Who's your favourite writer?

Vito Corleone

I've always been a big fan of Charles Bukowski, he's somewhat of an idol of mine. I actually wanted the username Henry Chinaski but it was taken. I'm also a big fan of Orwell, Nietzsche and the lesser none Harmony Korine.

Who's your favourite writer?

Sir Arthur Daley

Right she said and she never wrote, but when she wrote she wrote pages.

Quote by some one, memory gone blank.

KingOfFairview

Makes me sound like a low-brow ****pig, but Stephen King by a mile.

R P McMurphy

Sir Arthur Daley wrote: »

Right she said and she never wrote, but when she wrote she wrote pages.

Quote by some one, memory gone blank.

Jessica Fletcher

El Guapo!

John Grisham

KeithM89

padraiggg.

syklops

Sir Arthur Daley wrote: »

Right she said and she never wrote, but when she wrote she wrote pages.

Quote by some one, memory gone blank.

Jessica Fletcher?

pablomakaveli

Has to be George RR Martin for me. Never been hooked into a series of book like i was with the Song of Ice and Fire series. He's created an amazing rich amazing world inhabited by great complex characters. Only bad thing about him is he takes his bloody time with writing them.:p

robertxxx

W.B. yeats

Lisbeth Salander

Karin Slaughter, favourite book from her has to be Genesis.

sadie06

Went through a massive Margaret Atwood phase, followed by a John Irving phase. They are the two authors I can say I have read most often, but I think James Joyce is word for word my favourite writer.

Legs.Eleven

I really like Colm Tóibín.

Artful_Badger

I think they all have lovely bottoms.

Dont really have a favourite writer or book tbh.

LizzieJones

Jane Austen. There is no one else.

Dirty Dingus McGee

Raymond Chandler.There are so many writers I love but his writing is incredible in particular his dialogue.

The One Doctor

There's no one favorite, they all have their moments. George Orwell, Ernest K Gann, Sue Townsend, Jasper Fforde, Peter Biddlecombe, Harry Harrison, Robert Rankin, Terry Pratchett, Tom Holt... the list goes on and on and they're all my favorite.

dark crystal

John Steinbeck.

Muise...

Richard Brautigan.

Just at the moment, it being all delicate Springtime, mind. Sometimes I prefer Italo Calvino, or Ismail Kadare, and one time I woke up all sore with Tolstoy in my bed. I'm no good at favourites.

orchidsrpretty

I have quite a few writers that I follow, John Irvine, Stephen king, Neil Gaiman, Niall Ferguson to name a few. I'd say Irvine Welsh is probably my favourite as I love reading books in a excellent Glaswegian accent, which all of his book have a tendency to make you do. I'm usually ****e at accents so this is particularly appealing to me. Oh and the stories are good too.

Right Turn Clyde

Dostoevsky is untouchable. I re-read The Brothers Karamazov recently and it's just a monumental achievement. I'ver never experienced anything else like it.

I also love most of Charles Bukowski's stuff. He has that 'everyman' quality. I can almost imagine being able to write like that, or at least knowing someone that could write like that. It feels like it's within touching distance. It's possible.

But Dostoevsky is a different story. It doesn't seem possible. I can no more imagine myself writing The Brothers Karamazov than I can imagine myself painting The Massacre of the Innnocents.

Ted_YNWA

Lisbeth Salander wrote: »

Karin Slaughter, favourite book from her has to be Genesis.

Would have thought it would have been Stieg Larrson going by your name.

pampootie

I love Donna Tartt. And Roald Dahl

Vito Corleone

Right Turn Clyde wrote: »

Dostoevsky is untouchable. I re-read The Brothers Karamazov recently and it's just a monumental achievement. I'ver never experienced anything else like it.

I also love most of Charles Bukowski's stuff. He has that 'everyman' quality. I can almost imagine being able to write like that, or at least knowing someone that could write like that. It feels like it's within touching distance. It's possible.

But Dostoevsky is a different story. It doesn't seem possible. I can no more imagine myself writing The Brothers Karamazov than I can imagine myself painting The Massacre of the Innnocents.

I like Dostoevsky as well but need to find more time to read his work.

crockholm

P.J. O'Rourke, even though he's gone off the boil a bit lately. Bill Bryson for something to read on hols.

Hotale.com

pablomakaveli wrote: »

Has to be George RR Martin for me. Never been hooked into a series of book like i was with the Song of Ice and Fire series. He's created an amazing rich amazing world inhabited by great complex characters. Only bad thing about him is he takes his bloody time with writing them.:p

First 4 were so good, ADWD was brutal imo (besides Bran); might be better on a reread though.

Stavros Murphy

William Faulkner. It took me a while to appreciate that, but I got there eventually. Grisham for when I just want a story, well told.

GalwayGuy2

Has to be George RR Martin for me. Never been hooked into a series of book like i was with the Song of Ice and Fire series. He's created an amazing rich amazing world inhabited by great complex characters. Only bad thing about him is he takes his bloody time with writing them.

I wonder will he be thought in future university courses?

There is a snobbiness towards fantasy, but he has hit on some weird social phase that the west is going through.

EDIT:

You know, I've only seen his anime, but Gen Urobuchi is truly an incredibly writer.

Paco Rodriguez

Sweden. Especially John Ajvide Lindqvist.

Let The Right One In
Harbour
Little Star
Handling The Undead

131spanner

Peig Sayers. Inspiring...

homemadecider

Paul Theroux, father of documentary-maker Louis Theroux. Love love love his writing.

connected1

Tolstoy. His insight into the human condition is profound and so deceptively simple. But I only read War and Peace after I got a Kindle. The book weighs a ton!

Muise...

connected1 wrote: »

Tolstoy. His insight into the human condition is profound and so deceptively simple. But I only read War and Peace after I got a Kindle. The book weighs a ton!

Anna Karenina is beautiful too - and lighter.

EuropeanSon

Murakami for me. I love his stories, and his novels, and is the only writer with a fairly large back catalogue who I've read everything by.

He just writes so beautifully, I always love rereading his stuff.

I also love the works of quite a few fantasy writers: Pat Rothfuss is probably the best writer in the genre, and I loved his two books, but my favourite series was Stephen Eriksen's Malazan Book of the Fallen.

artvanderlay

Jo Nesbo...I love those hairy hole adventures:p

artvanderlay

Whoops...forgot our own Ryan Tubridy. The Irish are Cumming was particularly entertaining.

frostyjacks

Bret Easton Ellis

RossyG

Fiction: Christopher Isherwood.

Non-Fiction: George Orwell, with Clive James coming close.

She's only written three books, but I think Donna Tartt is the best living novelist, with Pat Barker second.

Mentioned in despatches: Alan Garner; Ian McEwan; Ian Fleming (no, honestly; the Bond books are terrific); Robert Louis Stevenson; Graham Greene; Evelyn Waugh.

Aidric

Agree with the OP regarding Bukowski. He is my go to writer when I need a laugh. No pretension, just straight up leave it all on the page emotion.

As for my favourite writer its Haruki Murakami. Brings prose off the page like no other writer I've ever read. He brings clarity to the complexity, a rare skill.

anncoates

I could never pick one overall but in terms of pure craft, it would be John Updike.

Mardy Bum

David Foster Wallace was the greatest writer until his untimely death. The manner in which he described the human condition in all its glories (see essay on Roger Federer) and failures (any of his short stories) in all its minute emotions makes every single line truly interesting and there are few writers with that talent.

Stavros Murphy

Mardy Bum wrote: »

David Foster Wallace was the greatest writer until his untimely death. The manner in which he described the human condition in all its glories (see essay on Roger Federer) and failures (any of his short stories) in all its minute emotions makes every single line truly interesting and there are few writers with that talent.

You have obviously missed the work of Orangesoda so.

eviltwin

Can't answer that question, its like being asked to pick my favourite child.

RHJ

This post has been deleted.

Zaph

131spanner wrote: »

Peig Sayers. Inspiring...

That miserable bitch was a joyless individual who managed to suck the joy out of many lives long after she was dead. But am I bitter? Damn right I am. :pac:

My favourites include Douglas Adams (obviously!), Douglas Coupland, William Gibson Terry Pratchett, Carl Hiaasen and Christopher Brookmyre. All entertaining and intelligent writers, but none of them would be what you'd describe as heavy duty literature. Life's too short for that!

Shakespeare's Sister

Margaret Atwood! Her scary visions of the future are too plausible to be able to handle at times, but so good.

Geomy

John Moriarty

FlusterCluck

Dan Brown and David Baldacci for those thriller "page-turners"

I seem to have only read one work from any of the greats like 1984 by Orwell, Grapes of Wrath by Steinbeck, A Fairwell to Arms by Hemingway, etc.

Loved Pratchett, Khalid Husseini, Dean Koontz, Arthur Conan Doyle.

Loved and re-read the old Sven Hassel books.

Cookie_Monster

Alastair Reynolds

pc7

John Connolly closely followed by James Lee Burke, John Sanford, Michael Connolly, Peter James & Agatha Christie. Could never just pick one!

Brigante

Hunter S. Thompson

UsedToWait

Love this thread..

I read a lot, but have never read as much as a word by many of the aforementioned writers.

The sad thing is the world of literature is so vast, I probably never will.

It would be great if people could try to sell us one book that they say people need to read by their favourite author, and explain why, rather than just stating the name of their favourite writer..

That said, imma have to think about my own choice a while - I'm not sure I can pick an out and out favourite