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Can HN name any living modern novelists who matter? Not science fiction cheese, or mediocrities touted by the NYC circle-jerk; someone who will be remembered in
by scottlocklin 7y ago
Can HN name any living modern novelists who matter? Not science fiction cheese, or mediocrities touted by the NYC circle-jerk; someone who will be remembered in 100 years. Cormac Mccarthy is the only one that comes to mind. Maybe Tito Perdue. That's pretty much all I can think of for English language anyway.
- tomjakubowski 7y agoI'm not really well-read so others will have a better idea, but Pynchon, Alice Munro, and Murakami, at least, are living legends. Toni Morrison and Philip Roth just died this year.
- zeroonetwothree 7y agoPredicting 100 years ahead is extremely difficult. Just look at authors from 100 years ago. Toni Morrison is close to a safe bet but sadly doesn’t meet your criteria any longer. So Pynchon seems like the clear winner. He’s the James Joyce of postmodernism so I’d be very surprised if he isn’t read in 100 years. If you want more accessible literature there is Franzen and Chabon.
- clSTophEjUdRanu 7y agoStephen King, David Mitchell off the top of my head.
- spookybones 7y agoStephen King definitely has a chance, not particularly for his craft, but his memorable characters. Carrie, It, Christine, Annie Wilkes, and Jack Torrance to name a few. Granted, movies will definitely help his longevity.
- spookybones 7y agoOne hundred years is way too long to predict, but Pynchon. Perhaps Delillo and Murakami. Roth. Also Bolaño, though he died in 2003.
- joenot443 7y agoPersonally, I see Pynchon and DeLillo's legacy long outliving McCarthy's.
- EliRivers 7y agoI take more solace in imagining (hoping) which authors won't be remembered. Lee Child and Dan Brown, I hope :)
- teambayleaf 7y agoI'm seeing James Tiptree Jr being still relevant 30+ years after her death. Same with PK dick. Le Guin (died last year) is a good candidate too. I bet a sizable number of concurrent SF authors outlives 100 years.