In your opinion, who is the greatest writer since Shakespeare?

HeadPig

This could be interesting.

old gregg

Dan Brown
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getz

HeadPig wrote: »

This could be interesting.

dickens

daveyeh

Shakespeares sister

Tom Joad

Victor Hugo (non-English language) or John Steinbeck (English Language)

HeadPig

Tom Joad wrote: »

Victor Hugo (non-English language) or John Steinbeck (English Language)

Strong username to post content correlation.

Tombo2001

Charles Dickens.

Tombo2001

A big LOL to whoever says Cecilia Ahern

Manach

Based on the metric of having a lasting popular impact the spans the generations, Dickens would be a such an author. However, I'd also nominate Jane Austen whose works are very much en vogue since Regency times.

HeadPig

Manach wrote: »

Based on the metric of having a lasting popular impact the spans the generations, Dickens would be a such an author. However, I'd also nominate Jane Austen whose works are very much en vogue since Regency times.

My preferred metric would be the quality of the writer's work, rather than a lasting popular impact. Not to imply the abovementioned aren't quality writers.

Stereomaniac

Bret Easton Ellis.

ush

Goethe

Mongarra

Who says Shakespeare was a great writer?!

I suppose John Steinbeck must rank up there but personally give me P G Wodehouse any day.

HeadPig

Mongarra wrote: »

Who says Shakespeare was a great writer?!

I suppose John Steinbeck must rank up there but personally give me P G Wodehouse any day.

I said since Shakespeare, meaning after him. Didn't imply he was great, that's another debate.

Mongarra

Sorry, wasn't trying to be smart. Actually I think he was a great writer despite having him stuffed down our throats for the State exams.

hefferboi

Your one who wrote 50 shades of grey.

daithiocondun

hefferboi wrote: »

Your one who wrote 50 shades of grey.

Hahahaa!!!

Her now and the plethora of crap chick-lit authors this country has churned out over the last 10 years....

chick lit??
sh*t-lit, more like

r3nu4l

The definition of a 'great' writer needs to be clarified
Also, are we talking about English-speaking writer's or Western writer's? Can we include Fyodor Dostoyevsky?

By Manach's definition then Dickens and Austen definitely have to be thought of as 'greatest'.

By definition of their contribution to ideals of society then you have to look at Huxley and Orwell.

By definition of how they changed the world of fiction then you might mention Wilkie Collins, his novel the Moonstone is often considered the first real foundation of modern detective novels and crime fiction.

Personally I'm a huge fan of Charles Dickens although I'm glad that he's not writing today because I doubt a single publisher would take him on. Any that would take him on would probably assign their toughest editor to Dicken's and cut those long, wordy sentences and that would be tragic!

Tom Joad

You could have as long a debate on the categories or definitions as you could on who the "greatest" was.

If you go for longevity and lasting impact you automatically are drawn to Bronte, Dickens, Austen etc and ruling out modern writers. Also some people go for volume of works to rule out some writers i.e. they only wrote one/two great novels so can't be included.

Then you can debate American writers vs Europea writers in an English language context - for me two different genres that can't be compared.

Then foreign languages writers - you have to have a seperate category for that.

So I would have the following categories:

1. Greatest English language writer pre 1900.
2. Greatest English language writer since 1900.
3. Greatest American literature writer.
4. Greatest non-English language writer pre 1900.
5. Greatest non-English language writer since 1900.

Randall Floyd

3.Greatest American literature writer- F. Scott Fitzgerald for me.

Hesh's Umpire

Norman Mailer

MadsL

Tom Joad wrote: »

1. Greatest English language writer pre 1900.
Dickens Austen
2. Greatest English language writer since 1900.
Orwell Wyndham
3. Greatest American literature writer.
Ever? Mark Twain post 1900 Thomas Pynchon
4. Greatest non-English language writer pre 1900.
Cervantes/Alexandre Dumas
5. Greatest non-English language writer since 1900.
Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Mine

getz

how tastes change,if you asked that same question to the victorians,the answer may be william makepease thackery,i know that famous family ,the bronties of haworth,would read everything he put to paper,charlotte once had dinner with him and his mother,and when he introduced her he said ;mother this is jane eyre,

Swiper the fox

I've seen Steinbeck mentioned here a couple of times and a quick scan of my bookshelves would suggest that I am in agreement though I realise what a futile argument this is.

In my 1001 books to read before you die book a quick glance at the index page for multiple entries shows Austen, Auster, Beckett, Coetzee, Dickens, Greene, McEwan, Mann, Rousseau and Zola all of whom have at least five entries.

Tom Joad

Just realised that I haven't given mine

1. Greatest English language writer pre 1900. Charles Dickens
2. Greatest English language writer since 1900. James Joyce
3. Greatest American literature writer. Steinbeck
4. Greatest non-English language writer pre 1900. Victor Hugo with Tolstoy a very close second.
5. Greatest non-English language writer since 1900. Nabokov

Da Shins Kelly

James Joyce or Samuel Beckett for me.

Mardy Bum

Although this does not imply that he is the best, Joyce surpassed Shakespeare, then record holder, in terms of academic articles published on his works two years ago. It would imply that both are held in extremely high regard by those in academia.

Joyce's work, although somewhat indulgent in his later years, is phenomenal. The man's mind and work ethic was unbelievable.

In terms of a writer who attempted all genres of literature Oscar Wilde should be considered. A Picture of Dorian Gray, "The Importance of Being Earnest", "The Happy Prince and Other Tales", his numerous works of poetry along with Salome is as formidable body of work that any writer has produced before and since.

Harry Angstrom

For sheer inventiveness: James Joyce. For storytelling: Charles Dickens. For brilliance alone: F Scott Fitzgerald.
Philip Roth and John Updike also deserve honourable mentions.

Prodigious

Eminem :cool:

Harry Angstrom

Methememb wrote: »

Eminem :cool:

I prefer Smarties.

RoutineBites

Agree that the greatest writers should be categorized, impossible to pick one that would encompass all the requirements to be deemed, "the greatest". My personal favourite would be Orwelll however. He's an exceptional essayist, journalist and even historian. Very accessible too. Think his analysis of early twentieth century history is the best around.

marienbad

Proust,Joyce and possibly Sebald if he had lived.

lockman

marienbad wrote: »

Proust,Joyce and possibly Sebald if he had lived.

In the few pieces that he left to the world before his untimely death, Sebald had shown himself to be one truly remarkable writer.

bootybouncer

Stephen King

Mardy Bum

bootybouncer wrote: »

Stephen King

Most successful maybe but greatest?

bootybouncer

Mardy Bum wrote: »

Most successful maybe but greatest?

In with a shout champ........................

Hellywelly

Some great choices already


1. Greatest English language writer pre 1900. John Milton
2. Greatest English language writer since 1900. William Faulkner
3. Greatest American literature writer. F Scott Fitzgerald or William Faulkner (again!)
4. Greatest non-English language writer pre 1900. Tolstoy
5. Greatest non-English language writer since 1900.Nabokov or Kenzabura Oe

Kinski

Hellywelly wrote: »

Some great choices already
5. Greatest non-English language writer since 1900.Nabokov or Kenzabura Oe

Nabokov is famed for his writing in English, not his early Russian output.

Hellywelly

ooops. I'll take him out so and leave in Oe whom I'm sure wrote in Japanese

Carawaystick

Isaac Azimov was published in every main category of the dewy decimal system

Again for breadth of work Oscar Wilde is up there

Who's the best?
I haven't read enough to decide, but if I was to take a wild stab in the dark, I'd say an American sportswriter is probably the best writer. If you look at the likes of George Kimbal or David Remnick, at their best, they have a poetic lyrical quality, that good american, and world sportwriting has.

If you include writing to include songwriting, then Dylan has to pop up the ranks, including his prose Chronicles 1, along with his song canon, and if you include screenwriting, which hardly anyone ever reads, but interprets through the screen, the waters muddy more. (much more than a playwright, as a top screenwriter would probably have a closer relationship with a director/producer than a playwright-director in theatre)

Mardy Bum

Carawaystick wrote: »

If you include writing to include songwriting, then Dylan has to pop up the ranks, including his prose Chronicles 1, along with his song canon, and if you include screenwriting, which hardly anyone ever reads, but interprets through the screen, the waters muddy more. (much more than a playwright, as a top screenwriter would probably have a closer relationship with a director/producer than a playwright-director in theatre)

Screen writing is very dependent upon visuals whereas theatre does not suffer this constraint and is much closer to poetry. A performance of Brian Friel's Faith Healer (best Irish play since Waiting for Godot IMO) for instance could be heard by a deaf person and that perception would be as valid as a person watching it.

At the same time I would say David Simon and Ed Burns' (The Wire) creation is one of the greatest dramatic works America has had the privilege of claiming.

Courtesy Flush

Greatest in terms of sales would be JK Rowling ?

Hard to define greatest, I guess its the ones that last the longest in their cultural influence. I guess its hard to argue against Dickens in that sense. You could argue too for Tolkien in influential terms

Jimmy Iovine

Courtesy Flush wrote: »

Greatest in terms of sales would be JK Rowling ?

Not even close it would seem. According to this list, Agatha Christie is estimated to have sold between 2 and 4 billion books while Rowling has only sold between 350 and 450 million.

Da Shins Kelly

Jimmy Iovine wrote: »

Not even close it would seem. According to this list, Agatha Christie is estimated to have sold between 2 and 4 billion books while Rowling has only sold between 350 and 450 million.

Measly.

Courtesy Flush

Jimmy Iovine wrote: »

Not even close it would seem. According to this list, Agatha Christie is estimated to have sold between 2 and 4 billion books while Rowling has only sold between 350 and 450 million.

I stand corrected
Also outsold by the likes of Barbara Cartland, Danielle Steele and Harold Robbins

Ormus

Cormac McCarthy is the greatest.

Although the best story tellers are probably Dickens and Dumas.

Honorable mention for Stephen King for imaginative and prolific storytelling, but his writing doesn't measure up to the greats.

MJ23

Ross O Carroll Kelly

stick girl

Fyodor Dostoevsky

Carawaystick

Courtesy Flush wrote: »

I stand corrected
Also outsold by the likes of Barbara Cartland, Danielle Steele and Harold Robbins

What if you use the dollar value of sales?



I would say the greatest write since Bill the bard, probably wasn't writing in English. And to use some more maths, is probably alive now, and not considered the greatest at present, but time will tell. (There being so many more people alive, much higher rates of literacy these days)

HeadPig

Carawaystick wrote: »

What if you use the dollar value of sales?



I would say the greatest write since Bill the bard, probably wasn't writing in English. And to use some more maths, is probably alive now, and not considered the greatest at present, but time will tell. (There being so many more people alive, much higher rates of literacy these days)

Are you talking about Gabriel Garcia Marquez?

Shegull

Emily Bronte