dont ask me to define "active"..lets say have to have published a novel since 2000...good? i ask because i really sleep hard on contemporary shit...knowledge me, por favor.
2. "I'm re-reading The Corrections right now" In response to Reply # 0
so I would definitely put Jonathan Franzen on the list
Also, David Mitchell, for Cloud Atlas alone.
And Edward P. Jones, for The Known World.
And Jeffrey Eugenides, for Middlesex.
And Haruki Murakami, for Sputnik Sweetheart and Norwegian Wood (dunno if those are post-2000, but they're the best I've read from him so far, and Kafka on the Shore, his latest, was kind of disappointing).
Zadie Smith for White Teeth.
Paul Beatty for The White Boy Shuffle and Tuff.
That's all I can really think of at the moment, but there's 7 at least.
25. "Have you read Franzen's essays?" In response to Reply # 2
I forget what it's called right now, but he has a collection published that I really liked. In particular the piece he wrote about The Corrections and the Oprah fallout, called "Mr. Difficult." It was a useful discussion of high-art vs. low-art, the relationship between reader and author, idea and art, etc. Whether you agree with him or not it's worth reading. Not every essay really interested me, but most of them were good and solid. If you like the Corrections, though, you should definitely read "Mr. Difficult."
I also got one of his earlier books, Second City, I think to read over the summer but now it's just sitting w/ a bunch of other books I got to read over the summer but never did.
27. "yeah, that collection was called How To Be Alone" In response to Reply # 25
I like his other novels fairly well too, though The Corrections is head and shoulders above either of them. I like some of his short pieces, I think that Oprah piece was pretty good though I have a tough time remembering it specifically, but overall I much prefer his novels to his short non-fiction stuff.
46. "a good friend of mine" In response to Reply # 44
emailed me a link to England's favorite books of the century. Well, as you might imagine, "favorite" = "popular" and all the Harry Potter books were on it. Along with a few other choice pieces of crap. I told my friend I never wanted to speak to him again.
71. "Yes, I read one, because they were recommended so highly by so many peop..." In response to Reply # 66
Let's get this straight: They're *children's* books. I did not like the book, and when I gave it further thought, I realized that I really had very little in common with the people who had so strongly urged me to read them. Generally speaking, those who pushed them on me did not care for the books or films that I like. Makes sense, doesn't it?
74. "yeah, IMDB's greatest movies of all time list is like that too" In response to Reply # 46
I like the Harry Potter books a lot, but the writing just isn't on the same level as real top novelists. I enjoy reading them, I wouldn't disrespect someone's intelligence for recommending them, but at the same time if someone really thinks she's one of the 10 best novelists working today, our tastes aren't likely to coincide.
72. "you're very welcome" In response to Reply # 67
Yeah, I can definitely see the comparison, and I enjoy that attitude a lot more than magic realism, though that may just be me. Speaking of which, I need to read some more Rushdie. Just a word of warning, I dunno if you've read The Virgin Suicides or not, but Middlesex is much, much better, in my opinion. But hopefully it'll just be one of many great books to come.
Eugenides had a good short story in the New Yorker a week or two ago. I dunno if he has enough for a collection yet, but I'm definitely intrigued to check that out if it happens.
100. "i loved The Virgin Suicides and Middlesex" In response to Reply # 96
but as i think janey said they're not even really comparable. two entirely different novels but it's definitely worth reading. now i just wish dude would release another book...
PEACE
"The struggle of man against power is the struggle of memory against forgetting." - Kundera
11. "and yes" In response to Reply # 8 Tue Oct-11-05 09:32 AM by johnny_domino
Dunno just which one is best, they're all pretty good so far, though I like the Easy Rawlins ones better than the Fearless Jones ones. Walkin' The Dog is pretty good too.
9. "i never read modern books" In response to Reply # 0
except for a few children's books, i don't think i've read any novels published during my lifetime
oh... except some tom clancys and a ken follet, The Third Twin or something. maybe a couple of other random thriller's i've forgotten. Some of the latter Dune novels I suppose
there's like 5 centuries of writing to catch up on first!
anyone else like this?
might read an Inspector Morse one of these days
-------------------- Why do you choose to mimic these wack MCs? Why do you choose to listen to R&B?
"There are obviously many things which we do not understand, and may never be able to." Leela
12. "RE: i never read modern books" In response to Reply # 9
like i said, im the same way...lol but i dont read childrens books. i have to say, now that i think about it, ive done a bit...i used to read some elmore leonard, some moseley...and i guess morrison's cool..but u know..i dunnno..i like don delillo *sp*...im talkin some real lyrical type cats on some real stylish prose thing...thats just the sort of thing im a fan of and cant imagine too many cats doing these days.
>except for a few children's books, i don't think i've read >any novels published during my lifetime > u bullshittin.
>there's like 5 centuries of writing to catch up on first! > agreed. i got madd stuff i need to read..madame bovary and some other stuff i cant think of right now. but yeah im sure something like that is more urgently necessary to read than say the latest grisham novel...
23. "RE: i never read modern books" In response to Reply # 12
>like i said, im the same way...lol but i dont read childrens >books. i have to say, now that i think about it, ive done a >bit...i used to read some elmore leonard, some moseley...and i >guess morrison's cool..but u know..i dunnno..i like don >delillo *sp*...im talkin some real lyrical type cats on some >real stylish prose thing...thats just the sort of thing im a >fan of and cant imagine too many cats doing these days. >
i'm about to read Libra. sounds good
see my problem is... i've got no idea WHAT cats are doing these days. if i read all the new stuff, i wouldn't have time to read the old stuff
>>except for a few children's books, i don't think i've read >>any novels published during my lifetime >> >u bullshittin. >
no seriously... a few more maybe. Batman Forever: The Book (lol)... maybe some that I did when I was at school though they also would tend to be old
> >>there's like 5 centuries of writing to catch up on first! >> >agreed. i got madd stuff i need to read..madame bovary and >some other stuff i cant think of right now. but yeah im sure >something like that is more urgently necessary to read than >say the latest grisham novel...
yep... it sort of boggles my mind that we even have these threads. i couldn't begin to put together a "top ten current novelists"... i'm surprised that from the thousands of new books to choose from, anyone's EVER read the same one as someone else
-------------------- Why do you choose to mimic these wack MCs? Why do you choose to listen to R&B?
"There are obviously many things which we do not understand, and may never be able to." Leela
52. "he writes some non-fiction, mostly about writing," In response to Reply # 50
but if you have any yen toward Vietnam war lit, his book Closing Arguments is among the best. You might not realize at first that it's a Vietnam war book.
Girls is also quite beautiful and relatively quick. And The Night Inspector is remarkable. Just to name a few.
I thought Tomcat In Love was so-so at best. And I couldn't really get behind The Nuclear Age. That said, I have always made it clear that my two favorite Vietnam related books are The Things They Carried and Dispatches, so don't think I'm sleeping on the genre or O'Brien.
yeah actually so far I've read The Things They Carried, In The Lake Of The Woods, and Going After Cacciato. I didn't like Cacciato quite as much as the other two, but I still liked it better than Closing Arguments.
For Busch, I've only read that and Girls, and I liked Girls much better.
john irving - my gf is more versed in irving than I am. she's read damn near everything and has yet to be disappointed. For me, A Prayer for Owen Meany and (don't let the movie phase you) A Cider House Rules.
haruki murakami - The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle....and..oh...Hard Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World
don delillo - White Noise, Underworld
zadie smith - she's only got three books out. White Teeth, The Autograph Man, and the just released On Beauty.
michael chabon - The Adventures of Kavalier and Klay, Wonderboys
banana yoshimoto - Kitchen...can't think of a second recommendation. Not that her other books aren't good, but you should read kitchen first to see if you like her style. If not, it's not even worth checking her others.
neil gaiman - American Gods. His new one is Anansi Boys.
orson scott card - Ender's Game (it was written more for teens/pre-teens, but it's a great book. And it's written in that style with good reason.) Speaker for the Dead.
102. "if you're gonna read Delillo you have to check out" In response to Reply # 62
MAO II
probably my favorite of his. i dont know how true this is buti heard after the September 11 attacks the FBI went for advice on how terrorists' minds work or something like that...
PEACE
"The struggle of man against power is the struggle of memory against forgetting." - Kundera
16. "Stephen King is and has always been my favorite" In response to Reply # 0
But I know he's too popular to be considered "great" nowadays.
I do think some of his books tend to be too long, and his endings are not always great, but I've never read a book of his that I didn't enjoy. And most of them I love, and have read multiple times.
26. "Not sure I believe him. But regardless, he's published since 2000." In response to Reply # 22
That was the poster's criteria for "active."
I knopw he says he's retiring, but a writer like him will continue to keep writing. He may not keep publishing, or he may only publish once every few years, he may get more into writing teleplays and screenplays (he seems to like it, though most would agree that he's far better at novels), or he may stick to writing articles like you said.
19. "RE: 10 greatest active novelists today" In response to Reply # 0
Tom Robbins (the most colorful writer alive, his plots are always quirky and amazingly imaginative)
John Irving (this guy consistently writes great, sincere and spiritual novels)
Tom Wolfe (Charlotte Simmons, though flawed, was still one hell of an epic in my opinion)
TC Boyle (He is the most underrated writer alive ... check out books like the Tortilla Curtain, Road to Wellville, or anything he's written, they're all wildly captivating, original and entertaining)
Toni Morrison (duh)
Kurt Vonnegut (though he hasn't released a novel since 2000, he still puts stuff out, and is the greatest living writer imo)
Chuck Palahniuk (great writer ... hard to top when it comes to dark humor)
Alice Munroe (If you dig tortured and authentic stories about love and pain, she's hard to top)
Mark Z Danielewski (House of Leaves is the best novel of the last two decades imo, and though it's the only thing he's put out, I'm sure whatever he's working on now will be incredible)
Ray Bradbury (This guy is too often slept on. Everything I've read of his is mind-blowing).
28. "Richard Powers" In response to Reply # 0 Tue Oct-11-05 03:04 PM by janey
Don DeLillo
David Mitchell. Cloud Atlas and Ghostwritten (and that short story in the McSweeney's thing) were incredible.
Based on one novel only, Helen DeWitt. Query whether she can follow it up with anything as good.
uhhhhhhm There was a time when I would have said Stewart O'Nan and I can still make a principled argument for including him, but his work is a little less consistent in quality than it used to be.
87. "oh babe, how I envy you!" In response to Reply # 86
Reading Cloud Atlas for the first time was an unparalleled experience!
As to DeLillo, my favorite is Libra. And as much as I loved Underworld, I can't say for certain that it's the best one of his to start with. The Names, maybe. Libra is a good choice, though. Or White Noise.
92. "*especially* since you liked Ghostwritten." In response to Reply # 89
I wasn't so crazy for Number9Dream, although I thought it was fine. But Cloud Atlas, yeah. Perfection.
There are those who quibble with the form and say it's a gimmick. So that's why it's especially recommended for those who liked Ghostwritten. That form was gimmicky too, but it worked.
49. "Gilead was insanely wonderful" In response to Reply # 48
and I'm lukewarm about Housekeeping.
And Eco, you know, Eco is only a half-hearted novelist. His best novels are really just expositions or illustrations of literary theory. His essays are great, though. Great!
59. "yeah, it's mostly on the strength of gilead" In response to Reply # 49
that i include robinson.
maybe by this standard i should also include edward p. jones.
and yes, i know eco's half-novelist, half-theorist. i've read lots of his theory. it just so happens that his first two novels are fantastic novels AND fantastic theory at the same time, while his last two ('specially island of the day before) aren't so hot at the "novel" end of things. agreed?
60. "Queen Loana is even worse" In response to Reply # 59
and yeah, he'll never get better than the first two.
On nominating someone on the strength of one novel, why not? I did. Jones is definitely up there, too, and his short stories hold up to close scrutiny.
75. "RE: 10 greatest active novelists today" In response to Reply # 0
Lethem - Motherless Brooklyn is great and Fortress of Solitude was pretty alright too.
Martel - Life of Pi. Yan's only book that i've read... not sure if it qualifies as one the 10 greatest... but still a damn good read, tough to put down
Vonnegut - anything of course
Easton Ellis - haven't read the newest one... but all of his other stuff is great
not exactly "up on things"... could only come up with four, but i like 'em
83. "agreed on Fortress of Solitude and Motherless Brooklyn" In response to Reply # 78
I didn't like Life of Pi much though, right about the time "the Island" came up I seriously tuned out. >And I liked Life of Pi a lot, but not nearly enough to put him >in the top ten.
85. "This is a hard question" In response to Reply # 0
B/c there are people with a great novel and then some average to pretty bad ones = Franzen, Denis Johnson, Colson Whitehead, Jeanette Winterson. There is Junot Diaz with his one great book. There are also people that I think have a good book in them like David Means. But the only two writers that I can say I think are consistently good are DeLillo and James Salter.
George R.R. Martin is incredible Chuck Pahlunik(most likely spelt wrong) Neil Gaiman China Mieville- Incredible writer Hunter S Thompson will always be my favorite
91. "Hemingway (lol) - last novel "Under Kilimanjaro" came out last month" In response to Reply # 0
although to be fair it was the same manuscript that True At First Light came from. just with nothing much cut, so twice as long. but True At First Light was only 1999
anyone read either?
-------------------- Why do you choose to mimic these wack MCs? Why do you choose to listen to R&B?
"There are obviously many things which we do not understand, and may never be able to." Leela
93. "for those that like to geek out" In response to Reply # 0
neil gaiman is great. he's got 3 novels (he's famous for the sandman graphic novels), haven't read the anasi boys (sp?) which is his latest, it's a spinoff off american gods and neverwhere...both of which i enjoyed a bunch.
I dont read leisurly as much as I should, but if you haven't read Still Life With Woodpecker or Fierce Invalids Home From Hot Climates, bump both of them to the top of your list for your own sake
i can't believe hes only been mentioned twice so far
108. "Not one Martin Amis mention?" In response to Reply # 0
I mean I haven't read him in awhile but he's still putting out novels and his earlier work is classic = The Information, Money, London Fields.
DeLillo is in the same boat. New stuff = not so much. Older stuff = essential. Underworld (if you can take the weight) but Mao II, The Names, Libra and the overrated White Noise.
James Salter is my personal favorite but his best work is almost 40 years old now.
I have to give Franzen the benefit of the doubt but I'm not sold. While The Corrections is an A+, his other two are C's.
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