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Who is the greatest writer of all time?

Discussion in 'BBS Hangout' started by what, Jul 23, 2015.

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  1. what

    what Member

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    I'm just going to point out a few things that while Shakespeare is probably the most quoted writer of all time, Henry James is probably the most influential writer of all time. Especially as it relates to form. I think when you few it from the greatest single work of all time, guys like Tolstoy, Melville, Joyce, Proust come to mind.


    Probably my favorite writer is Ralph Ellison or Andre Malraux.
     
    #1 what, Jul 23, 2015
    2 people like this.
  2. CometsWin

    CometsWin Breaker Breaker One Nine

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    You are, pshaw.
     
    #2 CometsWin, Jul 23, 2015
  3. VanityHalfBlack

    VanityHalfBlack Member

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    I vote op
     
    #3 VanityHalfBlack, Jul 23, 2015
  4. what

    what Member

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    you must be extremely well-read, I applaud your literary acumen
     
    #4 what, Jul 23, 2015
  5. Mr. Clutch

    Mr. Clutch Member

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    Mark Twain
     
    #5 Mr. Clutch, Jul 23, 2015
  6. bobloblaw

    bobloblaw Member

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    Cormac McCarthy is the greatest writer of our generation.
     
    #6 bobloblaw, Jul 23, 2015
  7. percicles

    percicles Member

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    Borges
     
    #7 percicles, Jul 23, 2015
  8. Richie_Rich

    Richie_Rich Member

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    Фёдор Миха́йлович Достое́вский

    a.k.a. Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoyevsky
     
    #8 Richie_Rich, Jul 23, 2015
  9. percicles

    percicles Member

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    Tell us how you handled prohibition then bobloblaw
     
    #9 percicles, Jul 23, 2015
  10. what

    what Member

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    I'm not a big fan of Mark Twain. He was far too cynical of a writer, if you peal back the layers of his stories, he could have been (and was) the Jon Stewart of his day.

    Incidentally, I'm not a big fan of Jon Stewart either. Hell, I think Stephen Crane had more to say and said more in the Red Badge of Courage than Twain said in all of his works.
     
    #10 what, Jul 23, 2015
  11. what

    what Member

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    he's really good, no doubt.
     
    #11 what, Jul 23, 2015
  12. what

    what Member

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    Guys like paul auster, tobias wolff, don delillo, james salter and frankly raymond carver would object to that.
     
    #12 what, Jul 23, 2015
  13. percicles

    percicles Member

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    Toni Morrison too
     
    #13 percicles, Jul 23, 2015
  14. what

    what Member

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    another black female writer who gets overlooked because she writes a lot of urban female romance novels is Terry McMillan.

    People who think that's all she does should read Mama.
     
    #14 what, Jul 23, 2015
  15. heypartner

    heypartner Member

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    There is only one writer who has outsold Shakespeare,,,anyone know?

    They are the only two who have surpassed $1b, and they are listed somewhere between $2 and $4 billion (depending upon how you measure), putting them 2.5x to 4x higher than the third highest seller.

    Agatha Christie
     
    #15 heypartner, Jul 23, 2015
  16. Buck Turgidson

    Buck Turgidson Member

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    God? ;)
     
    #16 Buck Turgidson, Jul 23, 2015
  17. heypartner

    heypartner Member

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    We aren't talking about the non-fiction list. See, even the Guinness Book of World Records believes God isn't fiction. :p
     
    #17 heypartner, Jul 23, 2015
  18. Nook

    Nook Member

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    Sorry but it is still William Shakespeare... He is just a timeless giant.
     
    #18 Nook, Jul 23, 2015
  19. ipaman

    ipaman Member

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    Sir Francis Bacon
     
    #19 ipaman, Jul 23, 2015
  20. Jontro

    Jontro Member

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    Best western civilization writer?

    If we include the East and South... I still think OP is the greatest.
     
    #20 Jontro, Jul 24, 2015
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