man of letters

noun

1. a man engaged in literary pursuits, especially a professional writer.

2. a man of great learning; scholar.

Word History and Origins

Origin of man of letters¹

First recorded in 1635–45

Example Sentences

“Literature nowadays is a trade,” Milvain insists: Putting aside men of genius, who may succeed by mere cosmic force, your successful man of letters is your skillful tradesman.

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Mallon, a distinguished man of letters, moved to Manhattan at 32, holding a PhD from Harvard and a dissertation that became his acclaimed 1984 book, “A Book of One’s Own.”

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In a climate that Mr. Snyder helped create, he billed himself as a businessman rather than as a man of letters.

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Indeed, to those who have known only the courtly, controlled man of letters with the encyclopedic knowledge of classical music, the account may come as a shock.

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Lives Lived: Paul Johnson, a prolific journalist, biographer and historian prized by conservatives, fashioned himself a man of letters in the great British tradition.

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