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

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

From New York Times

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.

From New York Times

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

From New York Times

“He really is that European idea of a man of letters,” said one of his former students, the poet Mary Jo Bang, in a 2017 interview with the Paris Review.

From Washington Post

Epstein could be described as a man of letters with a feel for commerce or as a man of business with a taste for fine literature, and both would be correct.

From Seattle Times