literary executor

noun

: a person entrusted with the management of the papers and unpublished works of a deceased author

Examples of literary executor in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Cooke had similar discussions about Wilder’s play text with Tappan Wilder, the playwright’s nephew, who was then literary executor of his uncle’s estate. Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 10 July 2024 His death was confirmed by poet Greg Miller, one of his literary executors. Harrison Smith, Washington Post, 9 July 2024 And though Robert Nemiroff, her ex-husband and literary executor, did make revisions later, and the creative team of this revival has made additional ones as well, a satisfactory solution has not yet been found. Jesse Green, New York Times, 27 Feb. 2023 Two new and heavily annotated volumes, edited by his literary executor Edward Mendelson, represent the complete poetry. Brad Leithauser, WSJ, 12 Aug. 2022 See All Example Sentences for literary executor

Word History

First Known Use

1849, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of literary executor was in 1849

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Cite this Entry

“Literary executor.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/literary%20executor. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.

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