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Who is the greatest living American author?
Posted: 2009.06.03 (00:01)
by otters~1
After some deliberation, I decided the answer is that there aren't any, so I turned to you guys.
This is in Debate so we can ridicule everyone else's nominees.
Good day.
Re: Who is the greatest living American author?
Posted: 2009.06.03 (01:02)
by pinballwizard96
Mark Twain - ranges from light to dark and serious to sarcastic.
Re: Who is the greatest living American author?
Posted: 2009.06.03 (01:06)
by SlappyMcGee
pinballwizard: Mark Twain is no longer with us. I hate to be the guy to tell you.
Thomas Pynchon, all over the place.
Re: Who is the greatest living American author?
Posted: 2009.06.03 (01:10)
by Studebacher Hoch
As I maintain William Gibson's status as a Canadian, I give this one Tom Robbins.
Neal Stephenson gets an HM from me, even though he only has two good books.
Also, pinballwizard96... Any rumours you've heard of Mark Twain's death, aren't.
Re: Who is the greatest living American author?
Posted: 2009.06.03 (02:16)
by KinGAleX
Larry McMurtry!
Lonesome Doooooove.
Re: Who is the greatest living American author?
Posted: 2009.06.03 (02:41)
by otters~1
DemonzLunchBreak wrote:Dan Brown
amirite?
Oh I forgot. No mentioning Dan Brown.
EDIT: Also, I was thinking of Stephen King. That's when I gave up.
Re: Who is the greatest living American author?
Posted: 2009.06.03 (02:58)
by pinballwizard96
lol missed "living"
Re: Who is the greatest living American author?
Posted: 2009.06.03 (04:32)
by Tanner
William Gibson? Canadian.
Neil Gaiman? British.
Isaac Asimov? Dead.
Arthur C. Clarke? Dead.
Pynchon it is.
Re: Who is the greatest living American author?
Posted: 2009.06.03 (04:56)
by blue_tetris
William Gibson, who is a sort of American.
Re: Who is the greatest living American author?
Posted: 2009.06.03 (13:32)
by Shark
Orson Scott Card. Hands down.
Re: Who is the greatest living American author?
Posted: 2009.06.03 (15:34)
by scythe
DemonzLunchBreak wrote:Dan Brown
amirite?
Dan Brown novels are to old people what Twilight is to teenage girls.
Re: Who is the greatest living American author?
Posted: 2009.06.03 (16:14)
by unoriginal name
I'd say David Foster Wallace if he hadn't killed himself last year. As is, I'm torn between Pynchon and J.D. Salinger, who is still alive, as far I know.
Re: Who is the greatest living American author?
Posted: 2009.06.03 (16:18)
by Tanner
Shark wrote:Orson Scott Card. Hands down.
I'm saving OSC for the "Who is the biggest douchebag and a living American author?" thread.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orson_Scot ... onal_views
Re: Who is the greatest living American author?
Posted: 2009.06.03 (19:38)
by SlappyMcGee
gloomp wrote:I'd say David Foster Wallace if he hadn't killed himself last year. As is, I'm torn between Pynchon and J.D. Salinger, who is still alive, as far I know.
Woot reclusive authors!
Re: Who is the greatest living American author?
Posted: 2009.06.03 (20:35)
by otters~1
gloomp wrote:As is, I'm torn between Pynchon and J.D. Salinger, who is still alive, as far I know.
There. I knew I'd forgotten
someone. Thanks gloomp. I'm not sure Salinger has written enough to count, but I haven't read any Pynchon. I'll get right on that.
PS: I asked my English teacher a while back and she said Cormac McCarthy.
Re: Who is the greatest living American author?
Posted: 2009.06.04 (00:54)
by unoriginal name
flagmyidol wrote:gloomp wrote:As is, I'm torn between Pynchon and J.D. Salinger, who is still alive, as far I know.
Thanks gloomp. I'm not sure Salinger has written enough to count,
Nearly all of what he's written is brilliance in letter form. He certainly "counts."
Re: Who is the greatest living American author?
Posted: 2009.06.04 (04:50)
by otters~1
gloomp wrote:flagmyidol wrote:gloomp wrote:As is, I'm torn between Pynchon and J.D. Salinger, who is still alive, as far I know.
Thanks gloomp. I'm not sure Salinger has written enough to count,
Nearly all of what he's written is brilliance letters. He certainly "counts."
Letters? I thought it was short stories. But I agree with you--he's the man.
Re: Who is the greatest living American author?
Posted: 2009.06.04 (14:15)
by SlappyMcGee
Re: Who is the greatest living American author?
Posted: 2009.06.04 (14:17)
by unoriginal name
flagmyidol wrote:Letters? I thought it was short stories. But I agree with you--he's the man.
Heh, I sorta of rushed that post, but I've clarified it.
Anyway, he did mostly write short stories and novellas, but he also has
Catcher in the Rye, and
Franny and Zooey is often considered a single work.
Re: Who is the greatest living American author?
Posted: 2009.06.04 (20:49)
by kkstrong
I'm quite fond of Christopher Paolini.
Re: Who is the greatest living American author?
Posted: 2009.06.05 (22:02)
by Sniperwhere
I'm surprised that Ray Bradbury has not yet been mentioned.
Re: Who is the greatest living American author?
Posted: 2009.06.05 (23:09)
by scythe
Chuck Palahniuk. I'm not a huge fan, but as far as living authors are concerned, he's hard to beat. A few years ago I'd've been able to say Kurt Vonnegut.
Re: Who is the greatest living American author?
Posted: 2009.06.05 (23:54)
by SlappyMcGee
Sniperwhere wrote:I'm surprised that Ray Bradbury has not yet been mentioned.
If the word "greatest" was "most", and if the word "living" was "overrated", and if the word "American" was "Illinois sucks", then yeah, Bradbury ftw.
Re: Who is the greatest living American author?
Posted: 2009.06.06 (01:41)
by T3chno
Douglas Adams - the man lives forever <3.
Re: Who is the greatest living American author?
Posted: 2009.06.06 (03:37)
by Tanner
Techno wrote:Douglas Adams - the man lives forever <3.
Douglas Adams, while he was alive, was British.