John Updike was a prolific American novelist, poet, and critic best known for the Rabbit series. A two-time Pulitzer Prize winner, he published more than sixty books and was widely regarded as one of America’s leading writers.
Pieter Vanderlyn was a Dutch-born American painter associated with the mysterious “Gansevoort Limner.” Active in the Hudson Valley during the mid-18th century, his unsigned portraits are preserved in several major American museums.
Carl Van Vechten was an American writer, critic, and photographer associated with the Harlem Renaissance. He gained fame for his novel Nigger Heaven and later became a celebrated portrait photographer of major cultural figures.
Don Van Vliet (1941–2010), known as Captain Beefheart, was an American experimental rock musician and visual artist who led The Magic Band. After a prolific recording career from 1965–1982, he retired from music to pursue painting.
Nelson Holmes Van Vorhes (1822–1882) was an Ohio newspaper editor, Civil War officer, and Republican politician who represented Ohio in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1875 to 1879 after years of service in Ohio state politics.
Leo Vroman (1915–2014) was a Dutch-born hematologist and poet who settled in the United States and became one of the most celebrated modern Dutch-language poets while maintaining a distinguished scientific career.
Janwillem van de Wetering (1931–2008) was a Dutch-born novelist and Zen memoirist known for his Amsterdam police detective series and philosophical writings inspired by Zen Buddhism and international experiences.
Walt Whitman (1819–1892) was an American poet, journalist, and essayist whose landmark work Leaves of Grass revolutionized modern poetry and established him as one of the most influential voices in American literature.
