Greatest American Writers

I am writing a paper about Edgar Allen Poe.

I only go to sleep when i read his stories. 3:)

i think he is one of the best and deserves to be number one on this list

Wooooooooo!

He has eerie stories. The Black Cat is a creepy one.

Poe was so ahead of his time, that's how original he was.

Poe, at one point, epitomized the new American Gothic: the latent reaction to the English literary focus that began 200 years before it. However, the suggestion that Poe was an American writer unequaled in international literary influence is ridiculous. There is no documentation or any evidence to support that kind of claim.

i love your poetry... (:

Allan

spell his name right

Tick tock tick tock

He is the greatest American writer, no doubt

Best American writer of all time because of his beautiful prose and experimental writing. Love him or hate him, in regards to literature, there are few who have contributed as much as him.

"Absalom, Absalom!" is the greatest American novel that I've read. It would not be excessive to praise Faulkner as the American Shakespeare, but it would also not do justice to his individuality.

He's really a good writer. PS. Guys, could you write a sgort bio for him? Just a few sentences.

favorite writer. Light in August is my favorite book. As I Lay Dying is awesome. reading sound and the fury.

I see Faulkner, Twain, and Poe as the top 3, in that order. Faulkner's writing provides an intimacy into a character that is unmatched by any writer, save Joyce.

Not only the greatest American writer of all time, but quite possibly the greatest writer of all time bar none.

Greatest of them all.....gave us the vision of the great american disconnect.

not at all...

his prose just blows me away

greatest American writer

Deeply moral and affecting in a deeply American way. Steinbeck's simplicity and accessibility is an amazing strength.

While I recognize it is likely not his best, Of Mice & Men moves me like few others. It seems that some ding Steinbeck for his simplicity, but I think that's the beauty of his work ... So powerful, but in a way that almost all can appreciate.

No one mentioned The Pearl. So simple, yet moving and evocative in its prose.

grapes of wrath, and cannery row where very good reading, east of eden,great also

East of Eden is his best novel.

The Grapes of Wrath - Pulitzer Prize 1939. Of Mice and Men 1937, East of Eden 1952, The Red Pony 1933, Tortilla Flat 1935, Cannery Row 1945, Viva Zapata 1975, etc. 14 books made into movies. Nobel Prize for Literature 1962.

A great writer whose wit and strong abilities continue to astound more than a century after his death. Even his more obscure works--"Innocents Abroad," "Mysterious Stranger" and "Puddinhead Wilson"--remain excellent.

best!

Twain's apercu on the Southern church - in which Huck sells his soul rather than selling out Jim - thereby proving his salvation - is ironically and brilliantly written. Not that the Northern church, other than the Quakers, were much more awake regarding "man and God and law" previous to Uncle Tom's Cabin.

Yes

Yes, he was rather popular in Russia in the 60-ies

I thought the sun also rises,and a farewell to arme where his best

Though I might strike you all as a tad of a hypocrite, spending time commenting on another's opinions of a novel seems, well, and insufficient altercation with your already battered and defensive ego. Adios Amigos

One of the greatest. A geat writer and his life itself makes for a "novel'.

Hemingway being ranked lower than Poe is abominable.

Many of Hemingway's stories are written on the 6th grade level. The reason: He did not elaborate his writing with a lot of adjectives. He wanted to reader to fill in the blanks with their own imagination. He would write a sentence using the word "tree". He left it up to the reader to decide what the tree looked like.

Hemingway doesn't translate well into our time, and For Whom the Bell Tolls was absolutely painful to read. Fitzgerald should be #1.

He's amazing. Truly. I agree with one of the preceding comments: Cormac McCarthy gives me the same fuzzy feeling when I read his work.

known ironically for his dialogue, which is frequently laconic and absurd: "you're lovely dear." "yes" "we'll be lovely together darling." "yes, we will" "have a drink darling." "ok" "oh you're so lovely darling." and so on....this is basically the entire dialogue to 'Farewell to Arms' i do like Hem but he's overrated. he either writes a 4 word sentence or an incoherent one with 6000 "and's" in it. where's the specialness?

I'll say this about Hemingway, he's really easy to read. I'd have him at the bottom part of the top 10.

Hemingway probably wrote the best dialogue of any writer.

Overrated, his work is always good the first time around, but never endures, upon further reading there is really nothing else there.

Changed literature forever. No better short story writer and four of the best American novels ever written. Only Twain had similar impact. No argument.

Probably over-rated. Hemingway's early novels are great; but with the exception of the novella "Old Man and the Sea" which was just a retelling of an actual event from many years earlier, he produced nothing of substance during the last 20 years of his life.

Still no one else in his category, in my view, except for Cormac McCarthy. Always at the top.

The Old Man and the Sea - Pulitzer Prize 1952. The Sun Also Rises 1924, For Whom the Bell Tolls 1940, A Farewell to Arms 1929, The Snows of Kilimanjaro 1936, To Have And Have Not 1937. Several books and stories made into films. The Nobel Prize for Literature in 1954.

I would rank Gatsby and Huckleberry Finn in a tie for number one.

Anyone that could write "The Great Gatsby" should be ranked higher.That was the best american novel ever written.

To say the least, the way in which F.Scott Fitzgerald poses the characters in his stories is in the most poetic sense that any reader has seen, take Amory Blaine as an example. The themes discussed in his novels directly relate to American Literature, far more closely related to true American Writing. Fitzgerald deserves to be in the top three by his sheer will to become the greatest novelist, like he once said.

I agree that Fitzgerald should be ranked higher. His lyrical prose is beautiful and his short story output was simply astounding! He is easier to read than Faulkner,yet Faulkner's sheer genius,his creativity, is amazing. I think that Hemingway is way overrated.....

How is Fitzgerald eleventh!?

The American author who personified struggle not only in his novels, but in his personal life as well. He overcame his adversity to win his wife and put that fierceness into his novels

This Side of Paradise is an exceptional first novel from Fitzgerald at 22, but it is no Gatsby written at the peak of his talent at 28. He never again equalled it nor has any other writer since.

He's the man, This Side of Paradise, perfect American novel

He should be # 1. Especially when you take into count how american his writing is.

By far the greatest

Possibly the most eloquent.

his works, in particular The Great Gatsby, brought to life the American dream and the pursuit of it , in such a way that touches all Americans across generations.

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof - Pulitzer Prize 1955, A Streetcar Named Desire - Pulitzer Prize 1948. The Glass Menagerie 1945, The Night of the Iguana 1961, The Rose Tattoo 1952.

I've read much of McCerthy's books, many twice. He has an amazing range of settings and characters. None of them are very pretty, nor peaceful. They strongly resonate however as part of our collective experience. Great, great stuff. Now he scares us. In 100 years he'll be recognized as one of the best English writers ever.

I love McCarthy. A deeply moving author who is master in his own right. I would agree with those who argue that he is the greatest author OF OUR TIME....I just cringe a little to see him higher than the likes of Fitgerald and Eliot. He is a great american author...just not the GREATEST.

I had never wept when reading or finishing a novel, but I was "shaken", and had to compose myself emotionally after finishing this novel, " The Road". I am well read and did not expect to be so moved. Definetly among the top 5 greatest novels I have ever read, but sadly I haven't read anything else of his YET.

you must be joking

The greatest writer of all time. Period.

Two words: Sunset Limited

"McCarthy is certainly the most readable, but accessibility doesn't necessarily yield greatness". What on earth are you talking about? Of course it's natural to like or not like a particular author according to your taste in literature; themes, style of writing etc. But to say that McCarthy is accessible and also imply that this particular feature is what makes critics and people alike to rank him among the best is preposterous! Outrageous I tell you! Have you read anything other than "No Country for Old Men"? Child of God, perhaps? Blood Meridian? And while we're at it, tell me this: you consider Roth to be a much more difficult author to read than McCarthy?

Not sure what "respects" the first comment refers to. Harold Bloom called McCarthy, Delillo, Roth, and Pynchon the four best writers of our time. McCarthy is certainly the most readable, but accessibility doesn't necessarily yield greatness. Just curious what the other "respects" are.

Definitely in my top 5. Mastered 3 distinct styles. Compare Suttree, Blood Meridian and The Road, each compelling in their own way, and each as good as anything written here in the last 30 years.

do you have a relative named CLARE?

CM seems to be in the running for the best fiction writer of our time, certainly the best in the USA in many respects, ranking in the top section, the best of the best, with Faulkner, Hemingway,Flannery O'Connor, James, et al. Read 'Blood Meridian' and find out what i'm talking about.

the best short story writer ever.

It's actually Flannery, not Flanery. She was a great writer, but she's not as much fun to read as some others.

FOC certainly deserves to be a lot higher on this list that #43. Read 'Wise Blood' and "A Good Man Is hard To Find," and you'll see what i mean. Good, hard, tough, and philosophical [deep, in other words]. Most heartless bad guy i ever read about --- just pure evil ["A Good Man..."]. jmc

since she is one of your favorites, perhaps you might consider spelling her name correctly

punishes the reader.

i had to read his speech for psotmodern authors... oh man! i couldnt have picked a better author i mean this guy is the perfect icon for post post post modernism i have 3 of his books and am in the process of reading them... i know they make your brain hurt but just keep reading because the knowledge you earn in the end is sooo much better then the pain of reading itself :D and i think that is what truly holds you on and keeps you reading just love this guy!

this guy is amazing! he did something most would never dare to do he is on my nostalgic list of people I wanna meet from any time to just talk and learn from i mean this guy is the true definition of 21st centuary post modernsim

a brilliant mind, no doubt. but each book should come with a free bottle of aspirin for the inevitable headaches that follow reading his stuff. distracting pretentiousness, endless digressions and an annoying ambition to out post-modern all other post-modernists, his post, post, post, post modern ramblings are second only to henry miller in the unreadable category.

I would never claim DFW to be the best, but I would not argue with him being in the top 10.

Gifted writer, but for me tragically chose style over substance in his fiction. Supposedly Fun Thing I will never do again? Read Infinite Jest.

Are you kidding? Infinite Jest? Brief Interviews? A Supposedly Fun Thing? He was already the greatest writer of his generation, and he ended his life at 46 just as he was transforming into one of the greatest of American writers.

good at shortstories not novels.

A great writer, but not better than Heinlein, Asimov, LeGuin, or Herbert. Also great as editor of Dangerous Visions anthology

I confess I haven't read a word by this author, but the list we are compiling is Greatest not Favorite - unfortunately I was made to suffer through more Tough Sxxx Eliot than anyone should have to. A hateful, bigoted, rascist, PAB - but where does he rank in the scheme of Greatest, very high up

I would have gone with Ray Bradbury. He influence a good many of those who followed in this genre.

One of the greats. His poems, novellas like "Billy Budd" and stories like "Bartleby" show how diverse his talents were.

Moby-Dick is without a doubt greater than the sum of many of the authors on this list's entire outputs

Moby Dick is one of the most powerful novels in the language. The poetic richness of the prose and the mythic grandeur of the narrative convince me that it is the greatest American book of all

will likely never be widely understood and thus underrated.

Sinclair Lewis should be in the top 10. Winner of Nobel Prize, refused the Pulitzer. Exposed many American myths.

Just read the first three pages of Moby-Dick again....wow!

Definitely one of the best American Novelists, and, in my opinion, should be ranked right below Edgar Allen Poe.

the best of the 20th century--totally unique--as unique with fiction as E.E. Cummings is with poetry.

Read SL 5 and CC . . . Not changed

I'm only 17 and Vonnegut is my favorite author. I've read his top 3 books (we all know those) and just got Sirens of Titan and Mother Night. He's also the King of Satire! RIP

It is Kurt Vonnegut Jr. and please make a note of that. He preferred it with the Jr. Thank you. Captain Anastasia

Greatest American novelist and public intellectual of the 1950's through 1990's.

is kilgore trout on this list? :)

To whoever feels Vonnegut is a "self-impressed' child, I can only question your validity to criticize any literature. Vonnegut was without a doubt one of the greatest authors of all time but you had to be able to following more than one thread per book to appreciate the fact.

In all my reading experience, no writer has ever matched Kurt's ability to say more with fewer words. His writing literally sings off the page to me. I only regret that I've read all his books, some several times and that he's now passed on.

Maybe you two could get together for a cage match.

The idea that Vonnegut does not belong in the top 500 just goes to show how ignorant some people can be. Either this person does not understand his writing, or is a 16-year-old snot. Vonnegut may be the greatest of all American writers. At his best his work is ingaging, thought provoking and hilarous. At his worst his work is only great.

Kurt Vonnegut is a self impressed child who has convinced the world he is brilliant. I wouldn't put him in the top 500.

I feel as if he is the best writer of all time.

possibly the best writer ever. as bold as that sounds, there is no man or woman that wouldn't be changed by Cat's Cradle, Breakfast of Champions, or Slaughter-House Five

Definitely must be higher on the list, in the top ten. We grew up on his stories. Come on guys help me on this. He is much as great as Hemingway, Twain, Dreiser and Poe.

Some of London's best work is political. The Iron Heel, for instance. Parts of Martin Eden. He's known for Call of the Wild, White Fang and some great short stories, but he was a (socialist) radical in many of his other works.

London should be moved up to the top of this list. The Sea Wolf is an all-time classic, well over the head of "children and young readers." No where is the juxtaposition between religion and the existence of a higher power versus atheism more well laid out. Wolf Larsen may be the best literary character ever. We are all "in the yeast."

Young Goodman Brown is one of the best short stories ever.

He is most famous for his novels The Scarlet Letter and The House of the Seven Gables both fantastic novels, but he has written several fine short stories too.

In addition to the first comment, which is right on for the most part, I find it also quite readable today because of its keen descriptive style. While I do admit that I had to keep 'Websters' close at hand for the first couple of reads, I still have not read anyone as descriptive as our illustrious Puritan son!

His best is The Scarlet Letter. It explores the mind of the puritan. The insights of the story are applicable today.

Excellent writer with a wonderful style. Very versatile as he wrote fantasy literature, biography, and history, as well as other literature. Very much overlooked.

One of the fathers of American literature whose work has often been overlooked outside of "Sleepy Hollow" and "Rip Van WInkle." Also a fine biographer and historian. Always a solid craftsman of sentences and paragraphs.

irving washington

Poets and writers should be separated. Make two lists guys.

Far too low down on the list. Should be in the top ten. Probably the greatest American poet in terms of his lyricism and his ability to depict the beauty and suffering of real life. Surely one of the criteria for determining 'greatest' should be the degree to which they have influenced other writers and the enduring nature of their work. These qualities alone should boost his score. What an amazing man he was.

Getting to heaven faster than anyone on this list!

how can you say salinger is dated but whitman is not?

the guest below put it well. read "nine stories" and "franny and zooey", as well as "raise high the roof beam, carpenters and seymour: an introduction" catcher is still a very good, very original novel, but too often readers stop there with salinger.

Catcher has nothing to do with a "disaffected youth." It is about a desperate desire to preserve the innocence of children in a world where to grow up is to lose one's individuality and the qualities of good character, and the subsequent depression that results from such a tragic view of life. Take a look at how Holden interacts children in the book in comparison with the adults, or how any other of his characters interact with children in any of his short stories. "Phoniness" is the only way Caulfield knows to describe the b.s. he sees in the world, something paralleled in his conversations when he admits to a lack of articulation. Salinger is also a master of the third-person narrative and the short story; read Nine Stories.

'Catcher in the Rye' is overrated. If you want disaffected youth, read 'Ask The Dust' by John Fante. A superior novel by a superior writer.

10 spots higher than Jack...20 spots higher than Walt! You have to read this list upside down to get right...

Contextually dead? Are we serious? Pervasive phoniness and the lack of catchers and the subsequent depression in that very few are rising to be catchers, the text is more relevant today than most texts.

Catcher in the Rye seems juvenile in today's context, but in historical terms is a classic. That being said, Salinger's true mastery is in his short stories. Every major university studies his short fiction with exhaustive detail. Anyone who thinks his work is outdated and overrated has clearly only read Catcher.

You are an absolute nut! Franny and Zooey is truly one of the greatest american novels of the 20th century! And the Catcher in the Rye? C'mon! I do agree with you though about Walt Whitman.

Unfortunately, his work is dated and over-rated. Would not put him in the top 50. Also it is a travesty that Walt Whitman is not in the top five.

T.S. Eliot renounced his citizenship. Although born in the US, he died a British citizen.

born and raised in America.

I like Eliot but is he really an American? If so, then we should bring in Henry James. He did not consider himself an American. A fine essayist, great poet and a solid playwright.

Shocking that Eliot is so low down. Really should be in top five. His essays and poetry, for adults and children, are far reaching in their scope and style. A Modernist genius who challenged the face of poetry. 'The Waste Land' alone should get him into the top five. One of the most important poems of the last century. His influence cannot be denied.

Just a matter of opinion, and it's probably going to be seen as prosaic, but "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" is a must-read for anyone who wants to understand American poetry.

Turn of the Screw was a fine work ... That is the one of his which I remember well! Subtle horror, I'd guess, would be its classification...

Dry as a popcorn fart.

The Bostonians and Daisy Miller: A Study capture the essential American expatriates, including those who feel isolated even though they are still in America

Did most of his writing and living in England.

It is shocking (and, might I add, disappointing) to see arguably the greatest essayist of history hardly cracking the top 20...

The "father" of American Literature deserves a top ten position.

I'm writing an essay on you now waldo!

7 poems of hers was published in her life time but she disliked how the publisher edited her work. Some of the poems she wrote were on nature and while her poems seem light and happy many have deep and sometimes dark thoughts.

She was never published in her lifetime. Her sister was her only, posthumous, editor.

She hated editors

He is a very good author and inspires little children even inspires me i like him i thought his name was fake at first then i realized when i looked here on this website it wasn't so sorry for me thinking the name was fake so thank you for being our kids author you really give them good things about the worl in little kid version

inspirational

his writing blows my mind. i want to write like that someday.

He is the best. Others are behind. He is my favourite american writer.

When I was a teen we had a family friend who was an English professor at GWU. He was voted best college teacher of the year. He said Thoreau was not only the best American writer, but one of the best writers in the English language. He said that people from Europe would fly to Boston, drive to Concord, visit the site of his cabin at Walden Pond, and then drive back to Boston and fly back to Europe. He was revered that much there, and around the world. Not only was he a deep and profound philosopher, he was a master of writing.

Beautiful prose, spiritual and uplifting. Far out.

Thoreau? 18??? And no one has even commented on this amazing man? People, please, where are your minds?

Rand's so-called philosophy isn't taught in college philosophy courses and her novels are filled with cardboard characters illustrating her objectivism "philosophy."

top 10? really? i wouldn't even put her in the top 100. she is widely considered to be a bad writer, and her philosophy is ridiculous. if you want to read a great writer who was also a great philosopher, read albert camus, or william gass

Brilliant, very flawed writer. Too extreme to actually live your life by, but makes terrific points on individualism and flaws in past ethical standards. One of my favorites, even though she was kind of crazy...

I have enjoyed Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead. However, whenever I think I want to read something over 3 pages that could be said better in one, Ayn Rand is the first author that comes to mind.

Terrible writer...she elevates nothing....philosophically vacant...she is a narcissistic, manipulative sociopath.

Scrooge and Mr. Gradgrind pretty much covered Ayn Rand's so-called "philosophy" about 100 years before she wrote anything. The thing is, Dickens didn't run around demanding people call him a philosopher.

Brilliant philosopher, terrible literary writer.

pedestrian style, vapid "philosophy"

you make meh giggle.. (:

That's some catch, that Catch-22. Yep. It's the best there is.

liked catch-22, but loathe his annoying habit of assigning 3 adjectives to every noun. it's as if he went back during editing and just filled in unnecessary 50 cent words to meet some sort of maddening quota.

Catch 22 is one of the best books, easy to read, highly amusing, wonderfully constructed, appropriately rated novels of all time. Heller also wrote Closing Time.

Catch-22 figured prominently in a list by the Independent of the most unreadable famous books. I have to agree. I have given up on it again. It is massively dated, poorly constructed, not remotely amusing, although it thinks that it is. Totally overrated. And apparently, no one can think of anything else Heller has written that might justify his inclusion in this list.

To one of the posters: I don't think she was prolific at all. In fact, she'd have to be described as anti-prolific, ala JD Salinger...

"To Kill A Mockingbird" is a great story of a man with a strong moral compass who tries seeking justice for a falsely accused man and does his best to raise his children with sound moral values...told through the "voice" of his daughter.

Probably the most prolific novelist on this board :)

I love her book to kill a mockingbird.

she only wrote one book, and it was mediocre at best. there are a lot of much better writers below her on this list.

i'm doing a paper on youuuu!!!!!!

im reading harper lee book to kill a mocking bird and it is really good book and i love it

with In Cold Blood, he invented faction.

IN COLD BLOOD is most definitely a novel. It was the first of its kind. Although it is based on a true event it is considered a novel.

In Cold Blood is not a novel.

In Cold Blood is one of the finest & cleverest novels of all times. Capote deserves more than a 29!

it's Stephen. great genre writer.

Stephen King is one of the greatest writers of our generation. The Stand is his Magnum Opus, at least thus far.

My favourite author, The Stand, It and Duma Key are masterpieces.

he's good nuff said

He is a great writer. I love the darkness he writes with.

I will not say he is the best because he will never be due to his genre restraints. Personally, I feel he right very vividly and honestly, given any situation, which warrants him a great writer. Will I say he is better than Ginsberg? No, never; however, I will give him a top 25 rating. Bestsellers are one thing, but the reputation to get every book he writes a best seller takes serious dedication and greatness to his craft. I wont say he is the best, but Stephen King is one of the great writers of our generation(1975-2000) and one of the best writers of the past 100 years, way better than 40 on this list.

How can Stephen King not be in the top 20? Whith novels such as It, The Dark Tower, The Stand, Insomnia and even recent top sellers like Under the Dome, Lisey's Story, Duma key and 11/22/63. The list goes on and on. Some of the authors listed above him on this list surely can't compare to Stephen King. Whoever made this list didn't even bother to find out how to spell his name.

Stephen, not Steven. At least that's what it says on the cover of his books.

i dislike this author. i find nothing he writes to be scary in the slightest.

King is a very good writer but,he doesn't belong in the top 20.

best writer ever. by far. have read most of his books and reread them often. tried to find some other good writers, but failed. compared to stephen they suck. if you like stephen king read "it", "eyes of the dragon", "long walk", "misery", "christine". These are exceptionally great.

If being a 'snob' means getting irritated at reading every character's every thought (including the unnecessarily perverse in often historically inaccurate slang) over 500 pages rather than seeing them take action over a terse 200 pages...then, yes, I'm a snob. And Stephen King is an awful writer.

definately a great writer, anyone who says otherwise is a snob.

spell his name right

His name is Stephen please fix this

classical canon of literature my ass :)

Is it not Stephen???

he may not be part of the classical canon of literature however there is no doubt about it that he writes incredibly. His characters are vividly unparalled

punishes the reader.

I would place him much higher on the list

And here ends the credibility to this list. Thomas Pynchon (though some believe John Updike) is the next American favorite for the Nobel Prize in Literature. How could he possibly be beneath Dan Brown and on the same list as J. K. Rowling? Both humorous and scary that American readers prefer Stephen King.

the king of postmodern fiction

good, but not a great poet--fiction is better.

He certainly should never have been below Martin or Rand.

There is no reason why Bukowski shouldn't be number one.

Bukowski's the best poet of his generation. Frank, honest, and polarizing. That, and I love that he wouldn't give a damn if he's on this list or not.

the only reason i scrolled this list was to see if he was included. frequently left off lists like this to leave room for more 'literary' choices, Buk does not get the respect he clearly deserves. i've read almost everyone but i always come back to Bukowski.

Oh come on, I LOVE Buck, absolutely love him, but the best American writer? Idiotic. Somewhere in the top 100 would have been fine with him I'm sure.

i definitely agree with those above. he's either the best writer to come out of our 50 states, or the worst, depending on the reader. you either savor his bleak outlook and lack of faith in humanity, or you can't stand it. i think he should be right up there with hemingway

No one writes like Bukowski, though many have tried. He is in a class of his own and should be hoisted to the top of this list.

Should be number one or not here at all

Why he is at #42 is a mystery. This great award winning writer should be in the Top Ten.....Top Fifteen at the outside.

should not be on the list.

Making this list would be an exhaustable task for me, so I know that I disagree on placement, but as long as my favs aren't overlooked, bravo. Thompson compared to Poe and F. Scott Fitz., tough, such different times, styles, etc. I would put Thompson much higher on the list, but I never cared for Whitman, not to say that he doesn't deserve his placement, but it's so personal sometimes.

#1 New American Writer - america as america (the america I know) seen through his eyes changed my life

A great writer to be sure, but to complain that Hunter S isn't sharing the stage with authors like Poe, Twain or Hemingway is just drug-addled. Hunter S is akin to Slavador Dali, both great artists to be sure, but Dali is mainly appreciated by teenage heads and not serious art afficionados...

Thompson at 32. This is a travesty, This is like putting Michael Jordan as the 32nd basketball player that ever lived

VONNEGUT AND THOMPSON SHOULD BE ATLEAST IN THE TOP TEN.

Seriously? I would think that an author has to be heard of by main stream folks, and for him to be as rated as high as Harper Lee? I think not.

As much as I like others in this genre, he does seem to be the best and most consistent.

Sad that most people only read 'On the Road.' His essays are interesting explorations into language and syntax. Some of his lesser well known novels are also very good. Try 'Tristessa,' 'Visions of Gerard,' 'Lonesome Traveller,' and 'Desolation Angels.' There is far more to Kerouac than the image presented within 'On the Road' and his jazz writing, whether or not you appreciate the youthful content, is a supreme example of writing trying to be innovative in its sounds and rhythms. It captures a spirit and enables the reader to 'feel' the place being described. That is not something that all writers manage, not even good ones.

Yes the ego of us all brings out our beautiful ignorance

Really? Kerouac's lacks a definitive style, his work is for weak-minded pseudo-intellectuals, and hipsters who invoke "On the Road" as their favorite novel. How Walt Whitman is below him perplexes, and frankly disgusts me.

Eastern Philosophy in the Western world is the Beats lasting contribution and Kerouac, Ginsberg, and Burroughs all had to look up to catch a glipse of N.C.

Then Allen Ginsberg deserves to be much higher on the list than JK since his poetry [r]evolutionized so much of what had become staid and stale, whereas K's work, as Truman Capote noted, "That's typing, not writing," as even the briefest comparison of K with TC will quickly and readily reveal. The most lasting contribution of the Beats would seem to be at this juncture, the growing love of marijuana. God bless them all.

Sylvia Plath, one of the greatest poets to have ever lived, deserves far better than 64th on a list of greatest AMERICAN authors! Wow...

I rise with my red hair and I eat men like air -Sylvia Plath Lady Lazarus

Everytime I read Updike I'm left asking myself, how can anyone be this great at writing? I think he is number 1. Not my favorite author - but he's up there. however, he is the best America has produced.

I discovered Updike late in life. Having read widely, I feel confident in saying that in terms of sharing writing ability is number one among Americans.

Probably the best next to Hemingway. Between his style and his narrative sense, he's a master of the craft of fiction. I'm honestly not a huge fan (preferring a more postmodern style), but I can't deny his talent. In fact, two sentences later, I'm going to say that he may even be better than Hemingway.

Updike's fluid prose is better than anyone else's. He was the master.

Sometimes a Great Notion & One Flew Over are two of the greatest tales ever.That man could write!!

Dig a lttle deeper? Several people on this list are but tones of a single voice. " Listen to the river sing sweet song to rock my soul"

Hard to judge Wolfe. He died before he was 40 with only two finished novels and how much was Wolfe and how much was Max Perkins? Goes from lyrical to forgettable in the blink of an eye--but those lyrical scenes are amazing. Certainly deserves better than the mid 40s.

Thomas Wolfe 55? Has to be the top 7 or 8.

London, Hemingway ,Wolf are greatest american writers...

Agree with Faulkner to some degree. He is the best Southern writer ever. Fantastic, always makes my head spin. I guess he is under read. Certainly underrated here.

according to Faulkner, Wolfe was the best American writer

I was worried he might not be here at all... too bad he's so low, but then Wolfe seems to be criminally under rated in general

Not sure why Thomas Wolfe fallen so much out of favor - You

More than any writer I know you have to read Thomas Wolfe out loud! Then he moves to the top of the list.

"Naked and the Dead" is the classic American WW2 novel. Excellent non-fiction writer as his essays, books on politics and boxing and classics like "Armies of the Night" and "Executioner's Song." Generally considered done by 1980 but a lot of his later works deserve closer looks including "Harlot's Ghost" and the overly maligned "Ancient Evenings."

Norman Mailer didn't write "Sophie's Choice." While his later novels are usually ignored, Mailer retain his abilities and his epic visions.

Sophie's choice is the story of the most god-forgiven event of all times. Mailler trods in Sophocles' shadow. Yes this note is much too low!

absurdly low

60: he may have a little guy syndrome the size of Texas, and a chip on his soldier bigger than Alaska, but this guy should easily be in the top 20.

Joseph Conrad was Polish, but he is considered one of the greatest writers in British literature, because he wrote about things the British could identify themselves with or felt disgusted by (only to discover that the disgust was in themselves). Nabokov did the same for American literature (no, I'm not Russian and I'm not trying to include him in this list in spite of anything)

Are we talking about an author's origins or his/her ability to write a masterpiece in English? He adopted America as his Country and the English language as his preferred means to convey the dreams and the disintegration of those dreams within American society, especially in "Lolita". How many American born writers can write as well as he did?

I agree. He is Russian

he's russian...

Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn!

Ah yes! The personal story of love and a woman's determination [read 'love of power and greed'] to achieve the success denied her by the Old South. And by the way, slavery, if addressed at all. "Oh please, Miss Scahlet, could i lick yo toes?" But you're kidding, right? jmc

Pulitzer Prize 1937.

Her stories are remarkable, but she is NOT a major writer. She repeats herself and the plot of the last two novels of the series was weak. I love to read her but she is not a great writer.

This ranking shows how puritan America still is. Miller loved Europe (brr so decadent!), women (brr this is not moral at all) & literature (but not the one you praise).

God, I second that. Miller was the wellspring of all raw, unbridled thought in American letters, and still the most goddamned original of any that followed his giant steps. Any and every artist in any medium, should absorb the body of Henry Miller's work; he is the great example of tapping directly into the individual engine of creation. His writing is alive, swimming even on the page. The instituions of literary criticism have yet to give him his due.

Thank god he made it here. He should be much higher; he laid down the framework for future writers like Kerouac and Ginsberg. Miller told it how it was and Bible belters couldn't handle it so he was banned in the US for 34 years. Now, his books are among the greatest of the 20th century.

Most scholars rate him higher than Faulkner, who is your #1. So much for the integrity of the list.

Bellow, while great, was born in Canada.

This is a Nobel Prize winner; what is he doing this far down on this list?

way low here

Read Herzog and Henderson, the Rain King. He's brilliant and he constructs his works--from individual sentences to the characters themselves--masterfully.

Agreed! Cheever's prose is powerful without a hint of purple.

A better short story writer than a novelist though he did produce some real gems of novels.

One of the few writers who could be called great and still be very comfortably published.

Deep enough to seem primitive.

one of the most intellectual writers of all times. His poems are full of passion.

one of the greatest writers in the world. his "my heart is in highlands", "human comedy" and"hey, who is there?" are on highest level of intellectual and humanitarean level.It"s a shame he's not very well known to public now times.

Amazing writer, too little known today, wrote with a style all his own.

if there are poets on this list, many are better than him.

WHAT?!?!? There is no way that Hughes should be this low.

A Song of Ice and Fire is a very enjoyable read, but the writing is much closer to the level of Rowling or Collins than it is to Updike or Sinclair. Martin's a solid writer who, to his credit, pushes himself to provide great imagery to the reader and often strikes out trying.

ASOIAF is one of the Greatest Fantasy series there is.

A great writer despite a short career. Overlooked as a poet and short story writer with classics like "The Open Boat."

I taught The Age of Innocence when I was an English instructor at a boarding school for girls, and it was the first time I had heard of Edith Wharton. A feminist author way ahead of her time, a great storyteller all readers should know about!

Should be much, much higher. Above Stephen King undoubtedly along with many others on the list. His style and rhetoric defeats many modern writers in consistency when it comes to philosophy, plot, characters, humor...dare I say more?

The maths need fixing by Ratner. Adjusting the Libran scales by minusing (sic) the six. DeLillo is number one.

Should definitely be in the top 10... my vote would be #3 (although I'd rather read her before Twain and Faulkner any day). At least she's ahead of Grisham(?) Silly list

Willa should be at least in the top 20. I would have her around #10, but to have her outside the top 20 is almost as silly as having Stephen King at #18.

Willa should be ranked much higher.Like Steinbeck, her prairie series records an important piece of passing americana. Her novels were continually good, original, and complex ; and she was also her own editor .

this short story writer captures humanity with a quality of mystery and power that is rarely attained in literature. everyone should read carver's stories

Song of Solomon is one of the great novels ever written. Bathe in her prose!

Here in Scotland, her works are cherished. Some of the most beautiful, lyrical prose in modern writing.

The most overrated writer ever, I mean EVER! - Miss Nobody outside USA. All her honours and achievements because Oprah and the colour of her skin.

Indeed the best living American writer to also be canonized!

It seems that you're basing your definition of "best living American writer" by awards for the writer. If that's the case, then maybe Roth seems a better candidate - winner of the Pulitzer, two-time National Book Award winner, and two-time National Book Critics Circle winner. Morrison is unfortunately not regarded by the American literary community as the greatest living writer. Until recently, John Updike held that reputation, and currently Pynchon and McCarthy are being debated heavily.

I still strive to write how she wrote in Song of Solomon, so vivid and lyrical.

Dick is confounding and uneven. Some of his novels are insightful and amazing while others simply are weak. He depended on his pen to make a living and often produced books far below his standards. But when he was on, he was mind blowing.

Dandelion Wine is a splendid book - too often overlooked because it isn't part of the Bradbury sci-fi/horror/dystopia library. It's just a tremendous book about two kids in early 20th century America.

Fahrenheit 451, The Martian Chronicles, The Illustrated Man, Something Wicked This Way Comes,

What more could one want? Well, female prose springs to mind. Or perhaps stories which do not involve academic older men shagging their young attractive students - so obvious, so unoriginal, so dull.

Harold Bloom is right when he says Roth is in the top league of american literature. Postmodernist, masculine, muscular prose. What more could one want?

definitely not Harlem Renaissance!

truly a great writer!

he was born to late to be part of the Harlem renaissance .

from the ivory coast i felt his heartfelt sympathy for women, universal love and even his indulging in feminism. great among the greatest

Today, Uncle Tom's Cabin is viewed as revolutionary and racist. Over the years, the characters, events, and underlying themes have been distorted. However, one cannot dipute the overall impact that Stowe's work had on American Society and the eventual conflit of the Civil war that resulted, in part, from the picture Stowe painted of the cruel and injust system of slavery that plauged the United States. All in all, UTC is a classic American work, and its social impact can be placed in the rankings of Sinclair's The Jungle and Carson's Silent Spring.

The space between Whitman and Kesey should be filled with something a lot bigger than Uncle T's cabin, no?

like Harper Lee, one great book.

How is he so far down on this list? He may not be one of the best, but he is far greater than most of the writers on this list. I am grieved whenever I take a look at his low quantity of published work. His short stories are wonderful. Invisible Man (although a tough read and a victim of repetitive, redundant motifs) with its epically sophisticated structure and style, immortal cultural themes, and beautifully artistic construction, can only be truly appreciated and loved trough a thorough close-reading, yet still admired by a curious casual reader.

Master of irony and always insightful in "Devil's Dictionary" and "Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge." "Shiloh" ranks as one of the most haunting pieces of American lit.

There is a stark contrast between old Palahniuk and present Palahniuk. His most recent attempts have been rough, to say the least. But texts like Rant and Haunted are incredible. Enjoy his older works and avoid his latest efforts.

"All the King's Men" gets all the glory but also a great poet with his finger on the pulse of America. "Brothers to Dragons" is chilling and inspiring.

I'd argue that All the King's Men is one of those truly quintessential American stories. It contrasts the rise of a politician, Willie Stark (based on Huey Long, governor of Louisiana) with a truly personal story of Jack Burden. It deals with a lot of complex issues, but it delivers them in a compelling way that draws the reader in.

"Riders of the Purple Sage" is an excellent story of a hero rescuing a lady from a domineering bully,

"The Last Leaf" is a masterpiece that illustrates an unselfish act of love and compassion to help save a dying person's life.

Terrific just terrific. Read all his books.

Perhaps not the greatest American author of all time, but he is definetly prolific! Not to mention popular (I know, I know, popularity doesn't mean "great")

I've read Dr. Asimov's Foundation Trilogy twice, and the End of Eternity once. The Robot novels are yet to come. Does any one want to see the foundation Trilogy adapted tot eh Big Screen?

Jacqueline Suzanne, Sidney Sheldon... Ah. The giants.

So Sidney ranks above Salinger, Chandler, et al. Not in your lifetimes, folks. jmc

Also the short story 'The Lottery'

At one point, the highest paid writter in the US and someone Mark Twain looked upto- sould be ranked higher.

I believe Heinlein is above Clarke, and is the greatest writer of all time, from any country

Heinlein gets overshadowed by the bigger names in sci-fi. Stranger in a Strange Land may be the best sci-fi book period. Other than Azimov himself he was the best science fiction writer of all time.

In my top 10. Another Roadside Attraction, Even Cowgirls Get the Blues, Jitterbug Perfume, Still Life With Woodpecker are unique, intriguing, brilliant books, and just the tip of the iceberg. He's a national treasure.

Yet another writer who should be in the Top Fifteen. A great dramatist who is way ahead of many of the 'pop culture' authors on this list.

Ridiculous position for America's greatest playwright.

She is an amazing author. Loved reading her books when i was young.

Belongs far higher. Jack London was a simple-minded story-teller by comparison.

Is a listing of his works supposed to justify his place on this list?

Burroughs goes beyond reality, and plunges the reader into surreal worlds and complex, yet mundane situations...