achievements, and musical composition. ... Dan Barker (born June 25, 1949) is a prominent American atheist activist who served as a Christian preacher and musician for 17 years, but left Christianity in 1984. ... Peter Leslie Brearey (23 December 1939 - 7 May 1998) was a British secularist, socialist and journalist. ... Yaron Brook is the current president and executive director of the Ayn Rand Institute (since 2000). ... Richard Carrier Richard Carrier M.A., M.Phil. ... For other uses of The Freethinker, see The Freethinker (disambiguation). ... The National Secular Society is an organisation of the United Kingdom which promotes secularism. ... Atheist Alliance International (AAI) is an alliance of 58 atheist organisations around the world, 48 of which are located in the United States. ... Joseph Edamaruku on the cover page of his popular book Kristhuvum Krishnanum Jeevichirunnilla Joseph Edamaruku (popularly identified by his surname Edamaruku) is a well known journalist and a militant rationalist from Kerala. ... Sanal Edamaruku is the founder-president of Rationalist International and the president of the Indian Rational Association[1]. He is the editor of the internet publication of Rationalist International. ... INDIAN RATIONALIST ASSOCIATION The Indian Rationalist Association (IRA)with head quarters in New Delhi and several branches and thousands of members all over the country is one of the largest and most vibrant freethought organizations in the world. ... Reginald Vaughn Finley, Sr. ... David D. Friedman (b. ... Annie Laurie Gaylor is co-founder of the Freedom From Religion Foundation and, with her husband Dan Barker, is the current co-president. ... The Freedom From Religion Foundation is an American Freethought organization based in Madison, Wisconsin. ... Emma Goldman, circa 1910 Emma Goldman (June 27, 1869 – May 14, 1940) was an anarchist known for her political activism, writing, and speeches. ... Libertarian Communism redirects here. ... Feminists redirects here. ... Atheist redirects here. ... Goparaju Ramachandra Rao (aka Gora) (November 15, 1902-1975) was an Indian atheist leader. ... Atheist Centre is an institution founded by Goparaju Ramachandra Rao (aka Gora)(1902-1975) and Saraswathi Gora (1912) to initiate social change in rural Andhra Pradesh based on the ideology of Gandhism and Atheism. ... Andhra redirects here. ... Saraswathi Gora (1912-2006) was an atheist-social worker from Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh, India. ... Social activists are people who act as the conscience and voice of many individuals within a society. ... Atheist Centre is an institution founded by Goparaju Ramachandra Rao (aka Gora)(1902-1975) and Saraswathi Gora (1912) to initiate social change in rural Andhra Pradesh based on the ideology of Gandhism and Atheism. ... In South Asias caste system, an untouchable, dalit, or achuta is a person outside of the four castes, and considered below them. ... Caste systems are traditional, hereditary systems of social classification, that evolved due to the enormous diversity in India (where all three primary races met, not by forced slavery but by immigration). ... John William Gott was the last person in Britain to be sent to prison for blasphemy. ... E. Haldeman-Julius, né Emanuel Julius (1889 - 1951) was a socialist reformer and publisher, most noted for publishing the Little Blue Books. ... The Appeal to Reason was a left-wing alternative newspaper that endorsed the Socialist Party of America. ... Erkki Hartikainen (b. ... George Jacob Holyoake (April 13, 1817 - January 22, 1906), English secularist and co-operator, was born in Birmingham, England. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... This article is about secularism. ... Ellen Johnson is the current president of American Atheists. ... The American Atheists logo, based on the atomic model. ... Edwin Frederick Kagin, J.D., (born November 26, 1940) is an attorney at law in Union, Kentucky, and the founder of Camp Quest, the first secular summer camp in the United States for the children of freethinkers. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... This article concerns secularity, that is, being secular, in various senses. ... Summer camp is a supervised program for children and/or teenagers conducted (usually) during the summer months in some countries. ... Dave Kong speaking at a rally. ... Prince Peter (Pyotr) Alexeyevich Kropotkin (Russian: ) (December 9, 1842–February 8, 1921) was one of Russias foremost anarchists and one of the first advocates of anarchist communism: the model of society he advocated for most of his life was that of a communalist society free from central government. ... Social Darwinism is the idea that Charles Darwins theory can be extended and applied to the social realm, i. ... Dr. Paul Kurtz Paul Kurtz (born December 21, 1925 in Newark, New Jersey) is Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at the University at Buffalo (SUNY), but is best known for his prominent role in the United States skeptical community. ... Joseph Lewis (11 June 1889 - 1962) was an American freethinker, and atheist who was born in Montgomery, Alabama. ... Hemant Mehta is a prominent atheist who promotes a conciliatory attitude between theists and atheists. ... I Sold My Soul on eBay is the account of what atheist Hemant Mehta encountered on his visits to a variety of Christian churches. ... The Secular Student Aliance logo Founded in May of 2000, The Secular Student Alliance (SSA) is the only independent, democratically structured organization in the U.S. that serves the needs of secular high school and college students. ... Taslima Nasrin Taslima Nasrin (Bengali: ), also spelled Taslima Nasreen and popularly refrerred to as Taslima, her first name rather than Nasreen (born 25 August 1962 in Mymensingh, Bangladesh) is a Bengali Bangladeshi author, feminist human rights activist and secular humanist exiled in Kolkata, India. ... Secular humanism is a humanist philosophy that upholds reason, ethics, and justice, and specifically rejects the supernatural and the spiritual as warrants of moral reflection and decision-making. ... The Rev. ... For other uses, see Doctor. ... For information on the type of fish called Lawyer, see the article on Burbot. ... School districts are a form of special-purpose district in the United States (amongst some other places) which serves to operate the local public primary and secondary schools. ... The Pledge of Allegiance is a promise or oath of allegiance to the United States and the its national flag. ... Constantines Conversion, depicting the conversion of Emperor Constantine the Great to Christianity, by Peter Paul Rubens. ... The Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution states that: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion Together with the Free Exercise Clause, (or prohibiting the free exercise thereof), these two clauses make up what are commonly known as the religion clauses. ... Wikisource has original text related to this article: The United States Constitution The United States Constitution is the supreme law of the United States of America. ... Madalyn Murray OHair (April 13, 1919 – September 29, 1995) was an American atheist and activist. ... The American Atheists logo, based on the atomic model. ... Constantines Conversion, depicting the conversion of Emperor Constantine the Great to Christianity, by Peter Paul Rubens. ... The National Secular Society is an organisation of the United Kingdom which promotes secularism. ... James Randi (born August 7, 1928), stage name The Amazing Randi, is a stage magician and scientific skeptic best known as a challenger of paranormal claims and pseudoscience. ... Asa Philip Randolph (April 15, 1889 – May 16, 1979) was a prominent twentieth century African-American civil rights leader and founder of the first black labor union in the United States. ... An African American (also Afro-American, Black American, or simply black) is a member of an ethnic group in the United States whose ancestors, usually in predominant part, were indigenous to Africa. ... The civil rights movement in the United States has been a long, primarily nonviolent struggle to bring full civil rights and equality under the law to all citizens of United States. ... Ron Reagan in 2007 Ronald Prescott Reagan (born May 20, 1958, Los Angeles, California, USA), usually known as Ron Reagan, is the son of the late former President of the United States Ronald Reagan and his wife Nancy. ... The Creative Coalition is a nonprofit, (501(c)(3)) nonpartisan, politically-active group formed of members of the American film entertainment industry. ... Reagan redirects here. ... For other uses, see Rationalism (disambiguation). ... This article is about secularism. ... This article is about the historic Liberal Party. ... A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters to a parliament. ... Terry Sanderson is the head coach and general manager of the Toronto Rock of the National Lacrosse League. ... Margaret Higgins Sanger (September 14, 1879 – September 6, 1966) was an American birth control activist, an advocate of negative eugenics, and the founder of the American Birth Control League (which eventually became Planned Parenthood). ... For other uses, see Birth control (disambiguation). ... The American Birth Control League was founded by Margaret Sanger in 1921 at the First American Birth Control Conference in New York City. ... This article is about Planned Parenthood Federation of America. ... Vinayak Damodar Savarkar Vināyak Dāmodar Sāvarkar (Marathi: विनायक दामोदर सावरकर) (May 28, 1883 – February 26, 1966) was an Indian politician and activist, who is credited with developing the Hindu nationalist political ideology Hindutva. ... Bhagat Singh (Punjabi: ਭਗਤ ਸਿੰਘ بھگت سنگھ, IPA: ) (September 27, 1907[1] –March 23, 1931) was an Indian freedom fighter, considered to be one of the most influential revolutionaries of the Indian independence movement. ... Barbara Smoker Barbara Smoker (born 1923) is a British humanist activist and freethought advocate. ... For other uses of The Freethinker, see The Freethinker (disambiguation). ... Marie Souvestre (1830-1905) was a feminist educator who sought to develop independent minds in young women. ... David Takayoshi Suzuki, CC, OBC, Ph. ... Polly Toynbee (born Mary Louisa Toynbee on December 27, 1946) is a journalist and writer in the United Kingdom, and has been a columnist for The Guardian newspaper since 1998. ... For other uses, see Guardian. ...

Authors

Asimov

Clarke

Hemingway

Hitchens

McCabe

Miller

Pratchett

Pullman

Rushdie

Saramago

• David Aaronovitch (1954–): British journalist, author and broadcaster. Aaronovitch calls himself "Godless" and an atheist, but says that he has "no desire to proselytise for atheism".^[62][63]
• Douglas Adams (1952–2001): British radio and television writer, author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.^[64]
• Tariq Ali (1943–): British-Pakistani historian, novelist, filmmaker, political campaigner and commentator.^[65]
• Jorge Amado (1912–2001): Brazilian author.^[66]
• Eric Ambler OBE (1909–1998): influential English writer of spy novels who introduced a new realism to the genre.^[67]
• Isaac Asimov (1920–1992): Russian-born American author of science fiction and popular science books.^[68]
• Diana Athill (1917–1992): British literary editor, novelist and memoirist who worked with some of the most important writers of the 20th century.^[69]
• Iain Banks (1954–): Scottish author, writing mainstream fiction as Iain Banks and science fiction as Iain M. Banks.^[70]
• Pierre Berton CC, O.Ont (1920–2004): Noted Canadian author of non-fiction, especially Canadiana and Canadian history, and was a well-known television personality and journalist.^[71]
• Wilfrid Scawen Blunt (1840–1922): English poet, writer and diplomat.^[72]
• William Boyd CBE (1952–): Scottish novelist and screenwriter.^[73]
• Aldo Braibanti (1922–): Italian writer and dramatist, famous for having been sentenced to nine years' imprisonment for 'plagiarism'.^[74]
• Marshall Brain (1961–): Author of WhyWontGodHealAmputees.com and GodIsImaginary.com and HowStuffWorks founder.
• Howard Brenton (1942–): English playwright, who gained notoriety for his 1980 play The Romans in Britain.^[75]
• Brigid Brophy, Lady Levey (1929–1995): English novelist, essayist, critic, biographer, and dramatist.^[76]
• Alan Brownjohn (1931–1995): English poet and novelist.^[77]
• Jason Burke (1970–1995): British journalist, chief foreign correspondent of The Observer.^[78]
• Lawrence Bush (19??–): Author of several books of Jewish fiction and non-fiction, including Waiting for God: The Spiritual Explorations of a Reluctant Atheist.^[79]
• Mary Butts (1890–1937): English modernist writer.^[80]
• João Cabral de Melo Neto, (1920–1999): Brazilian poet, considered one of the greatest Brazilian poets of all time.^[81]
• Angela Carter (1940–1992): English novelist and journalist, known for her feminist, magical realism and science fiction works.^[82]
• Luigi Cascioli (19??–): Italian author, who trained to become a Roman Catholic priest, but he left to become a pronounced atheist, arguing that Jesus never existed.^[83]
• Sir Arthur C. Clarke (1917–2008): British scientist and science-fiction author.^[84]
• Edward Clodd (1840–1930): English banker, writer and anthropologist, an early populariser of evolution, keen folklorist and chairman of the Rationalist Press Association.^[85]
• Claud Cockburn (1904–1981): Renowned radical British writer and journalist, controversial for his communist sympathies.^[86]
• Jonathan Coe (1961–): British novelist and satirical writer.^[87]
• G. D. H. Cole (1889–1959): English political theorist, economist, writer and historian.^[88]
• Ivy Compton-Burnett DBE (1884–1969): English novelist.^[89]
• Edmund Cooper (1926–1982): English poet and prolific writer of speculative fiction and other genres, published under his own name and several pen names.^[90]
• William Cooper (1910–2002): English novelist.^[91]
• Jim Crace (1946–): English writer, winner of numerous awards.^[92]
• Theodore Dalrymple (1949–): pen name of British writer and retired physician Anthony Daniels.^[93]
• Rhys Davies (1901–1978): Welsh novelist and short story writer.^[94]
• Isaac Deutscher (1907–1967): British journalist, historian and biographer.^[95]
• John Diamond (journalist) (1953–2001): British broadcaster and journalist, noted for his column chronicling his fight with cancer.^[96]
• Ruth Dudley Edwards (19??–): Irish historian, crime novelist, journalist and broadcaster.^[97]
• Carol Ann Duffy (1955–): Award-winning British poet, playwright and freelance writer.^[98]
• Turan Dursun (1934–1990): Islamic scholar, imam and mufti, and latterly, an outspoken atheist.^[99]
• Greg Egan (1961–): Australian computer programmer and science fiction author.^[100][101]
• Barbara Ehrenreich (1941–): American feminist, socialist and political activist. She is a widely read columnist and essayist, and the author of nearly 20 books.^[102]
• George Eliot (1819–1890): Mary Ann Evans, the famous novelist, was also a humanist and propounded her views on theism in an essay called Evangelical Teaching'.^[103].
• Harlan Ellison (1934–): American science fiction author and screenwriter.^[104]
• Gavin Ewart (1916–1995): British poet.^[105]
• Oriana Fallaci (1929–2006): Italian journalist, author, and political interviewer.^[106]
• Vardis Fisher (1895–1968): American writer, scholar. Author of atheistic Testament of Man series.^[107]
• Robert Fisk (1946–): Multi-award-winning British journalist, Middle East correspondent for The Independent, "probably the most famous foreign correspondent in Britain" according to the New York Times.^[108]
• Tom Flynn (19??–): American author and Senior Editor of Free Inquiry magazine.^[109]
• Ken Follett (1949ndash;): British author of thrillers and historical novels.^[110]
• Paul Foot (1937;2004): British investigative journalist, political campaigner, author, and long-time member of the Socialist Workers Party.^[111]
• E. M. Forster OM (1879–1970): English novelist, short story writer, and essayist, best known for his ironic and well-plotted novels examining class difference and hypocrisy in early 20th century British society.^[112]
• John Fowles (1926–2005): English novelist and essayist, noted especially for The French Lieutenant's Woman and The Magus (novel).^[113]
• Frederick James Furnivall (1825–1910): English philologist, one of the co-creators of the Oxford English Dictionary.^[114]
• Alex Garland (1970–): British novelist and screenwriter, author of The Beach and the screenplays for 28 Days Later and Sunshine.^[115]
• Constance Garnett (1861–1946): English translator, whose translations of nineteenth-century Russian classics which first introduced them widely to the English and American public.^[116]
• Nadine Gordimer (1923–): South African writer and political activist. Her writing has long dealt with moral and racial issues, particularly apartheid in South Africa. She won the Nobel Prize in literature in 1991.^[117][118]
• Linda Grant (journalist) (1951–): British journalist and novelist.^[119]
• Robert Graves (1895–1985): English poet, scholar, translator and novelist, producing more than 140 works including his famous annotations of Greek myths and I, Claudius.^[120]
• Graham GreeneOM, CH (1904–1991): English]] novelist, short story writer, playwright, screenwriter, travel writer and critic.^[121][122]
• Germaine Greer (1939–): Australian feminist writer. Greer describes herself as a "Catholic atheist".^[123]
• Jan Guillou (1944–): Swedish author and Journalist.^[124]
• Daniel Handler (1970–): American author better known under the pen name of Lemony Snicket. Handler has admitted to being both an atheist^[125] and a secular humanist.^[126] Handler has hinted that the Baudelaires in his children's book series A Series of Unfortunate Events might be atheists.^[127]
• Sam Harris (1967–): American author, researcher in neuroscience, author of The End of Faith and Letter to a Christian Nation.^[128]
• Harry Harrison (1925–): American science fiction author, anthologist and artist whose short story The Streets of Ashkelon took as its hero an atheist who tries to prevent a Christian missionary from indoctrinating a tribe of irreligious but ingenuous alien beings.^[129]
• Tony Harrison (1937–): English poet, winner of a number of literary prizes.^[130]
• Simon Heffer (1960–): British journalist and writer.^[131]
• Zoë Heller (1965–): British journalist and novelist.^[132]
• Ernest Hemingway (1899–1961): American novelist, short story writer and journalist.^[133]
• Dorothy Hewett (1923–2002): Australian feminist poet, novelist, librettist, and playwright.^[134]
• Archie Hind (1928–2008): Scottish writer, author of The Dear Green Place, regarded as one of the greatest Scottish novels of all time.^[135]
• Christopher Hitchens (1949–): Author of God Is Not Great, journalist and essayist.^[136]
• Thomas Jefferson Hogg (1792–1862): British biographer, and co-author with Percy Bysshe Shelley of The Necessity of Atheism.^[137]
• R. J. Hollingdale (1930–2001): English biographer and translator of German philosophy and literature, President of The Friedrich Nietzsche Society, and responsible for rehabilitating Nietzsche's reputation in the English-speaking world.^[138]
• Michel Houellebecq (1958–): French novelist.^[139]
• Mick Hume (1959–): British journalist – columnist for The (London) Times and editor of Spiked. Described himself as "a longstanding atheist", but criticised the 'New Atheism' of Richard Dawkins and co.^[140]
• A. E. Housman (1859–1936): English poet and classical scholar, best known for his cycle of poems A Shropshire Lad.^[141]
• Stanley Edgar Hyman (1919–1970): American literary critic who wrote primarily about critical methods.^[142]
• Susan Jacoby (1945–): an American atheist, secularist, and author, most recently of the New York Times best seller, The Age of American Unreason, which is about anti-intellectualism.^[143]
• Robin Jenkins (1912–2005): Scottish writer of about thirty novels, though mainly known for The Cone Gatherers.^[144]
• Simon Jenkins (1943–): British journalist, newspaper editor, and author. A former editor of The Times newspaper, he received a knighthood for services to journalism in the 2004 New Year honours.^[145]
• S. T. Joshi (1958–): American editor and literary critic.^[146]
• Ludovic Kennedy (1919–): British journalist, author, and campaigner for voluntary euthanasia.^[147]
• Paul Krassner (1932–): American founder and editor of the freethought magazine The Realist, and a key figure in the 1960s counterculture.^[148]
• Pär Lagerkvist (1891–1974): Swedish author who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1951. He used religious motifs and figures from the Christian tradition without following the doctrines of the church.^[149]
• Philip Larkin