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Who is the world's greatest living writer?

Started by aaaaaaaaaargh!, August 02, 2008, 12:04:48 AM

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CaledonianGonzo

Quote from: wasp_f15ting on August 03, 2008, 11:58:29 AM
I am interested in Saul Below(sic) if anyone has read his stuff.

I've read The Adventures of Augie March and enjoyed it, but haven't got round to any of the others.  Herzog's meant to be worth a punt.

Looknorth

Quote from: The Boston Crab on August 03, 2008, 01:15:36 AM
Murakami or Garcia Marquez for me. Has anybody read GGM's autobiography yet? I've been meaning to...

Marquez or McEwan.

Peru

Two...

1.Pynchon is for me, without doubt, a literary genius. His utter mastery over his form, his ability to distill systems of religion, science and history into a narrative and then the ability to marry said disparate threads into a deeply involving interrogation of human nature and culture is unsurpassed. I highly, highly recommend Mason & Dixon, which I personally prefer to Gravity's Rainbow.

2.David Foster Wallace. For Infinite Jest alone, although literally everything he has written is worth reading. A frightening intelligence combined with an astonishingly accessible, conversational prose. His non-fiction is as good as his fiction - Consider The Lobster is a collection I keep going back to time and again. Infinite Jest though...bloody hell. I think its the best novel I've ever read.

non capisco

Quote from: wherearethespoons on August 03, 2008, 11:37:57 AM
Travels in the Scriptorium is quite possibly one of the worst books I've ever read; how can somebody seriously think that's worth releasing?

Yeah, Travels In the Scriptorium really is terrible. It's almost like a smug 'best of' clip show in narrative form. His preceding couple of books I found quite mediocre but he seriously blotted his copybook with that one. I hope he can write something as good as 'Mr Vertigo' or 'In The Counry Of Last Things' again.

Danger Man

Quote from: aaaaaaaaaargh! on August 02, 2008, 12:04:48 AM
I thought I'd chuck this in there seeing as we have two active threads going at present and am interested in hearing fellow VW opinions on this.  I'd also be interested in seeing if people could sway me from my current choice, namely Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (yes, he's still alive, he's 89 now, I hope I'm not cursing him).

Guess what.....

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7540038.stm

rudi

Quote from: aaaaaaaaaargh! on August 02, 2008, 12:04:48 AM
I thought I'd chuck this in there seeing as we have two active threads going at present and am interested in hearing fellow VW opinions on this.  I'd also be interested in seeing if people could sway me from my current choice, namely Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (yes, he's still alive, he's 89 now, I hope I'm not cursing him).

Thoughts please...


I think you cursed him

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2008/aug/03/alexander.solzhenitsyn

dr beat

QuoteQuote from: aaaaaaaaaargh! on August 02, 2008, 12:04:48 AM
I thought I'd chuck this in there seeing as we have two active threads going at present and am interested in hearing fellow VW opinions on this.  I'd also be interested in seeing if people could sway me from my current choice, namely Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (yes, he's still alive, he's 89 now, I hope I'm not cursing him).

Thoughts please...

Funnily enough, apparently he mentioned your name just before he carped it.

Oh, come on, he must have died, what, 48 hours after I started this thread.

You know, I've always thought that Jim Davidson is the world's greatest living comedian...

wherearethespoons

Whilst it would be too hard for me to pick a favourite living novelist, I thought I'd throw another name out there; Michel Faber who was responsible for the seriously impressive The Crimson Petal And The White.

David Renwick has a special place in my heart (aww), when it comes to screenwriting.  As do Galton and Simpson.

Lord Mandrake

Elmore Leonard, Pedro Juan Gutierrez, G,G Marquez, Isabella Allende..