The year end is a time for remarking significant events of the past 12 months, and Quillblog would be remiss not to recall some of the major international literary figures who shuffled off this mortal coil in 2008.

• Arthur C. Clarke
• Tony Hillerman
• Pat Kavanagh
• Alain Robbe-Grillet
• Studs Terkel
• David Foster Wallace
• Michael Crichton