I'm not sure any of them would object to that. I would be disappointed with any author who claims to be the "best." Toni Morrison is aight. Pynchon is another great living author. Melville, Faulkner and McCarthy are my personal favorite American authors.
I do not think statistics work for writers as well as for athletes to determine who is the GOAT Can't just measure that.
This question is stupid and can't be answered. There is NO greater writer of all time. You could ask "which writer was the most influental in changing the worlds literature?" or which writer is your favourite or which writer is the best of the _ century ? or who is the best writer of _ nationality/language ? yes but not who is the best of all time. First of all you can't know how REALLY great a writer is if you don't read it in the original language. One of the most famous persian translators said this "translation is like taking a singing bird , killing it , and eating its meat" .That's what translation does. I first read Shakespear translated and I thought it was crap. I thought how can this be compared to the ancient greek poets?? Only when I read in the original I saw his genious. My most favourite author is Celine. He was a despicable human being and that got his book prohibited from french schools for a while, however the character of the person shouldn't affect the value of his writings especially when in the case of Celine it doesn't pass at all on his work. My second favourite is Proust. I haven't even read in the original language but still the beauty of his books is like a touch of sunlight on the soul. Funny thing is these two are like polar opposite of each other on their influence to my life. From americans my favourite is Nabokov. Especially the "invitation to a beheading". Second favourite american is Faulkner. I have a low opinion on Joyce. And I even read it in english after the translated one. What a waste of time. In my humble opinion he shouldn't even be included on the conversation on the greats. My most despised famous author is Henry Miller. I have absolutely no respect for his books or him.
scarface he can tell stories or drug wars, anal sex, brother's betrayal, drug addiction, mental illnesses, and just chillin on the block i kid you not, and i dare you to find a greater writer
Like what malakas said in so many words, but here are some of my favorite pieces I enjoy in 3 different mediums for 3 different reasons... “Lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins. My sin, my soul. Lo-lee-ta: the tip of the tongue taking a trip of three steps down the palate to tap, at three, on the teeth. Lo. Lee. Ta. She was Lo, plain Lo, in the morning, standing four feet ten in one sock. She was Lola in slacks. She was Dolly at school. She was Dolores on the dotted line. But in my arms she was always Lolita." "No comfort has the fire at night that lights the face so cold." <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NKkRDMil0bw" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
I'm partial to Hemingway even though he's callous and misogynistic. Faulkner wrote incredibly well for a drunk. Shakespeare is of course the greatest user of the English language and this is indisputable. When you think about how limited the language was back then it makes his works all the more impressive.
McCarthy is certainly great and creating a well constructed story with characters that you care about, but I find his actual writing style a little simple to be considered the best of a generation.
Funny thing to me about the above writers, Hemingway and Faulkner. I think I need to come back to their books because I failed at earlier attempts to plow through them. Somehow didn't hold my interest at the time but maybe another try, who knows. Their short stories, however, to me, verge on the sublime: "Snows of Kiliminjaro," "The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber", "A Rose for Emily". Herman Melville's work, whether long or short form: "Moby-Dick," "Bartleby the Scrivener." Truman Capote might have gone in the tank after writing his opus, but "In Cold Blood" is exceptional and gave me nightmares to boot (even if you sometimes gotta wonder where he filled in the blanks). His short stories were also exceptional. Gotta give a shout-out to George Orwell, speaking of short stories: "Marrakesh," "Shooting an Elephant", "A Hanging" (or something like that?) Also his nonfiction work on the Spanish Civil War "Homage to Catalonia". Hmmmm. Gabriel Garcia Marquez. I think I read "Love in the Time of Cholera" in one day. Don't get me started on "One Hundred Years of Solitude", a masterpiece. Flannery O'Connor's short stories. Leo Tolstoy, but you gotta like loooooooooooooong books. It's difficult to list works in translation because so much is lost in the transfer.
