railfancwb Posted February 25, 2021 Share Posted February 25, 2021 Who are the greatest writers America has produced? Most lists produced today would probably include Mark Twain and Earnest Hemingway. What about Earl Lyle Stanley Gardner? Edgar Rice Burroughs? Tom Clancy? Louis L’Amour? Clive Cussler? And no doubt numerous other recent and contemporary authors. By what characteristics should an author be judged for possible inclusion? Number of books written? Number sold? In dollars? In count? As a side note, Agatha Christie I believe is British. At one time, and maybe still, her books were third behind the Bible and Shakespeare Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dric902 Posted February 25, 2021 Share Posted February 25, 2021 (edited) Hemingway Twain Fitzgerald Bradbury Capote Salinger (who was really weird) Lovecraft (who was exceedingly weird) Those are favorites off the top of my head Edited February 25, 2021 by Dric902 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valmet Posted February 25, 2021 Share Posted February 25, 2021 (edited) Three of my all-time favorites- Ernest Hemingway (esp his early Nick Adams stuff), Flannery O’Connor, and Larry Brown. Edited February 25, 2021 by Valmet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wyzz Kydd Posted February 25, 2021 Share Posted February 25, 2021 You can't leave Steinbeck of that list, and what about Faulkner? Burroughs or Clancy, I don't think so. Both are pretty one dimensional, though fun to read. I like Stephen King's books, but he's a dick. In no particular order: Steinbeck Hemingway Faulkner Twain Bradbury Herbert Poe Wolfe Vonnegut 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparks Posted February 25, 2021 Share Posted February 25, 2021 All good. Let me add: 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChuteTheMall Posted February 25, 2021 Share Posted February 25, 2021 Tim Cahill Hunter Thompson Dashiell Hammett Raymond Chandler Mickey Spillane Zane Grey Louis L'Amour Mark Twain Ray Bradbury Robert Heinlein H. G. Wells Stephen E. Ambrose Stephen Crane 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChuteTheMall Posted February 25, 2021 Share Posted February 25, 2021 (edited) William Hanna Joseph Barbera Walt Disney Walter Lantz R. Crumb Edited February 25, 2021 by ChuteTheMall 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gwalchmai Posted February 25, 2021 Share Posted February 25, 2021 Let's not forget Michener, Hersey, P.K. Dick, Asimov, Heinlein, and Frank Herbert. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crockett Posted February 25, 2021 Share Posted February 25, 2021 Mark Dice. For saying the current truth. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valmet Posted February 26, 2021 Share Posted February 26, 2021 Ambrose Bierce is pretty good IMO also. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tadbart Posted February 26, 2021 Share Posted February 26, 2021 Twain, Hemingway, and Poe came to my simple mind. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huaco Kid Posted February 26, 2021 Share Posted February 26, 2021 B. Watterson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
railfancwb Posted February 26, 2021 Author Share Posted February 26, 2021 I had forgotten to include Heinlein in my starter list, even though he is one of my favorites. Don’t notice that Arthur C Clark has been mentioned. Margaret Mitchell even though she only wrote one book. Can’t include C S Forester because he is British. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aomagrat Posted February 26, 2021 Share Posted February 26, 2021 Louis Lamour Larry Niven Robert Heinlein Alfred Thayer Mahan James Hornfischer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Eric Posted February 26, 2021 Administrators Share Posted February 26, 2021 25 minutes ago, aomagrat said: Louis Lamour Larry Niven Robert Heinlein Alfred Thayer Mahan James Hornfischer Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle’s Footfall is one of my favorite sci-fi novels 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TBO Posted February 26, 2021 Share Posted February 26, 2021 The bigger question, is there anyone today up to the measure of those listed above? 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Eric Posted February 26, 2021 Administrators Share Posted February 26, 2021 8 minutes ago, TBO said: The bigger question, is there anyone today up to the measure of those listed above? The Democratic Party? They are rewriting history. 1 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tous Posted February 26, 2021 Share Posted February 26, 2021 (edited) A concur for: Dashiell Hammett Raymond Chandler Mickey Spillane Zane Grey Louis L'Amour Mark Twain Ray Bradbury Robert Heinlein Stephen Crane Hunter Thompson was primarily a satirist and though often entertaining, not of the caliber of the above. H. G. Wells was English. I cannot agree with those that include Frank Herbert. I have read much of his work and am unimpressed to the point of boredom. Ambrose is known for biographies; not the stuff of great literature. I would include Robert B Parker, author of the Spenser detective series. He redefined the American detective story in the last half of the 20th century. Did any one mention Larry McMurty? Best known for his Lonesome Dove series, his other works such as Thalia and Duane Moore series are eminently readable and danged good stories. Edited February 26, 2021 by tous 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Eric Posted February 26, 2021 Administrators Share Posted February 26, 2021 If we are doing sci-fi writers as well, how about Poul Anderson, or James Blish, or Robert MaCammon. Or a couple of truly great sci-if writers: Michael Crichton and Harry Harrison. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Historian Posted February 26, 2021 Share Posted February 26, 2021 (edited) This is likely the best book Ive read in the last ten years...and i average about 20 to 30 books a year. There are passages in this book i read...just to admire the craft of writing. This is another outstanding read. Edited February 26, 2021 by Historian 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
holyjohnson Posted February 26, 2021 Share Posted February 26, 2021 Herman Melville.--"He piled upon the whale's white hump the sum of all the general rage and hate felt by his whole race from Adam down; and then, as if his chest had been a mortar, he burst his hot heart's shell upon it." Earnest Hemingway.--" But the old man always thought of her as feminine and as something that gave or withheld great favors, and if she did wild or wicked things it was because she could not help them. The moon affects her as it does a woman, he thought." E.A. Poe.-"The angels, not half so happy in heaven, Went envying her and me- Yes!- that was the reason (as all men know, In this kingdom by the sea) That the wind came out of the cloud by night, Chilling and killing my Annabel Lee." Hawthorn.-"On the breast of her gown, in fine red cloth, surrounded with an elaborate embroidery and fantastic flourishes of gold thread, appeared the letter A." Alex Haley-“The main thing you got to remember is that everything in the world is a hustle.” William S. Burroughs-“You were not there for the beginning. You will not be there for the end. Your knowledge of what is going on can only be superficial and relative” Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tous Posted February 26, 2021 Share Posted February 26, 2021 4 minutes ago, Eric said: If we are doing sci-fi writers as well, how about Poul Anderson, or James Blish, or Robert MaCammon. Or a couple of truly great sci-if writers: Michael Crichton and Harry Harrison. I suggest that American science fiction writers invented the genre, especially during the Golden Age of John Campbell and Lester and Jody Lynn Del Rey. One sci-fi writer I was a huge fan of was Jack Chalker. Yes, his plots were often weird, but his characters were great and his plots and settings engrossing. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MO Fugga Posted February 26, 2021 Share Posted February 26, 2021 Timothy Zahn. Screw y'all who will bash me for being a Star Wars fan, but I find his cerebral and strategic style to be first rate. The guy who created a gnarly supervillain, Grand Admiral Thrawn. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Eric Posted February 26, 2021 Administrators Share Posted February 26, 2021 8 minutes ago, MO Fugga said: Timothy Zahn. Screw y'all who will bash me for being a Star Wars fan, but I find his cerebral and strategic style to be first rate. The guy who created a gnarly supervillain, Grand Admiral Thrawn. He wrote the COBRA series as well. I really enjoyed those books. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gwalchmai Posted February 26, 2021 Share Posted February 26, 2021 Lots of good suggestions here. Based on my very limited experience, I don't think it's possible to narrow it down to one greatest American author. except maybe Thomas Jefferson. Maybe. Oh, and Arthur C. Clarke was a limey (but of course, so was Jefferson when he wrote his best work...) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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