Who is the most underrated writer ever?

[JCamilo]

Yes, Pessoa was somehow forced to build his universe avoiding Camoes central figure. Each side of camoes surrounded by one of his personas.

As Virgil, he is victim of of his own central status. When the romantic generation started to look for a different tradition, Virgil figure was so central that all they had to do was avoiding him. Apparently hard due to his influence, but not so much, as they could work with those like Dante, who was around virgil influence, but not exactly him. No need to praise the real Virgil if you have the fictional guide of Dante. A bit of trojan horse

[namenlose]

As Virgil, he is victim of of his own central status. When the romantic generation started to look for a different tradition, Virgil figure was so central that all they had to do was avoiding him. Apparently hard due to his influence, but not so much, as they could work with those like Dante, who was around virgil influence, but not exactly him. No need to praise the real Virgil if you have the fictional guide of Dante. A bit of trojan horse

Indeed

Milton had a similar influence over the english romantics, who were more influenced by Paradise Lost and his other works than writers of previous ages. Even Lucretius, although probably indirectly, seems to have had a greater influence in the poetic style of english literature since the romantic tradition, when the use of poetic voice became more personal and authors like Shelley and in a later moment Whitman adopted skeptical and even epicurean perspectives in their poetry.

And since we talked about brazilian literature, a writer who is a little unknown due to his use of word plays and poetical style is Guimarães Rosa. He is yet widely respected among a considerable part of the brazilian public, being judged by many as the best brazilian novelist after Machado de Assis, but "Grande Sertão: Veredas" is not as read as The Posthumous Memoirs of Bras Cubas and Dom Casmurro. Considering his experimental language, it's fairly improbable that his fame would be favored by translations.

[TheFifthElement]

Every woman who ever wrote anything.

[JCamilo]

Indeed

Milton had a similar influence over the english romantics, who were more influenced by Paradise Lost and his other works than writers of previous ages. Even Lucretius, although probably indirectly, seems to have had a greater influence in the poetic style of english literature since the romantic tradition, when the use of poetic voice became more personal and authors like Shelley and in a later moment Whitman adopted skeptical and even epicurean perspectives in their poetry.

And since we talked about brazilian literature, a writer who is a little unknown due to his use of word plays and poetical style is Guimarães Rosa. He is yet widely respected among a considerable part of the brazilian public, being judged by many as the best brazilian novelist after Machado de Assis, but "Grande Sertão: Veredas" is not as read as The Posthumous Memoirs of Bras Cubas and Dom Casmurro. Considering his experimental language, it's fairly improbable that his fame would be favored by translations.

The thing about Guimarães is that he, being so erudite, is also quite popular. In his city, kids guide tourists storytelling his main stories. It is quite a feat. However, I think he faces a similar translation fate as most portuguese writers, be then Machado de Assis or poets like Drummond. A new program from brazilian governament is giving incentives for translations of brazilians aboard. This will help as Rosa has already some following on France and Germany (he goes well enough in english to be listed among the 100 best novels of XX century by, i think NY Times, with Sagarana) but if even Eça de Queiroz, that alive had a reputation even with Zola, is basically forgotten, there is not much hope towards someone as Rosa.

[mal4mac]

I count an author as underrated if they make me sit up and shout, "I know he has a good reputation, but I didn't think he would be that good!" Some books that had that effect on me:

Thomas Mann - Buddenbrooks, the Magic Mountain
Fernando Pessoa - Book of Disquiet
Chekhov - Short stories

[Venerable Bede]

Every woman who ever wrote anything.

Really? I would hardly say that Jane Austen, George Eliot, Virginia Woolf and Mary Shelley (to name a few) are underrated. They appear in any discussion of great novelists.

[Pierre Menard]

I have to add another nod to Pessoa.

I've been blown away by The Book of Disquiet and his poetry (what I've read of it so far) is also excellent. A writer I feel one could truly say is 'unique'.

[PeterL]

The very most underrated is almost certainly someone that none of us have ever heard of.

Of the ones I know, G.C. Edmondson is certainly the least recognised great writer.

[crusoe]

There is a brand of olive oil named Dante?

yes, even with "his head" on the label. And if you don't like his works, you can toss him on your salad. At last a writer with a real use, hahahaha

[crusoe]

I remember St.Lukes used to have a signature with an Ovid quote: "There is no difference between the man who does not read good books and the man who cannot read good books". And I agree with him. The majority of our western population is illiterate, and it would be cruel and unjust to expect more from them. But amongst the literate community, I have yet to hear anyone who would claim that Dante is not amongst Literature's finest. Of course one could say that anglo-phones value Shakespeare above Dante too much, but then again calling Napoleon a greater general than Alexander, or vice versa is hardly over or underrating one or the other.

What "literate Community" ? There are many. The Cyberpunk "Literary Community" would p..s on your statement and the 19th Century french Naturalists wouldn't give one fig about your Dante...so ?
Hype, Turds and circling flies....hey, that's a great title for my upcoming Dante Olive-Oil Biography.
Get off the hype

[crusoe]

Yes, Dante and George Eliot are monstrously under-rated.

Reading her name in a crossword-puzzle isn't exactly "over-rated"...

[WICKES]

I agree with everything here... except for your underestimating Oscar Wilde Voltaire is grossly underrated in the English-speaking world... largely, one suspects, because of the tensions or animosities that existed between England and France during that period of time. Looking at the collections of the Louvre and the National Gallery of London you will discover that both the great French and British museums house little by the most important artists of their rival nation from the same period as when Voltaire lived.

Candide blew me away. I just couldn't believe (and still find it hard to believe) that that novel was written in 1759. It could have been written yesterday. In fact, I think it's still ahead of its time.

Wilde is an interesting figure. He divides the room. I remember seeing the professor of poetry at Oxford (an Irishman) on an arts review show talking about Wilde. He thought him absurdly [I]over[I]rated. In fact, he thought only one work would survive and that was the Ballad of Reading Gaol. I'm in no position to judge, but I do think Wilde is revered as much for what he symbolizes to people as for what he wrote. I live in England, where everything, from kids TV to newspapers etc have been dumbed down over the last few decades. Life is increasingly shallow, crude, aggressive, ugly and materialistic. Things seem to be speeding up as well: there are more and more people, houses, noise and distractions. In such a world, Wilde seems like a refuge- a little oasis of elegance, class and civilization. He gives people a world of ultra sophisticated, intelligent people who have wonderfully urbane, civilized conversations in beautiful, polished language. We have two successful TV dramas running here atm, both set in the Edwardian period (one is a dramatisation of Parade's End). It is as if people are yearning for a more peaceful and civilized time. I don't know if it's the same in places like the USA, France and Canada?

I kind of share that logning. But I prefer Aldous Huxley to Wilde. His early novels give you all the brilliant conversation and wit you could ever want. But Huxley, though he certainly knew his literature, never gets carried away into aestheticism. Huxley was a true polymath who knew his science as thoroughly as his literature. This was a guy who got a first in Literature at Oxford, but who was descended from T H Huxley (Darwin's closest ally) and was the brother of Julian Huxley, one of the most important evolutionary biologists of the mid 20th century. And it shows. He has an amazing, dazzling breadth of knowledge and is just endlessly exciting. But I think it's his profound knowledge of science as well as literature that sets him apart. Most great writers know their literature, but few are also first class scientists.

I heard someone on the radio just yesterday say that, in his opinion, J G Ballard was the most important novelist in the English language of the late 20th century and one of the few who would stand the test of time. I've never read a word of him myself.

[Alexander III]

I saw this on the interwebz today and thought it would be nice to share:

[Pierre Menard]

^^^
Haha, that is great. Where did you find it Alex?


A girl I quite like recently told me she loved Bukowski. Fortunately her excellent taste in film balanced that out.

[tonywalt]

I'd love to meet a girl who loves Bukowski! They must be at least extremely cool, if not - then so much more!