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Thread: best writer


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i know there was a thred about tolkien vs rowling but this is different... does anyone think that tolkien was the best author ever. isnt he one of the only people that created somin like this. i mean he was so dedicated to his writings and he created like 10 languages. so pretty much the thing is does anyone thing he was the best author ever
William Shakespere may hold that honor, but lets check again in another 50 or 100 years to see. I think Tolkien did win that honor in a British poll taken a few years back.
Edgar Allan poe is also a fairly good writer
William Shakespear was a play writer, not a book writer. He doesn't really fit into the same class as Tolkien.
Homer and Dante were also pretty good.
There is no best author ever.

Well, safe Goethe.

But regardless of taste, Tolkien surely has earned his place amongst the great works of literature created in the turbulent course of humanity until now.
It seems I heard somewhere the Professor was considered the best writer of the twentieth century. I think he may be (or at least I would consider him to be) by far the best fantasy writer(the scope of all he created boggles my mind and I'll be exploring it for the rest of my earthly life) but it may be up for debate as to whether he was simply the greatest writer. In the US Harper Lee (To Kill A Mockingbird) would probably be considered right up there, too...
The "Best Writer" is subjective and is determined by the eye of the beholder, that is to say the individual reader; though some readers may consider themselves to be more discriminating than others. Teacher Smilie
If we are to say that Best Writer means 'best able to write person' e.g no catagories, then why not include the script writers for Porridge the best Ronnie Barker comedy, or perhaps Only Fools and Horses? Or how about the writers of the Holy Bible? They wrote very well and articulated.
Its simply not possible to determine the best wrfiter unless you have at least a few broad catagories.
Shakespear was the best play writer. Tolkien was most likely the best book writer, certainly the most famous and well known I would say.
Tolkien's work is much more believable and involved than Moses', David's, Paul's, and all those other guys'. (It is more entertaining, too.)
Ah, but will Tolkien's works be as long lasting? Orc Grinning Smilie
I certainly believe it will. Orc Smiling Smilie
not as long as shakespere
The only reason Shakespear is so famous is becuase he was a Play-writer right at the time when Theatre was just getting started and it was a massive entertainment spectacle of the time. Shakespear had very little competition and so was the icon of Play-scripts. Tolkien on the other hand has had many Book-writers creating books at the same time and as such he could get 'lost in the crowd' so to speak.
If Tolkien had started his mythology just when Books were starting to be read at home in families and he had alot less competition writers then he would be far more recognised.
Just like if Shakespear had started his play-writing in the 19th century he would not have had nearly as much praise.
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Ah, but will Tolkien's works be as long lasting?

Maybe in the Anglo-Saxon community.
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Tolkien's work is much more believable and involved than Moses', David's, Paul's, and all those other guys'. (It is more entertaining, too.)

Joking right? I agree Tolkien's more entertaining hundred fold, but more believable? I'm not a religious person but Tolkien's work takes place in a fantasy world he invented.

It's impossible to straight out say who is the best author to grace our planet, like Grondy said it all comes down to each individual's taste. Wilbur Smith is the best author in the world to me, but I know many more people would disagree rather than agree with me.

It's like trying to claim who the hottest girl in the world is, it's an losing cause. The closest you could ever come to claiming who is the best at something in the world is having a world wide vote and that would never happen.

There are people out there who would argue that "Mein Kampf" is their favourite book and (I'll leave the author nameless) is, in their opinion, the best author ever. <--- NOT I
No. I was not joking. Although, I do still find it slightly terrifying to express those kinds of sentiments. Perhaps I feel somewhat how the citizens of eastern Europe felt when the wall came down. "I know it's OK to badmouth the CCCP now, but I still look over both of my shoulders and both of my buddies shoulders and whisper very quietly when I do."
To me, trying to come up with the 'best author' is rather like reading a silly magazine article listing the twenty most beautiful women in the world or the most handsome men in the world.
Has anyone met and seen all the men and women in the world? Not everyone that sets pen to paper chooses even to have his or her work published and none of us have read everyone's work.
And people with creative genius continue to be born into this world.
I think it is enough to deeply appreciate and be moved by someone's work and call him or her great.That is the most one person can say from his or h er own perspective.
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Has anyone met and seen all the men and women in the world?

Not to mention, real beauty is on the inside.

All the rest is just package.
I certainly hope so.