so who are john updike, thomas wolfe, and tobias wolff again?

[underground]

i've heard their names over and over, but i have yet to find out why they are famous. i must be too young to know them.

[Virgil]

i've heard their names over and over, but i have yet to find out why they are famous. i must be too young to know them.

I think you can easily look them up. Just do a Google search.

[PeterL]

i've heard their names over and over, but i have yet to find out why they are famous. i must be too young to know them.

You should look them up, except the third name isn't worth the trouble.

[Jean-Baptiste]

I can only comment on the second name, but I would say that he isn't worth the trouble either. The only book that ever made me throw it across the room was "Look Homeward Angel". It made me mad because Wolfe started out with the most meaningful concept and treated it in the most beautiful way possible--I really cannot tell you how beautiful it was, please read the beginning of it--but then he just gave up, and started using big words for no reason (out of context and simply wrong) and completely gave up on actually telling me the real thing that he started off telling me. I've tried to read some of his short stories, but I was very unimpressed. Anyway, I know that he's a highly acclaimed author, and I can image that there is a reason for that, but I'm finished with him.

(token semicolon ; )

[mono]

When all fails, I usually turn to wikipedia.
I do not know as much about Thomas Wolfe, but have read some material by John Updike, and considerable amount more by Tobias Wolff; I certainly see how you can mix those names up with the Wolfe and Wolff, especially.
A page regarding Tobias Wolff, of John Updike, and of Thomas Wolfe.