Best 1001 Authors Alphabetically

The Alphabetical Book post has gone so well, that I thought I would create an Alphabetical Authors post.

The rules are the same as for the Alphabetical Book post. Flip to the Author Index of the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die and review the authors in a given letter category.

This removes any questions about first name versus last name, etc. Go by the Author Index, which is predominantly sorted by the author's last name.

Pick your most, and/or least, favorite author -- revel in the extremities of passionate opinions -- in that letter category. Tell us who he or she is and...

MOST IMPORTANTLY...

Tell us WHY you love or hate the author. How did their work affect your experiences as a reader? What is their best and worst work? This topic is all about learning and teaching each other about great and not-so-great authors.

The letter change occurs after 24-hours without posts on a given letter. I will jump in a periodically bump the thread as necessary.

For those of you who have the more recent version of the 1001 Books book, please jump in and share author information from that list as well.

I think that's it. I will get the ball rolling in a moment with my A-Author choice...

-- M1001

I know I am going to have a lot of Jane Austen fans grumbling at me for this first A-post, but I have no second thoughts about listing Douglas Adams as my favorite author. I've read almost everything he wrote and I love almost everything he wrote, and what I didn't love, I liked a great deal: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series is by far, his best, but his Dirk Gently series is great as well. Read The Salmon of Doubt to get a great overview of this amazing man.

Incidentally, I haven't actually read a Jane Austen book yet. That probably doesn't get me away from more grumblings, but it at least explains why I have no opinion on her work at all. I do, however, own her collected novels which is, at this very moment, staring at me angrily from my bookshelf.

Least favorite A-author? Paul Auster. Not because he is necessarily a bad author, but because he is so overrepresented in the 1001 list, and I have yet to read one of his books (I've read three so far) that explains *why* he is so overrepresented.

Wow, look at me rambling on the first post...okay I am done.

-- M1001.

Also, do the *author* touchstones SUCK as much for the rest of you as they do for me?

The double brackets rarely work. Am I doing something wrong or is the feature buggy?

-- M1001

Definitely buggy. Oddly, I have better luck with obscure authors than with the authors that we've all heard of. I've almost given up on using them.

If the touchstones don't work, we can always bold the name.

Okay, back to actually talk about the 1001 authors themselves. I actually haven't read many of the A-authors. Adams and both Martin and Kingsley Amis interest me quite a bit. But I've the ones I've actually read, I love Jane Austen and Margaret Atwood.

Why? Jane Austen is clever and nuanced, and richly rewarding. And once you get into it, the language is additively fun. Margaret Atwood is also very clever, and just plain interesting. Is that enough of an explanation?

Sorry to be repetitive but I'm a jane Austen and Margaret Atwood fan too. I enjoy Margaret Atwood for her originality and the acerbic accuracy of her observations. She is inventive and intelligent but probably appeals to women rather than men. Jane Austen is just a delight to read. She's witty and has some great female characters. Her books also make great movies - is that a good reason?

I must confess that apart from Chinua Achebe the only "A" authors I have read are Austen and Atwood though I have read all of their books on the 1001 list.

Douglas Adams and Jane Austen without a doubt. One I haven't seen mentioned yet is Aesop. I love fables, therefore I love Aesop.

Time to bump to B-Authors:

This is a really tough one. There are a *lot* of great authors in the B-authors. Instead of giving a favorite, I will just give one of my favorites from a list of about seven authors I love in this section:

William Burroughs because he was so strange and one of the fathers of the Beatnik moment. He is also a very challenging author to read, depending on what novels or stories you choose to read. I would suggest some of his unscrambled works, for example, Junky. Not everyone is going to like him, especially not Naked Lunch but he was an undeniable force on the literary community.

If you want to get a good feel for Burroughs prior to reading any of his books, check out these YouTube links:

William Burroughs - Do Easy by Gus Van Sant

And...

The Junky's Christmas (Part One)

The Junky's Christmas (Part Two)

-- M1001

Charlotte Bronte is one of my favorite authors ever - I love the stories she tells, and the relationship between Jane Eyre and Mr. Rochester. I almost can't forgive her for the ending of Villette, however.

A recent favorite is John Banville, if it's fair to claim someone as a "favorite" after only reading one of his books (The Sea). I do want to read more of his books, and that's always a good sign. His writing is beautiful.

B authors are not well represented on my 1001 spreadsheet - there is of course the worthy Bronte sisters. So from a small number to choose from, I did enjoy A S Byatt and her novel Posssion. #8 You make a good case for William Burroughs - consider Junky added to my list of books TBR. Any other recommendations?

I don't know what you criteria is, but if poets count, then I would argue for William Blake and his collection "Songs of Innocence and Experience." Of course, if poets count we would need Browning and Burns added, as they are some of the best.

>11 AaronWTimm::

The criteria is that the author must be represented in the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die. So unfortunately, none of the poets count (though I agree that all three are excellent).

Reply to Message 10: socialpages

Recommendation for Burroughs books...

or B-authors...

or in general?

-- M1001

#13 You mention 7 B authors in your earlier post that you love but don't go on to list them. I'm curious as to whom the other six are so I can expand my list of authors to keep a look out for. I have found that LT recommendations generally lead me to authors I would never usually read and take me out of comfort reading zone which is a good thing.

reply Message 14: socialpages

John Banville
Donald Barthelme
Samuel Beckett
Saul Bellow
Thomas Bernhard
Charlotte Bronte

I think those were the ones that stood out for me as uniquely original writers and/or great story tellers.

-- M1001.

Probably time to bump this thread to C-Authors now:

Again, there are a number of great authors here, but I will go with my fantasy and sci-fi side, and name two:

Lewis Carroll, for the Alice work and his amazing mind in general.

Arthur C. Clarke for his uncanny ability to write about a future that is actually happening and his transcendental philosophies in both 2001: A Space Odyssey and a non-1001 book, but equally good, Childhood's End.

-- M1001

I missed speaking up about B authors. My favourites are Emily Bronte and Charlotte Bronte.

Of the C authors, I really like Michael Cunningham, although I've only read one of his books (The Hours).

Haven't read many "C" authors, so my pick is Italo Calvino. Who is awesome.

Two words: Michael Chabon.

If you need a "why," go out and buy The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay right now, and clear out the next two or three days of your schedule.

That is all.

(P.S. I'm cheating a little: he's represented in the second edition, but not the first -- a criminal omission, if you ask me.)

I'll speak up on behalf of Angela Carter, although I'm cheating, because the two books I've read (The Bloody Chamber and The Infernal Desire Machines of Doctor Hoffman) are not on the list. Three of her other books are (and I will be reading them--I only started reading Carter about a month ago).

The Bloody Chamber: a collection of fairy tales. The prose is so magnificent, I felt like lapping it up with a spoon. As I've noted in my 50 books thread, Carter's genius is not in doing the sort of "versions" that leave you rolling your eyes, but in crystallizing the subtexts of the original tales and in making a slight, illuminating twist here and there. Love it.

Infernal Desire Machines: relentlessly brainy, this one. It's a pretty average-size novel, but it took me longer to read than the average novel. At root here (so say I) is a sort of exploration of phenomenology vs. rationalism, with lots of offshoots and other issues thrown in. This book had my brain furiously working and dreaming for quite a while. It also has some beautiful surreal imagery, and many interesting bits of literature and fairy tales and philosophy.

Reply Message 19: dczapka:

"P.S. I'm cheating a little..."

Actually, you aren't. I wanted second edition contributions in this thread as well.

So thanks for the contribution...

-- M1001

Hi..........First time posting on this thread....looks like fun!

I would have to go with J.M. Coetzee, although Michael Cunningham and Peter Carey run a close second and third. I hadn't read anything by Coetzee until this calendar year, and I am startled at how well he writes. It isn't a particular style, but more that he can shift between styles and write beautifully across the board. I was quite moved by The Life and Times of Michael K, and although I was not so fond of Elizabeth Costello, I plan on working my way through more of his works in the coming year.

Bumping to D-authors:

My choice is Alexandre Dumas. His writing is decent, but it is really his story telling skills that impress me most. Novels like The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo flew by for me, despite that fact that each one is six to seven hundred pages long.

-- M1001

Okay...tough one. I've read Dostoevsky, Dickens and Dumas. I try imagining three books on a table and I'm leaving on a long flight. Which would I pick? Dumas. Why? I agree with media1001. A Dumas novel is pretty much a sure bet for entertainment and readability. I haven't read as much of Dickens, and hope to, but for now...........Dumas.

Bumping to E-Authors

Umberto Eco. Even though I have just started reading Name of the Rose, I can tell that it is a great novel: a murder mystery set in a monastery in the 1300's...how much of a theology and history geek did he have to be to pull this story off? Amazing to me the amount of knowledge and research this guy had to have and do to create this novel.

I have also heard great things about Foucault's Pendulum and it is coming up in my TBR list. Looking forward to it.

-- M1001

Jeffrey Eugenides

Both of his books are on the 1001 list, and both are fantastic. The Virgin Suicides is a swiftly-paced, understated story that works its magic and draws you in despite a plot that's almost entirely revealed up-front.

Then there's Middlesex, which is just a monstrously impressive work. A huge epic, addressing war, love, growing up, sexual orientation, incest, genetics, hermaphoditism, and everything in between. There's little that can be said about this book that can compare to the experience of reading it.

My only beef with Jeff is that he's not AT ALL prolific -- but damned if he hasn't written two masterpieces, so I say he can take all the time he wants.

Umberto Eco is fantastic. If you're impressed by his research and knowledge now, M1001, wait till you've finished Foucault's Pendulum. His writing is difficult for me, but so so worth the effort.

I'd also like to mention Ralph Ellison. Invisible Man is one of my favorite reads of 2007.

Strangely, I have very few E authors on my shelves. I have Name of the Rose but never managed to finish it. I'm not going to say Eliot either because I only read half of Middlemarch and just started reading Daniel Deronda - I'm really liking that so far though. Out of the rest of the E authors I'd pick the Swedish author Per Olov Enquist. I've liked everything I've read by him. He often uses historical characters and incidents as a basis for his stories and really brings them to life. Blanche and Marie is on the new 1001 list.

I'll be adding Middlesex to my monstrous tbr pile soon;) It sounds wonderful.

At the risk of being repetitive, Umberto Eco is one of my all-time favorite authors. His writing is so fascinating. I've read Foucault's Pendulum, The Name of the Rose, The Island of the Day Before, and The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana. Each of the books is complexly layered, historically interesting and quite varied. He is one of those special writers who does not seem to repeat himself.

George Eliot would be a close second for me, for completely different reasons. Her characters are so fully developed that I experience deep engagement with them.

Several years ago I was fascinated by Eco - intellectually fascinated anyway. Now he is less appealing to me - can't say why.

I am certain Invisible Man is a masterpiece - not because I read it, but because I couldn't read it. It's hallucinatory power was such that after a few pages, I had to stop. It's devastatingly truly sad.

George Eliot is IMHO one of the the greatest novelists in English. Structure & plot, veracity and detail of the characters & everything in their lives, daily life, intellectual insight into moral, social, gender, political and economic issues, humor, warmth, compassion, universality. Not too hard to read and accessible, too.

TS Eliot is a favorite poet. Very modern & way ahead of his time. Presages the loss and alienation & moral chaos of the entire 20th c. (It's only gonna get worse peeps -- but with i-Pods). Tough to read at times. Cannot truly understand or appreciate his lifestyle/intellectual development but a razor sharp mind with a gift for desolate imagery & irreconcilable mental dissonance... A master. ("Preludes" is incredible).

"April is the cruellest month - mixing memory and desire"

Bumping to F-Authors...

I haven't read too many of the F-Authors. I read A Room With A View which was pretty good, so I guess I will go with E.M. Forster.

My second choice is John Fowles because I read and enjoyed The Collector.

-- M1001

This is a tough one for me. I have read Jonathan Safran Foer, E.M. Forster, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Jonathan Franzen, and Gustave Flaubert.....quite a group! All time favorite? I have to go with Flaubert. I love his style, his time period, and his ability to bring the reader into the mind of his characters.

William Faulkner - the man, the myth, the legend. Of course, most of the myths and legends arose from flat-out lies he told about his history (never believe a word of what Faulkner said about himself). I love all his works, really. His characters are memorable, and I'm a big fan of the stream-of-consciousness in the Benjy and Quentin sections in The Sound and the Fury.

I'm also a big Forster fan - I think Howard's End is my favorite of his works.

Oh, this one is impossible. Can't decide between E.M. Forster and and F. Scott Fitzgerald. They're both among my favourite authors.

A little late for the "E"s, but I have to agree with Dilsey that Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man is a masterpiece. And I read the whole bloody (and I mean that figuratively and literally) thing AND critiqued it for a class. :)

My first choice for "F" is Fowles ~ I've read and very much enjoyed The Collector, The Magus, and French Lieutenant's Woman. Second choice is Fitzgerald, because, although I think The Great Gatsby is brilliant to the point that I read it twice in the past year or so, it's the only Fitzgerald I've read (so far).

Bumping to G-Authors...

There are some fairly well-known authors in this list, but, unfortunately, I haven't read any books by them (time to update the TBR list again). The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman is my favorite piece of writing in the list of authors, so I guess I will go with her.

-- M1001

Well, I can choose from Goldman, Golding, Gibbon, and Gilman. I agree with you, media1001. I found The Yellow Wallpaper to be quite compelling psychologically. I enjoy getting inside characters' minds.

Graham Greene is good, too. I don't know that I've read anything quite like The End of the Affair before.

shootingstarr7 is right. Graham Greene is fantastic. I love The Quiet American.

Looks like I ought to read some Graham Greene! I will go directly to BookMooch!

One of my G-Authors that I have heard a bunch about, but never read, is Graham Green.

More specifically, to delve into a different context: Music.

One of my favorite bands is Velvet Underground. The strangest ex-member of Velvet Underground is John Cale. John Cale put out a surprisingly normal album called Paris 1919. One of the songs in Paris 1919 is called "Graham Greene".

This is the media web spinning of my life. This is why I know about Graham Green. I heard later that he is a great author. But, for a moment, I wanted to share with you all my strange media obsession and the delight I find in the connections between multiple media.

-- M1001.

And now, since the time is right...

Bump to the H-Authors:

No way I can pick just one here. H is for Heaven:

Aldous Huxley, Hermann Hesse, Amy Hempel, Robert Heinlein, Patricia Highsmith.

The touchstones aren't working; however, if you are reading this entry, you absolutely owe it to yourself to read all of these authors.

They are all great and brilliant people and incredible writers; all for different reasons that each deserve an entry of their own.

-- M1001.

From the "H" authors whom I've read I will have to go with Thomas Hardy. I have enjoyed each of his works which I've read. Earnest Hemingway runs a very close second, and is probably the better writer, but I just plain smile when I think of Hardy.

Bumping to combined I-Authors and J-Authors, since both lists are so small.

I haven't read many of these authors. I'm going with Kazuo Ishiguro since I read, and enjoyed Never Let Me Go. One book isn't a very good basis to pick a favorite author, but it is all I have to go on.

-- M1001

Yes, yes, yes. Kazuo Ishiguro is one of my favorite writers ever. His writing is beautiful and haunting, but I think what I like best about him is the way he sets up the stories. His narrators are completely unreliable and I know this and even so, I am always surprised by the end.

For "J" authors, I have to go with Henry James. Sure, it takes him half a page to finish a sentence, and several more pages to get to the point of that sentence (assuming he reaches one at all) but I love the plots of his novels and the settings. Reading a Henry James novel makes me want to go to Europe immediately.

jfetting- you took the words right out of my mouth. I would choose Kazuo Ishiguro and Henry James.

I find Henry James very difficult to read, but since the only J-Authors I have read are Henry James and a partial attempt at James Joyce, and since no author is more difficult to read than James Joyce, I guess Henry wins by default.

-- M1001

Interesting method of choosing. :)

Well, I figure there is probably someone out there who would select James Joyce as their favorite, so I did wanted to mention him, but I haven't read anything of his all the way through. I would be interested in hearing from someone who likes Joyce to comment on what they like about him. So far, the man's writing is a complete mystery to me.

But, yeah, it does come down to a choice of the lesser of two evils.

It could be my current reading skill level is below his writing level. I've struggled to keep focused on Henry James, Joseph Conrad, Marcel Proust, Virginia Woolf and James Joyce. Maybe I just need to keep cutting my reading teeth on more challenging authors.

-- M1001.

Bumping to K-authors.

This one is fairly straight forward for me to answer: Franz Kafka.

I started reading him in high school because his writing was so bizarre: The Castle, The Trial and especially Metamorphosis.

It was only later, reading him again, that I realized the penetrating understanding he had on the absurdity of society, bureaucratic systems, politics, and all of the man-made, abstract nightmares we are exposed to every day.

-- M1001

Well, I will have to go with Barbara Kingsolver. I have not read many "K" authors. I thoroughly enjoy her writing. It is not particularly amazing style, but her stories are quite engaging.

I agree with both Kafka and Kingsolver. I also really liked Ken Kesey's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest when I read it many, many years ago. I haven't read any of the L-authors, so I'll be back for M.

Onward to L-Authors...

It would have to be Harper Lee. I know she only wrote one novel but it is among my favorites: To Kill A Mockingbird.

-- M1001.

>53 media1001: I agree with you media1000. This is what I wrote about To Kill a Mockingbird when I read it in February 2000:"It is very, very good, in fact it is brilliant. Marvellous, a novel that is profoundly moving, senstitive and fine." The only other L I have read is D H Lawrence. Of his books, I enjoyed The Rainbow and Sons and Lovers the most.

Well, I could narrow it down to Laxness, Lawrence, and Lee. If I must choose, I will go with D.H. Lawrence, primarily because I have not yet read a book of his which I did not like. I love his use of language, enough that it bumps him to the head of the list.

Bumping to M-Authors.

There are quite a few M authors that I have been planning on reading because I have heard they are very good.

Otherwise, there are several authors who each wrote a book that I read and enjoyed, so I will go with them:

Patrick McCabe for The Butcher Boy
Katherine Mannsfield for The Garden Party
Yann Martel for Life of Pi
Alan Moore forWatchmen

-- M1001

Yes to Katherine Mansfield. Also, one of my top favourites, Ian McEwan. And Rohinton Mistry is also excellent, although depressing.

I love Iris Murdoch. My favorite of her books (and I've by no means read all of them) is A Fairly Honorable Defeat which isn't on the 1001 list. She tells such interesting stories.

This is the toughest one yet for me.........Thomas Mann, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Herman Melville, and Haruki Murakami...............Yikes!

I I decided to imagine books by all four authors lying on a table and tried to imagine which I would pick up first. Hands down, Haruki Murakami, because I can always expect a challenging, refreshing, and edifying read! Always!

I have read practically everything by W. Somerset Maugham. I like everything he has written without exception.

Bumping to N-Authors:

I've only read one author in the N-author list:

Fear and Trembling by Amélie Nothomb. It was actually an okay novel, but I can't really say Nothomb is a favorite author.

-- M1001.

Vladimir Nabokov. I love everything about his writing.

Oddly enough, my first instinct was to ditto Nabokov.......thought I'd better check and see who else I had read..........no other "n"s.....I absolutely love Nabokov's writing. His use of language is almost unmatched in my reading. I experience powerful emotional reactions to his writing. I couldn't finish Lolita because of it, and Ada was magnificently disturbing.

I think I will try to expand the "N" section:)

The only N author I've read is Nabakov, but the book I read (Bend Sinister) isn't on the 1001 list. So can I still say "Nabakov Rocks!"?

I officially permit all Nabokov kudos! Like it is up to me............

I unofficially permit hemlokgang's Nabokov kudos.

Yes, hemlokgang...it is now, unofficially officially up to you to cover all Nabokov kudos.

Good luck with your new assignment.

This threaded message will attempt to destruct in five seconds...

(pause for five seconds)

Then it will disappoint...

I would love to gush about Nabakov myself, but I haven't read any of his books yet.

Why? No idea. Everyone here loves him, and you people are my people...book and list geeks. I will TBR him.

Pinkie Swear...

Next up: O-Authors...

Amazing authors at every turn, but I am going to go with:

Flannery O'Conner

Wise Blood is the best example of Southern Gothic literature I have ever read. Assuming you don't lump To Kill A Mockingbird in there.

Haven't read anything else by her yet, but I will. Wise Blood is brutal and brilliant, so she is good enough for me.

-- M1001

O authors . . . definitely George Orwell. I think Nineteen Eighty-four is one of the most important books on the list, and I also think Animal Farm is brilliant. Not on the 1001 list, but also great is Down and Out in Paris and London.

Honourable mention to Michael Ondaatje, who wrote The English Patient and several other fabulous books.

My options..........Ondaatje, Orwell, O'Brien, O'Neill..............

I like Ondaatje's use of language, Orwell's brilliant conceptualization, and O'Brien's fabulous descriptive powers. Tough one.............

Orwell...........timeless!

On to P-authors:

I like Chuck Palahniuk as a guilty pleasure, Sylvia Plath for The Bell Jar and Georges Perec for his originality. I really should also read my first Thomas Pynchon book someday soon.

-- M1001

Very limited pool for me to choose from, so I will have to go with E. Annie Proulx. Shipping News was phenomenal!

Have tried to read Powell, gave up. Tried to read Proust, read some, again gave up. Have read some of Poe, on my TBR list. I have read all of the Godfather by Mario Puzo. Does that mean my tastes are low-brow? I actually prefer the classics. But some of the P's are difficult and boring to read. Oh, and I tried Pasternak, but gave up, but will definately read Doctor Zhivago one day.

-TT

Arturo Perez-Reverte is a good story teller. I really enjoyed Club Dumas and hope to begin Purity of Blood soon. Reading a Spanish author, and book about books, makes a fun read.

Oh! Thank you TheTortoise! I didn't post before because I couldn't for the life of me think of any "P" authors whose books I've read but your list helped remind me of three! I liked Powell, a lot, and also Pasternak. And Poe. Especially Poe.

My favorite is Pasternak.
--BJ

There is only one Q-Author listed: Raymond Queneau.

He wrote Exercises in Style, where he presents a very short story, then rewrites the same story 99 more times with a different writing style each time. I found the concept unique enough to call the book out in this separate posting before I move onto R-authors. It is a quick and entertaining read; I finished it in one sitting.

-- M1001

Sounds very interesting, media. Thanks for the info!

Time for the R-Authors (R-thors?)

I really haven't read very many in this list. My favorite was Rashomon by Akutagawa Ryunosuke.

I want to read some Philip Roth, just haven't gotten around to it.

-- M1001

My choices are Roth, Remarque, Roy, and Rushdie.............

Salman Rushdie's use of language is unsurpassed..........He is my choice hands-down!

Ayn Rand

Marilynne Robinson

hmmm... I don't think either of those are on the 1001 list (although I think Marilynne Robinson should be)

My vote is for Erich Maria Remarque - All Quiet on the Western Front is such a great book.

Moving to S-Authors:

J.D. Salinger:The Catcher In The Rye is good, but Franny and Zooey is great, as well as any of his stories about the Glass Family.

He put the Funk in Dysfunctional.

-- M1001

I'm torn between John Steinbeck because he has three great books on the list and Vikram Seth: A Suitable Boy which is a huge rambling novel that I loved - but I will confess to skipping the urdu poetry sections.

Hands down, for me, is Jean Paul Sartre. His novels gave me a philosophy to live by!

I've turned into a big Patrick Suskind fan in the last year - Perfume: the story of a murderer is one of those books that, after reading it, I turned right back to the beginning of the book and started re-reading it immediately. And I can't forget Swift, the standard against which all other satirists are measured.

I really like Carol Shields. I don't usually read a lot of books by the same author, but a few years ago I read everything of hers I could get a hold of.

On the T-Authors:

A lot of good authors, but my favorite books to read so far have been by J.R.R. Tolkien. The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings are both classics.

A close second goes to Leo Tolstoy although I only have read The Death of Ivan Ilyich. Some day soon -- perhaps after I finish Proust -- I will tackle that copy of War and Peace that has been sitting patiently on my bookshelf glaring at me.

-- M1001

Wow....Twain, Tolstoy, Turgenev, Thackeray, Toibin....great group! I will have to go with Mark Twain. His books are ageless and timeless. They also evoke lovely childhood memories of reading in my cozy cottage bedroom during summers spent in Northern Michigan.

William Makepeace Thackeray - I love, love, love Becky Sharp. I know she's a terrible human being, but she's so much fun to read about!

Twain is also wonderful, as are Tolstoy and Tolkien.

Well--my list of "to Buy" books has about tripled. thanks for the wonderful selection you recommended. I also own two of the ones recommended that I haven't read--so I'll start with those. I do own and have read many that you've listed--especially most of the "classic" authors mentioned. I need to expand my horizens.

Can someone tell me about the editions of 1001? Is the second edition a revision of the first or an additional list? Is the first edition still available--and if so how will I know if it's the first edition? I think I saw it when it first came out and elected not to buy it--probably a big mistake since I'm crazy about book lists. I sometimes am in a frugal mood and will pass up a book I want because I "can't afford it." However, just a couple of months of reading threads in LT (I started in August) has cured me of that malady! Now I would like to get the 1001 book so I can explore new authors with a better than average chance that they will be worth reading.

Thanks for any advice you can give me.

BTW and IMHO--

Everything Flannery O'Conner wrote is wonderful and if you want a real treat, read Habit of Being, a collection of her letters edited by Sally Fitzgerald, her very good friend.

To Kill a Mockingbird is also one of the best American novels of the 20th century. Harper Lee was probably right to stop there-- Harper Lee herself said that she had a sstory to tell and she told it, and I will add she told it brilliantly. I'm glad she didn't risk it getting tarnished by having it compared to a lessoe effort.

MusicMom41... get yourself over to Arukiyomi's blog and find out about the two 1001 editions. All the info you need is there.

Thanks, arukiyomi!

Bumping to U-Authors:

Only one to pick in the first edition and that is John Updike. I've only read Rabbit, Run so far.

I wasn't a huge fan of the book. The protagonist is pretty unlikeable; on the other hand, Updike is a great writer. His seamless blend of poetic imagery and prose is wonderful to experience. A New Yorker author... a writer's writer...that kind of thing.

Since the U-list is so short, I will bump V-authors up here as well:

Kurt Vonnegut is my choice, although I will admit to not liking him nearly as much as most of his readers do. I've read all four of his books in the 1001 list: Cat's Cradle, God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater, Slaughterhouse-Five and Breakfast of Champions. The only one I really liked a lot was Slaughterhouse-Five. Still, he is my favorite in the V-list.

-- M1001

Kurt Vonnegut absolutely gets my choice. I've read every book he's written, and while a few of them get repetitive, there was arguably no more likable author working in the 20th Century. He is very much missed.

Honorable mention easily goes to Voltaire.

Between Updike and Undset, my two choices for "U", I have to say Undset. Although Updike's Rabbit, Run illustrates an era very well, Kristin Lavransdatter is a sweeping saga which I have to pick as my favorite of the two.

I have no "V" authors. Oops!

I don't have any "U" authors and my "V" choice is Voltaire. Candide is one of the few books I've managed to read in the original French.

Vonnegut is one of those authors (like Salinger) who doesn't hold up for me - I loved him in high school, but now not so much. IMO his short stories are better than his novels.

Hey...I read Voltaire too...so I will claim Candide as well.

Bumping to W-Authors:

John Wyndham. Every one of his 1001 list books are great: Chocky, The Day of the Triffids and The Midwich Cuckoos. Classic sciece fiction with a very subtle sense of humor.

-- M1001

Edith Wharton is wonderful. A lot of people seem to read Ethan Frome in high school and consequently dislike Wharton. I never had that experience thank goodness and absolutely adore Age of Innocence. I also liked the BBC series of her unfinished Buccaneers but have never found the book.

I also love reading Edith Wharton. She tells a period story so well. However, I would have to choose Virginia Woolf for her amazing use of language, and the power of her insight.

Big Virginia Woolf fan here.

reply Message 98: kiwiflowa

Yes, that's exactly what I did as well, except that I didn't read Ethan Frome in high school, I read it several months ago and didn't particularly like it. I bought a couple of Edith Wharton books -- Age of Innocence and House of Mirth -- so I am not ruling her out just yet.

General reply:

I have never read a Woolf novel. I've started a couple, but never made it through one. I am going to try again after I finish Proust...maybe that will whet my appetite more for her stuff.

-- M1001

#101 - As an introduction to Woolf, I recommend some of her essays or short stories. A Room of One's Own is an excellent place to start. Unfortunately, none of this will count toward the 1001 count, but you'll get an idea of what she's about before jumping into her more . . . arty (?) work such as The Waves.

reply Message 102: Nickelini:

And what do you recommend as a "Woolf starter" novel that is in the 1001 list?

-- M1001

@103: The Voyage Out is probably a good place to start. Once you hit Jacob's Room and Mrs Dalloway her fiction starts getting much more experimental, but her earlier work is far more conventional.

Okay, last bump: XYZ-Authors. There aren't too many and I have only read one...

Yevgeny Zamyatin who wrote We, the original of the original Dystopian novels. If you want to get a feel for the literature that influenced Brave New World and 1984, this is the book to read.

-- M1001

#103 . . . hmmmm. Can I answer "I don't"? I've read three of Woolf's 1001 novels, and I found them all to be very challenging compared to her other work. I suppose if I have to pick one, it would be Mrs Dalloway, especially if you do a companion read with the Hours, which is also a 1001 book. I think the Voyage Out would be painfully boring for someone who didn't have a reason to love Woolf already, and The Waves is her most experimental, modernist work. Really great, but difficult. I compare Woolf's writing to cubism in that it helps to know a bit about what the artist is doing--especially in terms of time and perspective-- in order to appreciate it.

Not sure I understanidng "bumping" or the legitimacy of going backwards in this game. But, so as not to skip over the Ys, how about Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto? I've enjoyed all her works ~ fairly short, thought-provoking reads.

I haven't read any Xs, Ys, or Zs........Hmmmmm.

Maybe it's time to restart with A? I nominate Isabelle Allende for The House of the Spirits, a very powerful and moving book that does tend to overshadow her later (prolific) output.

This is a nailbiter for me.......Austen, Atwood, Adichie, Achebe, Allende, Alcott.......I guess.........if I must pick one............Jane Austen............Hmmmm.....no........Margaret Atwood for sheer literary audacity and consistently amazing creativity.

Glad to see this thread was renewed...here are the posting guidelines again:

The rules are the same as for the Alphabetical Book post. Flip to the Author Index of the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die and review the authors in a given letter category.

This removes any questions about first name versus last name, etc. Go by the Author Index, which is predominantly sorted by the author's last name.

Pick your most, and/or least, favorite author -- revel in the extremities of passionate opinions -- in that letter category. Tell us who he or she is and...

MOST IMPORTANTLY...

Tell us WHY you love or hate the author. How did their work affect your experiences as a reader? What is their best and worst work? This topic is all about learning and teaching each other about great and not-so-great authors.

The letter change occurs after 24-hours without posts on a given letter. I will jump in a periodically bump the thread as necessary.

For those of you who have the more recent version of the 1001 Books book, please jump in and share author information from that list as well.

-- M1001

My favorite A-Author is still Douglas Adams. I am proud to say that I finally read my first Jane Austin novel since the last time I posted my A-Author: Sense and Sensibility. It was okay, not great. I was a bit underwhelmed.

I'm also currently reading my first Martin Amis book: Time's Arrow which is pretty good. I look forward to checking out some more of his novels.

-- M1001

I'm a Jane Austen fan and last year I read my first Isabel Allende The House of the Spirits which has already been recommended.

I would have to nominate Alcott Little Women is on the 1001 list. I also loved Good Wives, Little Men, and The Chase.

Bumping to B-Authors:

I said Williams Burroughs before. In retrospect, probably not the best choice for mass consumption. Most people either love or hate him.

If you happen to like him, J.G. Ballard might be another option. I read Cocaine Nights and it was pretty good. The Atrocity Exhibition was almost unreadable, like Burrough's Naked Lunch is almost unreadable -- Ballard was influenced by Naked Lunch when he wrote The Atrocity Exhibition. Currently, I am reading Crash, which is somewhere in between the accessibility of Cocaine Nights and the utter weirdness of The Atrocity Exhibition. He's definitely a great writer, I just never know what I am going to get from book to book.

Donald Barthelme is a really good writer (a writer's writer) if you want something really different and challenging.

I also really like Saul Bellow and Charlotte Bronte. There are a lot of good B-authors.

-- M1001

I have to go with Charlotte Bronte. Jane Eyre is a true classic, and is also accessible to people of all ages. I like it that such a great story can reach so many people.

Gotta give it up for Richard Brautigan: throwback to a 60s mindset for some, time-transcendent pour moi! He's often grouped with Beat poets, perhaps because of his North Beach habitat, though he wrote a generation later. Surprised that Willard and his Bowling Trophies made the 1001 list, though In Watermelon Sugar belongs. Still, it was A Confederate General from Big Sur and Trout Fishing in America that revolutionized the novel form (IMHO) when they first came along.

Bumping to C-Authors:

Again, my two favorite C-Authors haven't since my last post on C-Authors: Lewis Carroll and Arthur C. Clarke.

Since I posted, however, I read If on a Winter's Night a Traveler and it was pretty good, so Italo Calvino has captured my attention with his unique take on plots, novels and the role of the reader.

I also read The Stranger which was a decent, and, surprisingly, accessible, existential novel, so kudos for Albert Camus as well. I like him better that Satre at any rate.

-- M1001.

I am really fond of Kate Chopin. Her story, The Awakening was truly beautifully written.

Bumping to D-authors:

My choice is still Alexandre Dumas. The guy is one of the greatest storytellers ever.

New addition: Philip Dick, Mr. Scifi film adaption man himself. He only has one book in the 1001 list, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? but it was adapted into one of the best scifi films of all time: Blade Runner.

-- M1001

No other opinions on authors starting with the letter D?

-- M1001

After reading The Alexandria Quartet this year, I love Lawrence Durrell. Justine is the only book of the quartet on the 1001 list, but it's wonderful. Charles Dickens, of course, is fantastic.

Very difficult choice! I love to lose myself in anything by Dickens, but I think I chose him in the previous round. So this time, another favorite, E.L.Doctorow. I have read several of his books and find them to be consistently challenging intellectually and thought provoking on many social issues. I think he is brilliant.

Yes, I like Dickens too, but he seems like such an expected choice. So I'm going to nominate Isak Dinesen (the pen name of Karen Blixen--I think they use both in 1001). I find her writing magical and evocative.

How about E authors? Can we revive this thread?

It looks like she was only alluded to earlier, but I love George Eliot. I haven't read as many of her books as I'd like, but I'm hoping to remedy that in the new year.

I dearly love to read any fiction of Umberto Eco's. it is always complex, multi-layered, and fascinating.