Born on November 27

Born in 1635, Françoise d'Aubigné endured a wretched childhood before becoming governess to the legitimized children of Louis XIV, then his secret wife around 1683. In 1686, she founded the Maison royale de Saint-Louis at Saint-Cyr, a pioneering educational institution for young women from impoverished noble families.

American guitarist, singer-songwriter, and singer, regarded as one of the most influential in the history of rock. Over just a few years of his career, he revolutionized electric guitar playing before his untimely death at the age of 27.

American director born in 1951, Kathryn Bigelow became in 2010 the first woman to win the Academy Award for Best Director for The Hurt Locker. A pioneer of action cinema, she explores war and violence with striking documentary-style realism.

South Korean novelist born in 1970, Han Kang is one of the most important voices in contemporary Asian literature. Her work explores violence, traumatic memory, and the fragility of the human body. She is the first Asian author to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature.