LordChaverly Posted September 26, 2006 Share Posted September 26, 2006 Virginia Woolf and Salman Rushdie would be at the top of my list. In my view the works of neither have much if any intrinsic merit and the reputations of both have largely been built on factors other than writing. Woolf, in my view, could not write for toffee. Were it not for the connections and links she had with publishers and the Bloomsbury group, I doubt whether her insipid and banal prose would ever have seen the light of day. As for Rushdie, I think he was very lucky that his early works coincided with a fad in the literary establishment for 'ethnic' writers, particularly if they dealt with issues of race and colonialism. Had it not been for the furore over the 'Satanic Verses' (most of it turgid drivel) he would probably have been forgotten about long ago. His ventures into 'magic realism' are laughably inept and largely unreadable. He is now famous for being a literary 'celebrity' rather than a writer, rather like Capote in his later years (the difference being that some of Capote's early stuff was quite good).. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annoni_mouse Posted September 26, 2006 Share Posted September 26, 2006 Dan Brown - how that man has managed to mug a living is beyond me? Ive read more engaging stuff on the back of a bottle of Domestos. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fantomas Posted September 26, 2006 Share Posted September 26, 2006 Dan Brown seconded, though I can sort of let him off because I don't think he pretends to write anything other than airport book fodder. From writers who have more literary pretentions though, I think Ben Okri is terrible. I tried to read 'The Famished Road' but quickly lost the will to live. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StarSparkle Posted September 26, 2006 Share Posted September 26, 2006 Dan Brown seconded, though I can sort of let him off because I don't think he pretends to write anything other than airport book fodder. Dan Brown thirded. I'm currently TRYING to read my way through the "Da Vinci Code", but his appalling writing style is making it a real chore.... D H Lawrence - one good story in the man. Everything of his I've ever read is the same story, same characters, same settings, same issues.... boring! Admittedly, I haven't read "Lord Chaverly's Lover".... Joseph Heller - great ideas, but badly written and pretentious In fact, most modern novelists seem to specialise in being pretentious.... StarSparkle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cloudybay Posted September 26, 2006 Share Posted September 26, 2006 Joseph Heller - overblown, badly edited, self-congratulatory. Now you tell me ! I've just bought Catch 22...........Stephen King, for no other reason than he's too long winded and too many of his novels follow the same old plots. Now, if we were talking Playwrights, Dennis Potter......... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martinC Posted September 26, 2006 Share Posted September 26, 2006 john grisham-started 3 of his books and then packed em in. but i must agree,dan brown-da vinci code and digital fortress absolute piffle.his books start well then just fade away like a cheap firework,but good luck to him-people obviously like him hes sold millions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeP Posted September 26, 2006 Share Posted September 26, 2006 I quite like Stephen King when he's being 'tight', but by God he can go on. JD Salinger - The Catcher in the Rye is OK but it's not enough to give the guy teh reputation he has. And it has generated so many wannabe Holden Caulfields.... Dan Brown JK Rowling Helen Fielding Phillip Pullman And....pulling on my armour and asbestos underwear... JRR Tolkien Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evildrneil Posted September 26, 2006 Share Posted September 26, 2006 Can I partly nominate someone? I love Neal Stephenson's books but he just can't write an ending..they....just......sort.........of................peter.......................out.................... I also tried reading 120 Days Of Soddom and as a "masterpiece" and "work of genius" it was pretty much unreadable! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seriessix Posted September 26, 2006 Share Posted September 26, 2006 And....pulling on my armour and asbestos underwear... JRR Tolkien Wow - I'm running for cover. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seriessix Posted September 26, 2006 Share Posted September 26, 2006 There was a lot of controvercey over this one. http://www.amazon.com/Million-Little-Pieces-James-Frey/dp/0307276902/sr=8-1/qid=1159289789/ref=pd_bbs_1/104-1764637-0805509?ie=UTF8&s=books Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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