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in which practically nothing violent occurs- are of real merit. So I think he merits a place in at least the lower rungs of the best 50 British writers of the postwar period.
Check out his Wikipedia entry for his 100 plus book bibliography on an astonishing range of subjects.
Paul Noonan -
1/17/2008
Colin Wilson. Yes, if you've heard of him at all you probably think of the prolific author of dubious books on the occult and sensationalistic true crime that he now is (at age 76). But THE OUTSIDER (1956), his first book, is still a great introduction to the world of ideas and some of his early novels, such as RITUAL IN THE DARK (1960) and THE WORLD OF VIOLENCE (1963)-
Amy H. Sturgis -
1/17/2008
Yes indeed! Good points.
Amy H. Sturgis -
1/17/2008
To be honest, I'm not well versed enough in his nonfiction to be able to provide a competent answer. I do know he campaigned widely for peace and against apartheid. I am fascinated by his fiction, however, because of the remarkable breadth of his vision, his pioneering role in the science fiction genre (imagining the Dyson sphere, for example, and the concepts of terraforming and the transhuman), and his influence on other authors through his depiction of intelligence at war with the indifferent universe and the tension between noble and base impulses (H.P. Lovecraft, Stanislaw Lem, etc.). His vision seems both original and revolutionary (especially with Last and First Men). It's good to know I'm not alone in appreciating him!
Richard Anthony Garner -
1/17/2008
Terry Pratchet
Clive Barker
Jeff Riggenbach -
1/17/2008
I'm curious to know more about your enthusiasm for Stapledon, who is an enthusiasm of mine dating back to my teenage years. I've read Last and First Men, Starmaker, Odd John, Sirius, and Leslie Fiedler's book Olaf Stapledon: A Man Divided, but I haven't read enough of Stapledon's nonfiction to have a firm handle on his ideas. He seems to have been some sort of communist. Are there any grounds for regarding him as a libertarian communist?
JR
Amy H. Sturgis -
1/16/2008
Excellent point!
From Archeology
one moral, at least, may be drawn,
to wit, that all
our school text-books lie.
What they call History
is nothing to vaunt of,
being made, as it is,
by the criminal in us:
goodness is timeless.
from "Archeology," W.H. Auden
Robert Higgs -
1/16/2008
How can the Times list of the top 50 not include W. H. Auden?? Outrageous.
Aeon J. Skoble -
1/16/2008
Now I'm the one slapping his forehead: how could I forget John Mortimer? That makes a baker's dozen, and I promise to stop now.
Aeon J. Skoble -
1/16/2008
I'm also fond of Mary Wesley. I also would have included Frederick Forsyth, but I'm sure that'll invite sneers from some, and anyway that makes 11. I also like Ellis Peters (aka Edith Partager), but that's 12, so I guess I should stop.
Amy H. Sturgis -
1/16/2008
I knew I'd forget someone! Alan Moore indeed.
Aeon J. Skoble -
1/16/2008
I haven't read all 50 of the people on the Times list, nor even all 10 of the people on your list! But:
Orwell, Tolkien, Gaiman, yes. Also, from the Times list, LeCarre, Fleming, Moorcock. So four more: gotta start with Alan Moore. For the other three, Martha Grimes? Graham Greene? I guess I need one more.
