Which father/mother of literature do you consult?

[burntpunk]

Slap. Bang. I'm James Bond, no I'm not, but I'm going to give you a hypothetical situation. You've written your magnum opus, it epitomises everything you believe in thematically. Hypothetically, it is the great book ever written, let's just say that. Every department is perfect, and you layer the cake even higher.

Who do you ask for the quote on the dustjacket? Alive, it'd be between, Chuck Palahniuk, Thomas Pynchon, Gore Vidal, Gabriel García Márquez, Philip Roth. I'd probably settle for my elderly friend Gore Vidal.

Dead. Well, J.D Salinger (where in the world is he?), George Orwell, Aldous Huxley and Jack Kerouac would all come in the equation. I'd settle for Orwell, I think.

[prendrelemick]

Alive, The Queen. Then I'd be by Royal Appointment.

Dead, Tolstoy- should be worth a few thousand extra sales (philistine, thats me.)

[Dr. Hill]

Alive- Would have been Kurt Vonnegut, but he went and died didn't he? Christopher Hitchens

Dead- Dostoevskii.

[amalia1985]

Alive- Umberto Eco
Dead- Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Emily Bronte.

[sixsmith]

Alive: Probably Philip Roth. He seems to be the jealous type who only begrudgingly gives praise. Other hopefuls might be David Mitchell and Martin Amis.


Dead: Shakespeare could do wonders for sales. Though i'd prefer a glowing endorsement from Camus. "This novel gave me the strength to get through another absurd day" or something.

[motherhubbard]

Dead- Victor Hugo

Alive- I don't know. I don't read much recent stuff. I'll say Ruby K. Payne, but only because the Queen is already working on Prendrelemick's book.