Top 100 Writers - #1

[Qaphqa]

On these forums, there are many discussions concerning the "Greatest _________ of All Time" and comparisons between writers. However, most of the former are often 10 pages of top 10 lists, and rarely offer much actual discussion. As for the latter, most comparisons are often restricted to those of the same nationality/time period/genre/etc. I propose to remedy both shortcomings with an ongoing series of threads dedicated to determining the top 100 writers of all time (according to these forums). Any writer, be they a novelist, poet, philosopher, essayist, etc. can be voted for. Anonymous writers (epics, medieval lit, etc.) can also be voted for, even if a particular work has more than one author (ex. the Bible).

The voting format is as follows: A new thread will be created after a completed round of voting dedicated to a slot on the alltime list. Voting will take place throughout the next 7 days, so as to promote discussion and not clutter up the first page of threads with too many of these threads. One vote per person.

In case of a tie, votes from the previous round will determine the winner.

Comments and suggestions are welcome.


Now please vote for the #1 writer of all time!

[Hank Stamper]

yes - what the world absolutely needs is another list ;)

my vote is Hunter S Thompson.

[bazarov]

On these forums, there are many discussions concerning the "Greatest _________ of All Time" and comparisons between writers. However, most of the former are often 10 pages of top 10 lists, and rarely offer much actual discussion.

De gustibus est non disputandum :)

My vote goes to Fyodor Dostoevsky.

[JBI]

Honestly - there are far too many of these threads surfacing these days.

If a book is still being published today, and it is 100 years old, chances are it contains some literary merit. The only thing of interest in such polls as this, is finding out new books, that people haven't heard about, as you have clearly stated, it's the same books coming up over and over again.

These polls tend to just bring a few names to the top of a list, which most people already know about, and have perhaps already read. The statuses of such books aren't really up for dispute, as they have proved themselves lasting, and therefore such polls just bring the standard answers back into the picture.

I am curious as to what effect these "all time lists" have on people. I know several people here, including myself, have been effected by Bloom's list, but even that has had rather minimal impact, in the sense that most books on that list are generally well known, and would have been discovered regardless. These lists merely get people choosing their favorite works, and waiting for the same names to pop up.

Classic books don't need to be put on a top ten list, as they already have classic status, and therefore haven't disappeared yet, and probably won't later.

[Dark Muse]

Well this probably will not be a surprise to anyone, but I have to say

Edgar Allan Poe

[SirRaustusBear]

JBI you're probably right, but who doesn't enjoy a good list?

Jack Kerouac

[stlukesguild]

The lists may be fun for a while... and as JBI suggests... useful when one is first exploring the world of literature... but after a while they wear thin. Declarations that this or that author is better than another is not why we read. Its not about the standings as if we were discussing a pennant race. After a while one longs for the true "meat and potatoes"... a discussion about works of literature that put forth something along the line of an analysis... interpretation... comparison... Yes. We all know that Dante and Cervantes and Dostoevsky and Shakespeare are great writers. So why does it seem that we rarely get around to actually discussing the works... to posting outtakes and sharing with each other our thoughts and interpretations. Again and again we have someone post statements about how Melville is so boring. Then prove it already! Show me that horrible, boring prose and perhaps someone else... as JBI suggests... will show you the transcendent, almost visionary poetic prose passages. Surely it must be possible to attempt a dialog about the literature that we all admittedly are so passionate about that goes into a greater degree of depth than "Melville is boring" or "Dostoevsky is great."

For anyone interested... quasi has been attempting to spur on just such a discussion in the reborn poetry group, where we are currently delving into Theodore Roethke.

[Dark Muse]

Your thoughts are valid, but if that is how you feel, than why do you not start your own thread disucssing such things you wish to, instead of simply finding every list thread that is posted just to talk about how much you dislike lists. I do not find lists to be truly harmful and if others enjoy them, then allow them to do so. In the meantime, you can still focus your time in developing more seirous discussion so everyone might be happy at least to a point.

[Etienne]

Anyways a list with Jack Kerouac and Hunter Thompson listed as two of the greatest 100 writers of all time will almost necessarily be worthless. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy both these authors, but among the greatest of all time? That's not even being serious.

[Hank Stamper]

Anyways a list with Jack Kerouac and Hunter Thompson listed as two of the greatest 100 writers of all time will almost necessarily be worthless. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy both these authors, but among the greatest of all time? That's not even being serious.

lists are just people's opinions, and that is mine

we are talking about writers, not just authors... hunter s thompson is 100% not the best author (as in novelist) of all time, but in my opinion, as a writer/journalist he is unrivaled

good writing in my opinion is as much about personality/individualism as style and technique, which is why I would defend the inclusion of Thompson (and Kerouac) in any list of the 100 best writers...

[Etienne]

Well that makes you wrong :D I'm sorry for those who think this is all subjective - it is not - there is a great deal of objectivity.

[Hank Stamper]

Well that makes you wrong :D I'm sorry for those who think this is all subjective - it is not - there is a great deal of objectivity.

and i am merely challenging that objectivity :D

i like to draw my own conclusions based on my own reading experiences, rather than what some dead white male tells me is good or bad

[Etienne]

i like to draw my own conclusions based on my own reading experiences, rather than what some dead white male tells me is good or bad

I'm very well alive! ;)

But if you agree there is objectivity, then you could demonstrate why Thompson and Kerouac are among the best 100 (!) writers EVER j(!!).

[JBI]

If you can do top 200 I'll give you the cookie :P. Nah, really, the truth is, certain books become culture icons with certain age/culture groups.

Take a good book, Steppenwolf for example, by Herman Hesse. The book has a cult-following amongst people who read it when they were 16-20 years old. Historically the book was an hippie book, that is to say, a book admired by the counter-culture movement, and therefore became a cult book. This, I believe, allowed the transfer to the new generation, giving a certain group of young males a novel which specifically speaks to them.

The same is with Thompson, and Kerouac. The spoke to their generation, and the older generation seems to be dragging them to their offshoots (streaks of the Beat generation appear in our culture, and certain "types" of people contain more elements in their lifestyles than others). Because of this, objectivity can't even be questioned.

Taste like that isn't objectivity. I think the only objective taste we can have is that of an universal appeal, but even that is rare. In truth, Hemmingway appeals more to men, I would say Jane Austen appeals more to women, not because of the work, but because of our social infrastructure. Kerouac and Thompson appeal to a smaller group, and therefore seem not to gain as much credit, as the books represent a political movement more than humanity.

[SirRaustusBear]

I put Kerouac because he is my favorite author, and I am moved more by his writing than anyone else I have read. I wasn't voting for the most technically proficient author. A list of favorites would demonstrate who posters on this board really like the best, rather than just a repeat of every other best authors list that inevitably goes
3. Dante
2. Homer
1. Shakespeare

And I'm not suggesting this become a list of guilty pleasures (If Dan Brown or Stephen King appears on the list I would be dissappointed). I hope that members of this board have enough reading experience that they actually enjoy good literary authors more than commercial fiction.

[Hank Stamper]

I'm very well alive! ;)

But if you agree there is objectivity, then you could demonstrate why Thompson and Kerouac are among the best 100 (!) writers EVER j(!!).

well to properly challenge that objectivity i would need to know the exact facts why they are considered not good writers, not opinions, facts... because when it comes down to the nuts and bolts of it, objectivity is always based on somebody else's (probably dead) subjectivity

[Hank Stamper]

I put Kerouac because he is my favorite author, and I am moved more by his writing than anyone else I have read. I wasn't voting for the most technically proficient author. A list of favorites would demonstrate who posters on this board really like the best, rather than just a repeat of every other best authors list that inevitably goes
3. Dante
2. Homer
1. Shakespeare

And I'm not suggesting this become a list of guilty pleasures (If Dan Brown or Stephen King appears on the list I would be dissappointed). I hope that members of this board have enough reading experience that they actually enjoy good literary authors more than commercial fiction.

this is the nail on the head. if everybody's favourite writer was who we are supposed to like best then it would be shakespeare, homer (never existed anyway), dante (maybe!) ... (or whatever the dead white male list tells us is best)... what the point of this pointless list is, who in YOUR opinion is the best WRITER ever.

still Hunter S. Thompson. Sorry. Read The Great Shark Hunt and Songs of the Doooooooomed.

[Hank Stamper]

Take a good book, Steppenwolf for example, by Herman Hesse.

we agree on something! :flare:

[Qaphqa]

After reading some of the criticisms of my thread idea, I must say that I agree. While I thought it could just be a fun thing to do, it appears that it was the final list-thread to break this board's back. And so with respect to the opinions of the board, I withdraw this idea. If anyone else wants to do this thing, fine, but I don't really feel like mantaining it.

[Hank Stamper]

After reading some of the criticisms of my thread idea, I must say that I agree. While I thought it could just be a fun thing to do, it appears that it was the final list-thread to break this board's back. And so with respect to the opinions of the board, I withdraw this idea. If anyone else wants to do this thing, fine, but I don't really feel like mantaining it.

courage of one's convictions.... just because a couple of people don't agree with you, doesn't mean you should agree with them

[Qaphqa]

courage of one's convictions.... just because a couple of people don't agree with you, doesn't mean you should agree with them

Well another thing, this would take two years to do, and I wouldn't want to run this thing that long if there is little enthusiasm.

[Petrarch's Love]

I'll vote for "Colin Clout" ;) (might as well give people something to google)