The Conservative Cave
Interests => Hobbies => The Book Club => Topic started by: franksolich on October 07, 2009, 07:09:11 AM
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I'm wondering who members here think is the best author, the best writer, ever, to come out of their respective native states.
In my own case, Nebraska, it has to be Mari Sandoz, hands down.
In Mississippi, it has to be Eudora Welty.
In Colorado, it has to be Eugene Fowler.
In New York, it has to be Ludwig Bemelmans.
But it's all a matter of taste, one supposes.
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Three that were born in Illinois: Hemingway, Carl Sandburg and Ray Bradbury. Of those, I've read far more by Bradbury.
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Samuel Clemens........
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Samuel Clemens........
Man, absolutely no argument there.
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I'm wondering who members here think is the best author, the best writer, ever, to come out of their respective native states.
In Mississippi, it has to be Eudora Welty.
William Faulkner, born and died in MS, won the Nobel in literature.
Also notables include:
Tennessee Williams, Shelby Foote, and John Grisham (came to Mississippi when he was a kid).
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Will Rogers and N. Scott Momaday.
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John Steinbeck is definitely up there.
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PA has had some good ones.
John Updike.
Louisa May Alcott
James Michener
My favorite? John D. MacDonald. He wrote the "Fletch" books, and he most famously wrote the amazing Travis McGee series of novels.
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William Faulkner, born and died in MS, won the Nobel in literature.
Also notables include:
Tennessee Williams, Shelby Foote, and John Grisham (came to Mississippi when he was a kid).
Well, seeing as I was raised in MS, I immediately thought of Eudora Welty and William Faulkner.
But, if we are discussing the state I live in now, it would have to be Larry McMurtry.
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Can I nominate the Dem party who authored a bill to increase our state income tax to 12% and kill our mortgage deduction for anyone making over 75K/year in the name of fairness?
It was good humor. And :censored: the bill passed, but was fortunately Veto'd. Now, the author of the bill is running for Gov. under the statement that she's the only one capable of fixing the budget struggles.
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PA has had some good ones.
John Updike.
Louisa May Alcott
James Michener
My favorite? John D. MacDonald. He wrote the "Fletch" books, and he most famously wrote the amazing Travis McGee series of novels.
YOU FORGOT BEN FRANKLIN! :thatsright:
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TN authors....
Alex Haley
Cormac McCarthy
James Agee
Robert Penn Warren
TS Stribling.
We have more famous musicians/singer/songwriters and athletes than authors....
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Jack London, Robert Frost.
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I'm wondering who members here think is the best author, the best writer, ever, to come out of their respective native states.
In my own case, Nebraska, it has to be Mari Sandoz, hands down.
In Mississippi, it has to be Eudora Welty.
In Colorado, it has to be Eugene Fowler.
In New York, it has to be Ludwig Bemelmans.
But it's all a matter of taste, one supposes.
Best author or best selling author. Then Maine , Steven King
New Hampshire, Dan Brown.
I was going to say Thomas Paine but on doing a quick check found him to be totally different from what I was taught in school.
How about the the Yankee Almanac's that has been around for a hundred years or more. when to sow and how to dig fence posts by the moon fazes.
We have quite a few authors up here that made it big in the 1800 times, few read them today they just remain part of our heritage.
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I have to say that MS has given the world some very fine authors. No disrespect to any other states since there are plenty of great authors to go around.
Foote
Faulker
Grisham
Welty
(all already mentioned)
I would also add:
Nevada Barr
Tennesse Williams (oops - someone added him above)
Thomas Harris (Red Dragon - of Hannibal Lector fame)
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PA has had some good ones.
John Updike.
Louisa May Alcott
James Michener
My favorite? John D. MacDonald. He wrote the "Fletch" books, and he most famously wrote the amazing Travis McGee series of novels.
Absolutely. I'm currently re-reading the entire McGee series. MacDonald died in 1986, which was a cryin' shame. Nobody, in my opinion, writes about the human condition quite like he did. He was largely known as a "paperback" or dime-store novel writer, but I always thought he was far, far better than that.
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Tom Clancy-novelist.
H.L. Mencken- writer/journalist.
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Zane Grey-Arizona.
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Zane Grey-Arizona.
I read a Zane Grey book not too long ago, The Lost Wagon Train or some such. The writing was actually pretty modern-seeming. Very readable.
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I'm wondering who members here think is the best author, the best writer, ever, to come out of their respective native states.
In my own case, Nebraska, it has to be Mari Sandoz, hands down.
I dunno Frank... I just got finished reading about Willa Cather, I believe it said from Nebraska, she sounds awesome.
http://mises.org/daily/4009
(http://mises.org/images/WillaCather.jpg)
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I dunno Frank... I just got finished reading about Willa Cather, I believe it said from Nebraska, she sounds awesome.
http://mises.org/daily/4009
(http://mises.org/images/WillaCather.jpg)
It's a matter of taste.
Most rate Willa Cather as the greatest writer from Nebraska, but not all.
Readers who like fantasy like Willa Cather; readers who like facts like Mari Sandoz.
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Readers who like fantasy like Willa Cather; readers who like facts like Mari Sandoz.
But her fantasy was a tool to teach true economics to the ignorant masses. heh.
I'll take your word on this.
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But her fantasy was a tool to teach true economics to the ignorant masses. heh.
I'll take your word on this.
My philosophy about fiction versus non-fiction goes back to John Hershey's Hiroshima, a fictional tale that apparently evoked powerful emotions in readers.
Hiroshima did nothing for me, because I already knew the people described therein were made-up people, with made-up sufferings.
On the other hand, Day One by Peter Wyden, also about Hiroshima, had an enormous effect on me, because he was describing real people with real sufferings.
And thus my opinion of the Willa Cather-Mari Sandoz thing.
The world is jampacked full of facts, and life is to short to waste on made-up stories.
I realize, of course, I am stating a decidedly minority opinion, but it's mine.
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That is a personally reasonable viewpoint Frank.
Mine is, life stinks, I wanna go back to bed and dream some more.
heh
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Texas boasts not only Larry McMurtry but Joe galloway as well.
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Arkansas: John Grisham
Where I am now, Florida, Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings. She was born in D.C. but lived here most of her life and wrote "The Yearling" among many others.
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In addition to the insipid, unreadable Jean Auel, OR has Ursula K Leguin, Phyllis McGinley, William Stafford, Beverly Cleary, and Ken Kesey. A bit of trivia: Ken Kesey and Kip Kinkle went to the same high school.
Cindie