BellaOnline Forums Career Nonfiction Writing Who's the greatest author ever?

Vote for your favourite author of all time.

The greatest author ever? I don't think there is just one great author. Different authors have been the greatest for me at different times in my life. It changes from one book to the next. You never know when you will run into the next greatest author.

I totally agree that there's not just ONE great author or so.
However, mine would be (so far) Shakespeare, Tolstoy, Jane Austen and the Bronte sisters.
They have touched and moved me one way or another to the extent of writing itself ever since I was really young (about 12 or so) <img src="/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> .

Without a doubt, Maya Angelou. I'm not in her league yet, but Look out Maya, I'm coming! LOL!

I just love her work so much. I can actually feel what she writes, even if it is a recipe, as I recently purchased her cookbook. For each recipe, she includes a story about that meal and they are just fabulous and the food is pretty good too. Horrible week for me to start a diet. LOL!

Yes, she is incredible! Then there's Rumi, Carolyn Myss, Sylvia Plath........

There are some authors who have written many books, but only one or two are "the greatest ever." They seem to continue to get published on the merits of those one or two, even if the rest are ca-ca.

That's a status I wouldn't mind achieving <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

There really is no greatest author ever, IMHO. It is all based on your tastes.

In my opinion Stephen King and John Grisham are the greatest authors ever. People pick Hemmingway and Ayn Rand but most of their stuff is hard to read and you have to think about what they are saying and that just takes the flow out of reading.

However without a doubt, the all time greatest author is God. After all He did write the Holy Bible

My tastes continually change so I would not be able to pick a greatest author ever but I do have many favorites. I love Amy Tan and Danielle Steele and lately Alexander McCall Smith who has a series called the No.1 Ladies Detective Agency.

Since most of what I read for my profession is "heavy" I tend to be drawn to human interest, fun stories.

For me it is Balzac--Old Goriot really hit me hard when I read it.

Other favorites though are Dawn Powell (has anyone read her? She's fabulous!), Dorothy Parker, Stendhal, Victor Hugo, the guy who wrote Manchild In The Promised Land (blanking on his name), and so many more.

P.G. Wodehous and Agatha Christie.
All time greats.

Well, for me - Anne Lamott - she's sooo funny, but also so deeply serious. Covers so many issues with such heart.