"Atheist Life Vs. Religious Life" [video]

Clark Adams (1969–2007): Prominent American freethought leader and activist.[1]
Ayaan Hirsi Ali (1969–): Dutch feminist and politician.[2][3]
Natalie Angier (1958–): Nonfiction writer and science journalist for The New York Times; 1991 winner of Pulitzer Prize for Beat Reporting.[4]
Dan Barker (1949–): American atheist activist, current co-president of the Freedom From Religion Foundation, alongside his wife, Annie Laurie Gaylor.[5]
Walter Block (1941–): Austrian School economist and anarcho-capitalist[6]
Peter Brearey (1939–1998): British secularist, socialist and journalist, Editor of The Freethinker from 1993 until his death.[7]
William Montgomery Brown (1855–1937): Episcopal bishop and Communist author.[8]
Richard Carrier (1969–): historian, philosopher, and atheist activist.[9]
Chapman Cohen (1868–1954): English freethought writer and lecturer, and an editor of The Freethinker and president of the National Secular Society.[10]
Richard Dawkins (1941–): British biologist, author of The God Delusion, The Greatest Show on Earth, Climbing Mount Improbable, Unweaving the Rainbow, A Devil's Chaplain, The Ancestor's Tale, The Blind Watchmaker, The Extended Phenotype, River Out of Eden, and The Selfish Gene. Founder of the Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science, a non–profit charitable organization that promotes critical thinking, science-based education, and evidence–based understanding of the world[11]. Richard Dawkins has produced several documentaries, including Root of all Evil? and Enemies of Reason.
Margaret Downey (1950–): an atheist activist who is the current President of Atheist Alliance International.[12]
Joseph Edamaruku (1934–2006): Indian journalist, author, leader in the rationalist movement, and winner of the International Atheist Award in 1979.[13][14]
Sanal Edamaruku (1955–): Indian rationalist, president of the Indian Rationalist Association.[15]
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.[16]
David D. Friedman (1945–): Anarcho-capitalist writer.[17]
Annie Laurie Gaylor (1955–): co-founder of the Freedom From Religion Foundation and, with her husband Dan Barker, is the current co-president.[18]
Emma Goldman (1869–1940): Lithuanian-born radical, known for her writings and speeches defending anarchist communism, feminism, and atheism.[19]
Gora (1902–1975): Indian atheist leader, co-founder with his wife of the Atheist Centre in Andhra Pradesh.[20]
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.[20]
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.[21]
Che Guevara (1928–1967): Argentine Marxist revolutionary, politician and author.[22]
E. Haldeman-Julius (1889–1951): American author, editor and publisher of the Little Blue Books series[23]
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.[24]
George Holyoake (1817–1906): English secularist.[25] Holyoake was the last person in England to be imprisoned (in 1842) for being an atheist.[26] He coined the term "secularism" in 1846.[27]
Ellen Johnson: President of American Atheists, 1995-2008.[28]
Edwin Kagin (1940–): lawyer, activist, founder of the Camp Quest secular summer camp, and American Atheists' Kentucky State Director.[29]
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.[30]
Viktor Emanuel Lennstrand (1861–1895): leader of the Swedish Freethought movement in the 1880s and early 1890s.[31]
Joseph Lewis (1889–1968): American freethinker and atheist, president of Freethinkers of America 1920–1968.[32]
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.[33][34]
William L. Moore (1927–1963): Postal worker and Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) member who staged lone protests against racial segregation. He was murdered on his final protest.[35]
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.[36]
Michael Nugent (1961-): Irish writer and activist, chairperson of Atheist Ireland.[37]
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.[38]
Robert L. Park (born 1931): scientist, University of Maryland professor of physics, and author of Voodoo Science and Superstition.[39]
Keith Porteous Wood (1948–): Executive Director, formerly General Secretary, of the National Secular Society in the United Kingdom.[40]
Philip K. Paulson (1947–2006): American plaintiff in a series of law suits to remove a Christian cross from a prominent summit in the city of San Diego.[41]
James Randi, (1928–): magician, paranormal investigator, and founder of the James Randi Educational Foundation.[42]
A. Philip Randolph, (1889–1979): African-American civil rights leader.[43]
J. M. Robertson (1856–1933): Scottish journalist, advocate of rationalism and secularism, social reformer and Liberal Member of Parliament.[44]
Terry Sanderson (1946–): British secularist and gay rights activist, author and journalist, President of the National Secular Society since 2006.[45]
Vinayak Damodar Savarkar (1883–1966): Indian revolutionary freedom fighter, and Hindu nationalist leader.[46]
Ellery Schempp (1940–): American physicist and church-state separation activist.[47]
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.[48]
Barbara Smoker (1923–): British humanist activist and freethought advocate. Wrote the book Freethoughts: Atheism, Secularism, Humanism – Selected Egotistically from The Freethinker.[49]
Al Stefanelli (1963–): American atheist activist, author, writer, journalist and civil rights advocate. He is the President and Founder of the atheist civil rights organization United Atheist Front. Wrote the book A Voice Of Reason In An Unreasonable World.[50]
Polly Toynbee (1946–): British journalist, columnist for The Guardian.[51]
Nicolas Walter (1934–2000): British anarchist and atheist writer, speaker and activist."Mr Walter is a third-generation atheist, very proud that his grandparents, on both sides, shrugged off various forms of Protestantism. His father was W Grey Walter, the eminent neurologist, who often appeared on The Brains Trust. "He was a left-wing humanist and believed that science could solve everything." " Hunter Davies interviewing Walter, 'O come all ye faithless: Nicolas Walter, a militant atheist, sees no reason to celebrate Christmas. But he'll still be singing a carol or two', The Independent [52]
Pietro Acciarito (1871–1943): Italian anarchist activist who attempted to assassinate King Umberto I.[53]
Zackie Achmat (1962–): South African anti-HIV/AIDS activist; founder of the Treatment Action Campaign.[54]
Baba Amte (1914–2008): Respected Indian social activist, known for his work with lepers.[55]
Deng Pufang (1944–): Chinese handicap people's rights activist, first son of China's former Paramount leader Deng Xiaoping.[56]
David D. Friedman (1945–): Economist, law professor, novelist, and libertarian activist.[57]
E. Haldeman-Julius (1889–1951): American social reformer and publisher, most noted as the editor of Appeal to Reason newspaper.[58]
Franklin E. Kameny (1925–): American gay rights activist and former astronomer.[59]
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.[60]
Taslima Nasrin (1962–): Bangladeshi physician, writer, feminist human rights activist and secular humanist.[61]
Ingrid Newkirk (1949–): British-born animal rights activist, author, and president and co-founder of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, the world's largest animal rights organization.[62][63]
Ron Reagan (1958–): American magazine journalist, board member of the politically activistic Creative Coalition, son of former U. S. President Ronald Reagan.[64]
Henry Stephens Salt (1851–1939): English writer and campaigner for social reform in the fields of prisons, schools, economic institutions and the treatment of animals, a noted anti-vivisectionist and pacifist, and a literary critic, biographer, classical scholar and naturalist, and the man who introduced Mahatma Gandhi to the influential works of Henry David Thoreau.[65]
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".[66]
Rosika Schwimmer (1877–1948): Hungarian-born pacifist, feminist and female suffragist.[67]
Bhagat Singh (1907–1931): Indian revolutionary freedom fighter.[68]
Marie Souvestre (1830–1905): French headmistress, a feminist educator who sought to develop independent minds in young women.[69]

Douglas Adams (1952–2001): British radio and television writer and novelist, author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.[1]
Tariq Ali (1943–): British-Pakistani historian, novelist, filmmaker, political campaigner and commentator.[2]
Jorge Amado (1912–2001): Brazilian author.[3]
Sir Kingsley Amis (1922–1995): English novelist, poet, critic and teacher, most famous for his novels Lucky Jim and the Booker Prize-winning The Old Devils.[4]
Eric Ambler OBE (1909–1998): influential English writer of spy novels who introduced a new realism to the genre.[5]
Isaac Asimov (1920–1992): Russian-born American author of science fiction and popular science books.[6]
Diana Athill (1917–): British literary editor, novelist and memoirist who worked with some of the most important writers of the 20th century.[7]
Iain Banks (1954–): Scottish author, writing mainstream fiction as Iain Banks and science fiction as Iain M. Banks.[8]
Dave Barry (1954–): American author and columnist, who wrote a nationally syndicated humor column for The Miami Herald from 1983 to 2005. Barry is the son of a Presbyterian minister, and decided "early on" that he was an atheist.[9]
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.[10]
Wilfrid Scawen Blunt (1840–1922): English poet, writer and diplomat.[11]
William Boyd CBE (1952–): Scottish novelist and screenwriter.[12]
Lily Braun (1865–1916): German feminist writer.[13]
Howard Brenton (1942–): English playwright, who gained notoriety for his 1980 play The Romans in Britain.[14]
André Breton - (1896–1966): French writer, poet, artist, and surrealist theorist, best known as the main founder of surrealism.[15]
Brigid Brophy, Lady Levey (1929–1995): English novelist, essayist, critic, biographer, and dramatist.[16]
Alan Brownjohn (1931–1995): English poet and novelist.[17]
Charles Bukowski (1920–1994): American author. "For those who believe in God, most of the big questions are answered. But for those of us who can't readily accept the God formula, the big answers don't remain stone-written. We adjust to new conditions and discoveries. We are pliable. Love need not be a command or faith a dictum. I am my own God. We are here to unlearn the teachings of the church, state and our education system. We are here to drink beer. We are here to kill war. We are here to laugh at the odds and live our lives so well that Death will tremble to take us."--Charles Bukowski, Life (magazine), December 1988, quoted from James A. Haught, ed, 2000 Years of Disbelief.
Lawrence Bush (19??–): Author of several books of Jewish fiction and non-fiction, including Waiting for God: The Spiritual Explorations of a Reluctant Atheist.[18]
Mary Butts (1890–1937): English modernist writer.[19]
João Cabral de Melo Neto, (1920–1999): Brazilian poet, considered one of the greatest Brazilian poets of all time.[20]
Angela Carter (1940–1992): English novelist and journalist, known for her feminist, magical realism and science fiction works.[21]
Sir Arthur C. Clarke (1917–2008): British scientist and science-fiction author.[22]
Edward Clodd (1840–1930): English banker, writer and anthropologist, an early populariser of evolution, keen folklorist and chairman of the Rationalist Press Association.[23]
Claud Cockburn (1904–1981): Renowned radical British writer and journalist, controversial for his communist sympathies.[24]
G. D. H. Cole (1889–1959): English political theorist, economist, writer and historian.[25]
Ivy Compton-Burnett DBE (1884–1969): English novelist.[26]
Cyril Connolly (1903–1974): English intellectual, literary critic and writer.[27]
Edmund Cooper (1926–1982): English poet and prolific writer of speculative fiction and other genres, published under his own name and several pen names.[28]
William Cooper (1910–2002): English novelist.[29]
Jim Crace (1946–): English writer, winner of numerous awards.[30]
Theodore Dalrymple (1949–): pen name of British writer and retired physician Anthony Daniels.[31]
Rhys Davies (1901–1978): Welsh novelist and short story writer.[32]
Frank Dalby Davison (1893–1970): Australian novelist and short story writer, best known for his animal stories and sensitive interpretations of Australian bush life.[33]
Richard Dawkins (1941–): British ethologist, evolutionary biologist and popular science author. He was formerly held the Simonyi Professorship for the Public Understanding of Science at Oxford and a fellow of New College, Oxford. Author of books such as The Selfish Gene (1976), The Blind Watchmaker (1986) and The God Delusion (2006).
Marquis de Sade (1740–1814): French aristocrat, revolutionary and writer of philosophy-laden and often violent pornography.[34]
Daniel Dennett (1942–): American author and philosopher.[35]
Isaac Deutscher (1907–1967): British journalist, historian and biographer.[36]
Thomas M. Disch (1940–2008): American science fiction author and poet, winner of several awards.[37]
Roddy Doyle (1958–): Irish novelist, dramatist and screenwriter, winner of the Booker Prize in 1993.[38]
Ruth Dudley Edwards (19??–): Irish historian, crime novelist, journalist and broadcaster.[39]
Carol Ann Duffy (1955–): Award-winning British poet, playwright and freelance writer.[40]
Turan Dursun (1934–1990): Islamic scholar, imam and mufti, and latterly, an outspoken atheist.[41]
Terry Eagleton (1943–): British literary critic, currently Professor of English Literature at the University of Manchester.[42]
Greg Egan (1961–): Australian computer programmer and science fiction author.[43][44]
Dave Eggers (1970–): American writer, editor, and publisher.[45]
Barbara Ehrenreich (1941–): American feminist, socialist and political activist. She is a widely read columnist and essayist, and the author of nearly 20 books.[46]
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'.[47]
Harlan Ellison (1934–): American science fiction author and screenwriter.[48]
F.M. Esfandiary/FM-2030 (1930–2000): Transhumanist writer and author of books such as Identity Card,The Beggar, UpWingers, and Are You a Transhuman. In several of his books, he encouraged readers to "outgrow" religion, and that "God was a crude concept-vengeful wrathful destructive."[49]
Gavin Ewart (1916–1995): British poet.[50]
Michel Faber (1960–): Dutch author who writes in English, most famous for the Victorian-set postmodernist novel The Crimson Petal and the White.[51]
Oriana Fallaci (1929–2006): Italian journalist, author, and political interviewer.[52]
Vardis Fisher (1895–1968): American writer and scholar, author of atheistic Testament of Man series.[53]
Tom Flynn (19??–): American author and Senior Editor of Free Inquiry magazine.[54]
Ken Follett (1949–): British author of thrillers and historical novels.[55]
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.[56]
John Fowles (1926–2005): English novelist and essayist, noted especially for The French Lieutenant's Woman and The Magus (novel).[57]
Maureen Freely (1952–): American journalist, novelist, translator and teacher.[58]
James Frey (1969–): American author, screenwriter and director.[59]
Stephen Fry (1957–): British author, actor and television personality
Frederick James Furnivall (1825–1910): English philologist, one of the co-creators of the Oxford English Dictionary.[60]
Alex Garland (1970–): British novelist and screenwriter, author of The Beach and the screenplays for 28 Days Later and Sunshine.[61]
Constance Garnett (1861–1946): English translator, whose translations of nineteenth-century Russian classics which first introduced them widely to the English and American public.[62]
Nicci Gerrard (1958–): British author and journalist, who with her husband Sean French writes psychological thrillers under the pen name of Nicci French.[63]
Rebecca Goldstein (1950–): American novelist and professor of philosophy.[64]
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.[65][66]
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.[67]
Graham Greene OM, CH (1904–1991): English novelist, short story writer, playwright, screenwriter, travel writer and critic.[68][69]
Germaine Greer (1939–): Australian feminist writer. Greer describes herself as a "Catholic atheist".[70]
David Grossman (1954–): Israeli author of fiction, nonfiction, and youth and children's literature.[71]
Jan Guillou (1944–): Swedish author and Journalist.[72]
Mark Haddon (1962–): British author of fiction, notably the book The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time (2003).[73][74]
Daniel Handler (1970–): American author better known under the pen name of Lemony Snicket. Declared himself to be 'pretty much an atheist'[75] and a secular humanist.[76] Handler has hinted that the Baudelaires in his children's book series A Series of Unfortunate Events might be atheists.[77]
Sam Harris (1967–): American author, researcher in neuroscience, author of The End of Faith and Letter to a Christian Nation.[78]
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.[79]
Tony Harrison (1937–): English poet, winner of a number of literary prizes.[80]
Seamus Heaney (1939–): Irish poet, writer and lecturer, winner of the 1995 Nobel Prize in Literature.[81]
Robert A. Heinlein (1907–1988): American science fiction writer.[82]
Zoë Heller (1965–): British journalist and novelist.[83]
Dorothy Hewett (1923–2002): Australian feminist poet, novelist, librettist, and playwright.[84]
Archie Hind (1928–2008): Scottish writer, author of The Dear Green Place, regarded as one of the greatest Scottish novels of all time.[85]
Christopher Hitchens (1949–): Author of God Is Not Great, journalist and essayist.[86]
Thomas Jefferson Hogg (1792–1862): British biographer, and co-author with Percy Bysshe Shelley of The Necessity of Atheism.[87]
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.[88]
Michel Houellebecq (1958–): French novelist.[89]
A. E. Housman (1859–1936): English poet and classical scholar, best known for his cycle of poems A Shropshire Lad.[90]
Keri Hulme (1947–): New Zealand writer, known for her only novel The Bone People.[91]
Stanley Edgar Hyman (1919–1970): American literary critic who wrote primarily about critical methods.[92]
Howard Jacobson (1942–): British author, best known for comic novels but also a non-fiction writer and journalist. Prefers not to be called an atheist.[93][94]
Susan Jacoby (1945–): American author, whose works include the New York Times best seller The Age of American Unreason, about anti-intellectualism.[95]
Clive James (1939–): Australian author, television presenter and cultural commentator.[96][97]
Robin Jenkins (1912–2005): Scottish writer of about thirty novels, though mainly known for The Cone Gatherers.[98]
Neil Jordan (1950-): Irish novelist and filmmaker.[99]
S. T. Joshi (1958–): American editor and literary critic.[100]
Ismail Kadare (1936–): Albanian novelist and poet, winner of the Prix mondial Cino Del Duca and the inaugural Man Booker International Prize.[101][102]
Ludovic Kennedy (1919–2009): British journalist, author, and campaigner for voluntary euthanasia.[103]
Douglas Kennedy (1955–): American-born novelist, playwright and nonfiction writer.[104]
James Kelman (1946–): Scottish author, influential and Booker Prize-winning writer of novels, short stories, plays and political essays.[105]
Marian Keyes (1963–): Irish writer, considered to be one of the original progenitors of "chick lit", selling 22 million copies of her books in 30 languages.[106]
Paul Krassner (1932–): American founder and editor of the freethought magazine The Realist, and a key figure in the 1960s counterculture.[107]
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.[108]
Philip Larkin CH, CBE, FRSL (1922–1985): English poet, novelist and jazz critic.[109][110]
Marghanita Laski (1915–1988): English journalist and novelist, also writing literary biography, plays and short stories.[111]
Stieg Larsson (1954–2004): Swedish journalist, author of the Millennium Trilogy and the founder of the anti-racist magazine Expo.[112]
Rutka Laskier (1929–1943): Polish Jew who was killed at Auschwitz concentration camp at the age of 14. Because of her diary, on display at Israel's Holocaust museum, she has been dubbed the "Polish Anne Frank."[113]
Stanislaw Lem (1921–2006): Polish science fiction novelist and essayist.[114]
Giacomo Leopardi (1798–1837): Italian poet, linguist, essayist and philosopher. Leopardi is legendary as an out-and-out nihilist.[115]
Primo Levi (1919–1987): Italian novelist and chemist, survivor of Auschwitz concentration camp.[116]
Georg Christoph Lichtenberg (1742–1799): German scientist, satirist, philosopher and anglophile. Known as one of Europe's best authors of aphorisms. Satirized religion using aphorisms like "I thank the Lord a thousand times for having made me become an atheist."[117]
Pierre Loti (1850–1923): French novelist and travel writer.[118]
H. P. Lovecraft (1890–1937): American horror writer.[119]
Franco Lucentini (1920–2002): Italian writer, journalist, translator and editor of anthologies.[120]
Norman MacCaig (1910–1996): Scottish poet, whose work is known for its humour, simplicity of language and great popularity.[121]
Colin Mackay (1951–2003): British poet and novelist.[122]
Naguib Mahfouz (19??–): Egyptian novelist who won the 1988 Nobel Prize for Literature and is regarded as one of the first contemporary writers of Arabic literature.[123]
David Marcus (1924–2009): Irish Jewish editor and writer, a lifelong advocate and editor of Irish fiction.[124]
Roger Martin du Gard (1881–1958): French author, winner of the 1937 Nobel Prize for Literature.[125]
Stephen Massicotte (1969–): Canadian playwright, screenwriter and actor.[126]
W. Somerset Maugham CH (1874–1965): English playwright, novelist, and short story writer, one of the most popular authors of his era.[127][128]
Charles Maurras (1868–1952): French author, poet, and critic, a leader and principal thinker of the reactionary Action Française.[129]
Joseph McCabe (1867–1955): English writer, anti-religion campaigner.[130]
Mary McCarthy (1912–1989): American writer and critic.[131]
Ian McEwan, CBE (1948–): British author and winner of the Man Booker Prize.[132]
China Miéville (1972–): British Science Fiction author.[133]
Arthur Miller (1915–2005): American playwright and essayist, a prominent figure in American literature and cinema for over 61 years, writing a wide variety of plays, including celebrated plays such as The Crucible, A View from the Bridge, All My Sons, and Death of a Salesman, which are widely studied.[134]
Christopher Robin Milne (1920–1996): Son of author A. A. Milne who, as a young child, was the basis of the character Christopher Robin in his father's Winnie-the-Pooh stories and in two books of poems.[135]
David Mills (author) (1959–): Author who argues in his book Atheist Universe that science and religion cannot be successfully reconciled.[136]
Terenci Moix (1942–2003): Spanish writer who wrote in both Spanish and in Catalan.[137]
Brian Moore (1921–1999): Irish novelist and screenwriter, awarded the James Tait Black Memorial Prize in 1975 and the inaugural Sunday Express Book of the Year award in 1987, was shortlisted for the Booker Prize three times.[138]
Sir John Mortimer CBE QC (1923–2009): English barrister, dramatist and author, famous as the creator of Rumpole of the Bailey.[139]
Andrew Motion FRSL (1952–): English poet, novelist and biographer, and Poet Laureate 1999–2009.[140]
Clare Mulley, author of The Woman Who Saved the Children: A Biography of Eglantyne Jebb, Founder of Save the Children (2009).[141]
Dame Iris Murdoch (1919–1999): Dublin-born writer and philosopher, best known for her novels, which combine rich characterization and compelling plotlines, usually involving ethical or sexual themes.[142]
Taslima Nasreen, former Muslim and current activist against Islamic atrocities in Bangladesh
Aziz Nesin (1915–1995): Turkish humorist and author of more than 100 books.[143]
Michael Nugent (1961-): Irish writer and activist, chairperson of Atheist Ireland.[144]
Joyce Carol Oates (1938–): American author and Professor of Creative Writing at Princeton University.[145]
Redmond O'Hanlon (1947–): British author, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.[146]
George Orwell (1903–1950): English writer and journalist, a novelist, critic, and commentator on politics and culture, one of the most admired English-language essayists of the twentieth century, and most famous for two novels critical of totalitarianism in general (Nineteen Eighty-Four), and Stalinism in particular (Animal Farm).[147][148]
John Oswald (activist) (c.1760–1793): Scottish journalist, poet, social critic and revolutionary.[149]
Frances Partridge (1900–2004): English member of the Bloomsbury Group and a writer, probably best known for the publication of her diaries.[150]
Camille Paglia (born 1947): American post-feminist literary and cultural critic.[151]
Robert L. Park (born 1931): scientist, University of Maryland professor of physics, and author of Voodoo Science and Superstition.[152]
Pier Paolo Pasolini (1922–1975): Italian poet, intellectual, film director, and writer.[153]
Edmund Penning-Rowsell (1913–2002): British wine writer, considered the foremost of his generation.[154]
Calel Perechodnik (1916–1943): Polish Jewish diarist and Jewish Ghetto policeman at the Warsaw Ghetto.[155]
Melissa Holbrook Pierson: American essayist and author of The Perfect Vehicle and other books.[156]
Fiona Pitt-Kethley (19??–): British poet, novelist, travel writer and journalist.[157]
Neal Pollack (1970–): American satirist, novelist, short story writer, and journalist.[158]
Terry Pratchett (1948–): English Fantasy author known for his satirical Discworld series.[159]
Kate Pullinger (19??–): Canadian-born novelist and author of digital fiction.[160]
Philip Pullman CBE (1946–): British author of His Dark Materials fantasy trilogy for young adults, which have atheism as a major theme.[161]
Craig Raine (1944–): English poet and critic, the best-known exponent of Martian poetry.[162]
Ayn Rand (1905–1982): Russian-born American author and founder of Objectivism.[163]
Derek Raymond (1931–1994): English writer, credited with being the founder of English noir.[164]
Stan Rice (1942–2006): American poet and artist, Professor of English and Creative Writing at San Francisco State University, and husband of writer Anne Rice.[165]
Joseph Ritson, (1752–1803): English author and antiquary, friend of Sir Walter Scott.[166]
Michael Rosen (1946–): English children's novelist, poet and broadcaster, Children's Laureate 2007–2009.[167]
Alex Rosenberg (1946–): Philosopher of science, author of The Atheist's Guide to Reality ,[168]
José Saramago (1922–2010): Portuguese writer, playwright and journalist. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1998.[169][170]
Dan Savage (1964–): Author and sex advice columnist.[171] Despite his atheism, Savage considers himself Catholic "in a cultural sense."[172]
Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792–1822): British Romantic poet, contemporary and associate of John Keats and Lord Byron, and author of The Necessity of Atheism.[173]
Michael Shermer (1954–): Science writer and editor of Skeptic magazine. Has stated that he is an atheist, but prefers to be called a skeptic.[174]
Joan Smith (1953–): English novelist, journalist and human rights activist.[175]
Warren Allen Smith (1921–): Author of Who's Who in Hell.[176]
David Ramsay Steele (19??–): Author of Atheism Explained: From Folly to Philosophy.[177]
George Warrington Steevens (1869–1900): British journalist and writer.[178]
Bruce Sterling (1954–): American science fiction author, best known for his novels and his seminal work on the Mirrorshades anthology, which helped define the cyberpunk genre.[179]
Robert Louis Stevenson (1850–1894): Scottish novelist, poet and travel writer, especially famous for his works Treasure Island and The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.[180]
Vladimir Tendryakov (1923–1984): Russian short story writer and novelist.[181]
Tiffany Thayer (1902–1959): American author, advertising copywriter, actor and founder of the Fortean Society.[182]
James Thomson ('B.V.') (1834–1882): British poet and satirist, famous primarily for the long poem The City of Dreadful Night (1874).[183]
Miguel Torga (1907–1995): Portuguese author of poetry, short stories, theatre and a 16 volume diary, one of the greatest Portuguese writers of the 20th century.[184]
Sue Townsend (1946–): British novelist, best known as the author of the Adrian Mole series of books.[185]
Freda Utley (1898–1978): English scholar, best-selling author and political activist.[186]
Frances Vernon (1963–1991): British novelist.[187]
Kurt Vonnegut (1922–2007): American author, writer of Cat's Cradle, among other books. Vonnegut said "I am an atheist (or at best a Unitarian who winds up in churches quite a lot)."[188]
Sarah Vowell (1969–): American author, journalist, humorist, and commentator, and a regular contributor to the radio program This American Life.[189]
Ethel Lilian Voynich (1864–1960): Irish-born novelist and musician, and a supporter of several revolutionary causes.[190]
Marina Warner CBE, FBA (1946–): British novelist, short story writer, historian and mythographer, known for her many non-fiction books relating to feminism and myth.[191]
H.G. Wells (1866–1946): one of the fathers of science fiction, and an outspoken socialist.[192]
Edmund White (1940–): American novelist, short-story writer and critic.[193]
Sean Williams (1967–): Australian science fiction author, a multiple recipient of both the Ditmar and Aurealis Awards.[194]
Simon Winchester OBE (1944–): British author and journalist.[195]
Tom Wolfe: Noted author and member of 'New Journalism' school[196]
Leonard Woolf (1880–1969): Noted British political theorist, author, publisher, and civil servant, husband of author Virginia Woolf.[197]
Gao Xingjian (1940–): Chinese émigré novelist, dramatist, critic, translator, stage director and painter. Winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2000.[198]

Journalists:
David Aaronovitch (1954–): British journalist, author and broadcaster.[199][200]
Amy Alkon (19??–): American advice columnist known as the Advice Goddess, author of Ask the Advice Goddess, published in more than 100 newspapers within North America.[201]
Lynn Barber (1944–): British journalist, currently writing for The Observer.[202]
Paul Barker (1935–): English journalist and writer.[203]
Anna Blundy (1970–): British journalist and author.[204]
Richard Boston (1938–2006): English journalist and author, dissenter and pacifist.[205]
Jason Burke (1970–): British journalist, chief foreign correspondent of The Observer.[206]
Chandler Burr (1963–): American journalist and author, currently the perfume critic for the New York Times.[207]
Michael Bywater (1953–): British writer and broadcaster.[208]
Nick Cohen (19??–): British journalist, author, and political commentator.[209]
John Diamond (1953–2001): British broadcaster and journalist, noted for his column chronicling his fight with cancer.[210][211]
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.[212]
Paul Foot (1937–2004): British investigative journalist, political campaigner, author, and long-time member of the Socialist Workers Party.[213]
Masha Gessen (1967–): Russian journalist and author.[214]
Linda Grant (1951–): British journalist and novelist.[215]
Muriel Gray (1958–): Scottish journalist, novelist and broadcaster.[216]
Johann Hari (1979–): British journalist and writer, columnist for The Independent and the London Evening Standard.[217]
John Harris (1969–): British journalist, writer, and critic.[218]
Simon Heffer (1960–): British journalist and writer.[219]
Anthony Holden (1947–): British journalist, broadcaster and writer, especially of biographies.[220]
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.[221]
Tom Humphries (19??–): English-born Irish sportswriter and columnist for The Irish Times.[222]
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.[223]
Oliver Kamm (1963–): British writer and newspaper columnist, a leader writer for The Times.[224]
Terry Lane (1943–): Australian radio broadcaster and newspaper columnist.[225]
Dominic Lawson (1956–): British journalist, former editor of The Spectator magazine.[226]
Magnus Linklater (1942–): Scottish journalist and former newspaper editor.[227]
Heather Mallick (1959–): Canadian columnist, author and lecturer.[228]
Andrew Marr (1959–): Scottish journalist and political commentator.[229]
Jules Marshall (1962–): English-born journalist and editor.[230]
Padraic McGuinness AO (1938–2008): Australian journalist, activist, and commentator.[231]
Gareth McLean (19??–): Scottish journalist, writer for The Guardian and Radio Times, shortlisted for the Young Journalist of the Year Award at the British Press Awards in 1997 and 1998.[232]
Jonathan Meades (1947–): English writer and broadcaster on food, architecture and culture.[233]
Stephanie Merritt (1974–): British critic and feature writer for a range of newspapers, Deputy Literary Editor at The Observer since 1998.[234]
Martin O'Hagan (1950–2001): Northern Irish journalist, the most prominent journalist to be assassinated during the Troubles.[235]
Deborah Orr (19??–): British journalist and broadcaster, married to writer and satirist Will Self.[236]
Ruth Picardie (1964–1997): British journalist and editor, noted for her memoir of living with breast cancer, Before I Say Goodbye.[237]
Claire Rayner OBE (1931–2010): British journalist best-known for her role for many years as an agony aunt.[238]
Jay Rayner (1966–): British journalist, writer and broadcaster.[239]
Ron Reagan (1958–): American magazine journalist, board member of the politically activist Creative Coalition, son of former U. S. President Ronald Reagan.[240]
Ariane Sherine (1980–): British comedy writer, journalist and creator of the Atheist Bus Campaign.[241]
Jill Singer (19??–): Australian journalist, columnist and television presenter.[242]
Matt Taibbi (1970–): American journalist and political writer, currently working at Rolling Stone.[243] note: he calls himself an agnostic/atheist.
Jeffrey Tayler (1970–): American author and journalist, the Russia correspondent for the Atlantic Monthly.[244]
Bill Thompson (1960–): English technology writer, best known for his weekly column in the Technology section of BBC News Online and his appearances on Digital Planet, a radio show on the BBC World Service.[245]
Nicholas Tomalin (1931–1973): British journalist and writer, one of the top 40 journalists of the modern era.[246]
Jerzy Urban (1933–): Polish journalist, commentator, writer and politician, editor-in-chief of the weekly Nie and owner of the company which owns it, Urma.[247]
Gene Weingarten (1951–): American humor writer and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist.[248]
Francis Wheen (1957–): British journalist, writer and broadcaster.[249]
Peter Wilby (1944–): British journalist, former editor of The Independent on Sunday and New Statesman.[250]
Adrian Wooldridge (19??–): British journalist, Washington Bureau Chief and 'Lexington' columnist for The Economist magazine.[251]