April 28 marks the birthday of Roberto Bolaño, the celebrated Chilean novelist who published The Savage Detectives in 1998. This fragmented, postmodern novel tells many interweaving stories, but one of the primary plotlines follows a group of people searching for the fictional poet Cesárea Tinajero, the founder of a literary movement called Visceral Realism. The Savage Detectives is a fascinating and exciting read, and the central theme of looking for an author got us thinking: what other works feature characters searching for writers? Here are six of our favorites.

Exley, by Brock Clarke

Exley follows the strange journey of Miller Le Ray, a child prodigy who embarks on a double search in Watertown, New York: for his father, possibly wounded in the Iraq War, and for author Frederick Exley, the real-life writer of the "fictional memoir" A Fan's Notes.

The Aspern Papers, by Henry James

This novella by Henry James tells the story of a man who goes to Italy to find the ex-lover of a famous dead poet, Jeffrey Aspern. The narrator believes that she has kept Aspern's papers and other documents, and he conspires to get close to her in order to access them. To this day, The Aspern Papers remains one of James' most lauded tales. 

The Fault in Our Stars, by John Green

This wildly popular young adult novel tells the story of the teenage romance between Hazel, who has cancer, and Augustus, who is an amputee. Hazel and Augustus become fans of a fictional book called An Imperial Affliction -- also about a teen with cancer -- and they seek out its reclusive author, Peter Van Houten. Their quest to meet Van Houten, and discover the ending to his story, is a central part of this incredibly moving young adult novel.

Six Characters in Search of an Author, by Luigi Pirandello

This strange metaplay concerns a company of actors, led by The Director, who are rehearsing for a play when they are suddenly interrupted by a group of characters who want to find an author to complete their story. The Director agrees to hear them out and attempts to stage their story, but tensions rise as the line between fiction and fact are blurred. 

Stranger than Fiction, by Marc Forster

Harold Crick (Will Ferrell) has a perfectly normal life working for the IRS, until suddenly, he starts hearing a voice narrating his every thought and action. It turns out that he is a character in a story by Karen Eiffel (Emma Thompson), whose words are controlling his life. Harold must find Karen and convince her not to finish her story by killing him in this black dramedy directed by Marc Forster.

The Quest for Corvo, by A. J. A. Symons

Unlike the other works on this list, The Quest for Corvo is non-fictional. When A. J. A. Symons set out to document the life of eccentric writer and artist Frederick Rolfe, he opted not to stick to traditional biography form, instead framing the story as a mystery, with Symons himself as detective. Rolfe's personality is revealed to the reader in the order that Symons discovered it, as both reader and biographer embark on the journey of uncovering this quizzical author's identity.

Got any other favorite characters in search of an author? Let us know in the comments!