[deadwolfbones]

And re: Crichton, he's certainly one of the great 20th Century American popular writers, along with King and Grisham and so on, but he's no better a writer (in a technical sense) than either of those guys.

That said, I love love loved Sphere when I was 13, and The Andromeda Strain is great no matter how you look at it.

(Bradbury's far superior, though. )

Wow, really?

No offense to Salinger--I really liked what I've read of his work--but I think you need to read more.

edit: and lol @ Blue throwing Crichton in there.

Some other great American authors:

Pynchon
Barthelme
McCarthy
Gaddis
Markson
Delillo
Roth
Miller
Cheever
Mailer
Fitzgerald
etc etc etc

HAHA, I knew it was going to stir up some response!!

I figured people who love photography in general are fairly well read.

By the way I completely realize this is a matter of personal taste and preference which everyone is fully entitled to.

Having said that(here I come), out of your list I say Pynchon is the only one that comes to mind that just may stand the test of time. I also happen to think that Raymond Carver has a chance, although not as much as Salinger. Vonnegut may also, but not from pure perspective of literature alone. I think Poe was also a genius, but I think at times he lacked discipline as a writer.

I have always thought that Salinger was very special. His writing aesthetics was very pure, and he was a terribly disciplined writer. Yet he managed to have a huge mass appeal. His characters showed incredible depth, unlike any other. Only other writers who showed that kind of range was Shakespeare and Chekov.

Because he stopped writing so long ago, he was sort of "dead" for a little while. But it is still very sad. Not many approached the art of writing like he did.

[deadwolfbones]

HAHA, I knew it was going to stir up some response!!

I figured people who love photography in general are fairly well read.

By the way I completely realize this is a matter of personal taste and preference which everyone is fully entitled to.

Having said that(here I come), out of your list I say Pynchon is the only one that comes to mind that just may stand the test of time. I also happen to think that Raymond Carver has a chance, although not as much as Salinger. Vonnegut may also, but not from pure perspective of literature alone. I think Poe was also a genius, but I think at times he lacked discipline as a writer.

I have always thought that Salinger was very special. His writing aesthetics was very pure, and he was a terribly disciplined writer. Yet he managed to have a huge mass appeal. His characters showed incredible depth, unlike any other. Only other writers who showed that kind of range was Shakespeare and Chekov.

Because he stopped writing so long ago, he was sort of "dead" for a little while. But it is still very sad. Not many approached the art of writing like he did.

Agreed on Carver. Good choice there.

Seems opinion on Salinger is pretty polarized. I personally hated the experience of reading Franny & Zooey, even as I enjoyed the writing. Just couldn't find a single character to empathize with.

A couple choice reactions to Salinger, and his death:

Seymour-Smith's writeup from Who's Who in Twentieth-Century Literature:



Bret Easton Ellis's (not among my picks to stand the test of time) reaction upon hearing Salinger had died:

[deadwolfbones]

Bunch Of Phonies Mourn J.D. Salinger | The Onion - America's Finest News Source

[Green_Manelishi]

J.D. Salinger, 'Catcher in the Rye' Author, Dies at 91 - TIME

I have to say that probably the only writer in the world of American literature (oxymoron) who will survive the test of time.

R.I.P J.D.

You are crushed? How so?

[rparmar]

And Burroughs. And PK Dick. They are dead too.