The databases below are great starting points for biographical research. However, there are also many other available reference sources that focus on writers from specific countries or time periods or who belong to certain ethnic groups or genders. If you have trouble finding biographical information about an author, try using their culture, home country, or something about their identity that is relevant to their writing.
- Bloom's LiteratureBloom’s Literature Online contains a wide range of reference essays and scholarly criticism examining great authors – from William Shakespeare to J.K. Rowling – and their works.
- Dictionary of Literary Biography SeriesProvides detailed biographical and critical essays on authors from various time periods and literary traditions. Volumes in the series focus on a specific genre, era, or national literature, offering in-depth profiles of writers along with analyses of their major works and contributions to literature. The essays, authored by literary scholars, typically include comprehensive bibliographies, author portraits, and additional contextual materials.
- Salem Press eBooksSalem Online is the digital platform offered by Salem Press, a publisher known for its high-quality academic and reference materials. It provides online access to Salem's extensive collection of reference works, encyclopedias, and primary source documents. This platform is designed to support students, researchers, and educators by offering reliable, peer-reviewed content across a wide range of subjects, including literature, history, science, health, and social issues.
When researching the historical, cultural, social, and/or political contexts of a literary work, it can be helpful to look up large historical or cultural events that may have influenced an author, the decade or historical period in which an author was writing, or the time period from which the text takes place.
Countries, Peoples & Cultures by Call Number: REFERENCE F1436 .C68, vols. 1-9ISBN: 9781619258006Publication Date: 2015-12-30Nine volume set
- Credo ReferenceAn online research platform providing access to hundreds of high-quality reference works from reputable publishers. It offers a wide range of content including encyclopedias, dictionaries, thesauri, and subject-specific titles across various disciplines. The database features a user-friendly interface with tools for cross-referencing, visual concept mapping, and seamless integration with other library resources.
- Gale Contextual Encyclopedia of World LiteratureCovers world authors from many periods and genres, building a broad understanding of the various contexts - from the biographical to the literary to the historical - in which literature can be viewed.
- World Geography and Culture OnlineEvery country of the world is profiled in depth, with more than 40 entries and more than 100 statistical indicators covering all aspects of its geography, history, society, and culture. At-a-glance information, maps and flags, videos, images, gazetteer entries, biographies of famous people, a timeline, and current news supplement each country profile.
