I’m sure they’ll be those that disagree, and to be honest, I’d probably agree with the reasons. I just think, overall and by average, he’s the greatest living author.
balki42069 on
Purely based on comedy I’d have to go with David Brooks.
rapbarf on
Art is entirely subjective so there’s no way to quantify it. The only thing you can is by seeing things such as best-selling, which is barely an indicator of skill considering Dan Brown has sold more than Don DeLillo (my pick) ever could.
chrisrevere2 on
It’s a matter of taste I suppose, but I’m throwing Abraham Verghese’s hat in that ring.
AntisocialDick on
It’s a matter of taste.
(Stephen King though).
BobbittheHobbit111 on
Yeah, unless you talk a specific metric, it’s 100% down to taste.
Greatest Kickstarter- Brandon Sanderson
Most copies sold in a week- Rebecca Yarros
Number of books written- don’t actually know, and people like James Patterson don’t count because he doesn’t actually write most of the books he’s credited with anymore(and probably almost never did, but that’s personal opinion not fact)
Affectionate-Point18 on
Rushdie
athenadark on
Guy Gavriel Kay – he writes what he calls historical fiction with a quarter turn to the fantastic
His books deal with the fall out of a single action across several characters and political spheres
I have never been disappointed
dee-three on
Matter of taste. Some of the authors from past, who are now considered to be the greatest, were rejected by the people of their time. No way to quantify the greatest. The books can be objectively good or bad, but who is the greatest at the moment is a matter of individual taste.
PsyferRL on
Objectively a matter of taste. He’s not living, but my favorite example of this debate is Kurt Vonnegut.
His writing is objectively simple. His word choice, his prose/dialog/narration, it’s very straightforward. But what impresses me about his writing is the way he takes profound philosophical debates and makes them not just palatable, but *enjoyable* to read about (in my opinion of course). He has a remarkable understanding of the human psyche on an individual and societal level, but few people have both that AND the ability to put that understanding into a cohesive novel that people want to read. That, and his (again in my opinion) masterful comedic timing make him one of the greatest authors of all time for my personal tastes. But for others, the aforementioned simplicity in word choice and character interaction justifiably detracts from their own reading experience in favor of others who develop more depth with their language, settings, and characterization. Examples I’ve heard before of authors people may prefer over Vonnegut for this exact reason include the likes of John Steinbeck and Joseph Heller.
wrathfulpotatochip on
There is no objectivity when it comes to art and literature. There are classics that everyone agrees are wonderful, and that in itself urges us to ask the question of how bias plays a role in analyzing and critiquing books. But to quantify “greatness”? That does not seem possible, I reckon.
You mentioned King. While I find some of his ideas unique, his execution and writing style is revolting to me. Not to mention his hideous descriptions of women.
ResurgentClusterfuck on
Currently? Stephen King.
sbucksbarista on
Personally I think Ottessa Moshfegh is a genius
Prestigious_Sea_5234 on
Miranda July!!
blackberrymousse on
I think it’s a matter of taste because for me it would be one of the following: Margaret Atwood, Kazuo Ishiguro, or Ian McEwan but there are plenty of people who wouldn’t agree with any of those authors.
spicyface on
Right now, for me…it’s Liu Cixin. I just finished the Three Body Problem trilogy. I love sci-fi and this series just took it’s place on my Mt. Everest for books. Absolutely unique and mind blowing.
Udy_Kumra on
Joe Abercrombie. I feel like this guy has a masterful control over POV and character voice, to a degree few other authors in history have accomplished in my opinion.
Books1845 on
It’s Pynchon
Shocked at Stephen King answers
ChrisGoddard79 on
Stephen king.
He’s written a lot of garbage but he has to have the most amount of greatest books out there.
Pewterbreath on
There is no greatest. I like to think of it like Marlon Brando put it: *That’s a part of the sickness in America, that you have to think in terms of who wins, who loses, who’s good, who’s bad, who’s best, who’s worst… I don’t like to think that way. Everybody has their own value in different ways, and I don’t like to think who’s the best at this.*
No author is good at everything, there’s plenty of room for many of them, when we make it into some sort of ranking contest nobody wins.
I_Am_Moe_Greene on
A lot of folks will say King. I would argue, though, on the non-fiction side, it is Erik Larson. His books are masterful.
22 Comments
For now, I’d go with Stephen King.
I’m sure they’ll be those that disagree, and to be honest, I’d probably agree with the reasons. I just think, overall and by average, he’s the greatest living author.
Purely based on comedy I’d have to go with David Brooks.
Art is entirely subjective so there’s no way to quantify it. The only thing you can is by seeing things such as best-selling, which is barely an indicator of skill considering Dan Brown has sold more than Don DeLillo (my pick) ever could.
It’s a matter of taste I suppose, but I’m throwing Abraham Verghese’s hat in that ring.
It’s a matter of taste.
(Stephen King though).
Yeah, unless you talk a specific metric, it’s 100% down to taste.
Greatest Kickstarter- Brandon Sanderson
Most copies sold in a week- Rebecca Yarros
Number of books written- don’t actually know, and people like James Patterson don’t count because he doesn’t actually write most of the books he’s credited with anymore(and probably almost never did, but that’s personal opinion not fact)
Rushdie
Guy Gavriel Kay – he writes what he calls historical fiction with a quarter turn to the fantastic
His books deal with the fall out of a single action across several characters and political spheres
I have never been disappointed
Matter of taste. Some of the authors from past, who are now considered to be the greatest, were rejected by the people of their time. No way to quantify the greatest. The books can be objectively good or bad, but who is the greatest at the moment is a matter of individual taste.
Objectively a matter of taste. He’s not living, but my favorite example of this debate is Kurt Vonnegut.
His writing is objectively simple. His word choice, his prose/dialog/narration, it’s very straightforward. But what impresses me about his writing is the way he takes profound philosophical debates and makes them not just palatable, but *enjoyable* to read about (in my opinion of course). He has a remarkable understanding of the human psyche on an individual and societal level, but few people have both that AND the ability to put that understanding into a cohesive novel that people want to read. That, and his (again in my opinion) masterful comedic timing make him one of the greatest authors of all time for my personal tastes. But for others, the aforementioned simplicity in word choice and character interaction justifiably detracts from their own reading experience in favor of others who develop more depth with their language, settings, and characterization. Examples I’ve heard before of authors people may prefer over Vonnegut for this exact reason include the likes of John Steinbeck and Joseph Heller.
There is no objectivity when it comes to art and literature. There are classics that everyone agrees are wonderful, and that in itself urges us to ask the question of how bias plays a role in analyzing and critiquing books. But to quantify “greatness”? That does not seem possible, I reckon.
You mentioned King. While I find some of his ideas unique, his execution and writing style is revolting to me. Not to mention his hideous descriptions of women.
Currently? Stephen King.
Personally I think Ottessa Moshfegh is a genius
Miranda July!!
I think it’s a matter of taste because for me it would be one of the following: Margaret Atwood, Kazuo Ishiguro, or Ian McEwan but there are plenty of people who wouldn’t agree with any of those authors.
Right now, for me…it’s Liu Cixin. I just finished the Three Body Problem trilogy. I love sci-fi and this series just took it’s place on my Mt. Everest for books. Absolutely unique and mind blowing.
Joe Abercrombie. I feel like this guy has a masterful control over POV and character voice, to a degree few other authors in history have accomplished in my opinion.
It’s Pynchon
Shocked at Stephen King answers
Stephen king.
He’s written a lot of garbage but he has to have the most amount of greatest books out there.
There is no greatest. I like to think of it like Marlon Brando put it: *That’s a part of the sickness in America, that you have to think in terms of who wins, who loses, who’s good, who’s bad, who’s best, who’s worst… I don’t like to think that way. Everybody has their own value in different ways, and I don’t like to think who’s the best at this.*
No author is good at everything, there’s plenty of room for many of them, when we make it into some sort of ranking contest nobody wins.
A lot of folks will say King. I would argue, though, on the non-fiction side, it is Erik Larson. His books are masterful.
Elena Ferrante. Whoever they are.