So, I've recently had a bit of a re-vamp of my house and 'library'. Should I do some polls about favourite authors amongst my collection? I can't guarantee quality but it might be good for a laugh.

Yes, definitely.

Sounds like a good idea.

Are they the ones you're getting rid of, or the ones you're keeping?

Do you want this to be a poll?

What's wrong with writers whose surnames begin with 'I' and later?

I've had a radical clear out at home recently of 'stuff', but these were the only authors I couldn't part with.

My favourite would be Paul Auster. His 'Book of Illusions' is quite possibly the best book I have ever read, but all his books are technically breathtaking and his subject matter never fails to astound.

Don't be rude, these are the ones I've decided to keep! You are a Philistine!

I've reduced my 'library' by about 80%!

Jesus H, have I messed it up again?! It is supposed to be a poll with only one choice.

The other letters in the alphabet are to follow - I happen to have a full time job as well!

Is this how you wanted it?

Due to the 40-vote-options limit, you need to put these in the next poll:

E M Forster
Stephen Fry
Alex Garland
Alan Garner
Gunter Grass
Graham Greene
Thom Gunn
Thomas Hardy
James Hawes
Joseph Heller
Zoe Heller
Ernest Hemingway
Andrew Holmes
Nick Hornby
Sean Hughes

Ben Elton?!

Gah! Thank you.

he would be my favourite from your list as well, although there's a good few there i haven't read.

Ha! I know........I never said I was sophisticated.

But for some reason I couldn't part with his novels. Maybe it's just harking back to the past, but I'm quite fond of him. But I accept that to compare him to the likes of, say Kingsley Amis, is faintly ridiculous.

Dick Francis seems to be missing from the list. Was this an oversight?

Funny you should say that, but I did get rid of a veritalbe 'collection' of Dick Francis to my local charity shop. Sadly, he didn't make it to the final list, although his books were indeed gripping.

He fell at the final hurdle, did he?

Well, if your "library" has been reduced by 80% I'd hate to see what crap you had before :lol:

No, good stuff - J G Ballard for me please.
I really like his short story collections that have come out in the last few years.

You are all very rude and I am now going to sulk.

Bring it on. -_-

Guenter Grass is very good.....

Andrew Holmes' exclamation mark appears to have gone missing.

It's part of his name, you know. It's like Neu! and Wham!

Auster
Brecht
Doyle
Fitzgerald
Faulkner

The four Bs:

Ballard
Bennett
Bronte
Burgess

Auster was amazing for his first two or three books, but then he started going down the writers-writing-about-writing route and disappeared up his own arse a bit, but I cherish the memory of New York Trilogy and Mr. Vertigo.

Ballard for me please. And Alan Bennett. And I was going to pour scorn and vomit at the mention of Mitch Albom, but then I remembered there's a sentence in a book by Paulo Coehlo which made me sit up with a start and it changed my life, so I'll say nothing about it.

Brecht's the only one there i've ever been really impressed by, as a theorist, a poet and a playwright, so i'll vote for him.
Daphne du Maurier's Vanishing Cornwall is a lovely book; and Peter Carey's My Life as a Fake is probably the biggest waste of time i've ever spent reading.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle for me, love his books.

Me too. I've returned to them time and time again.

Ballard for me please.

What's Christabel Beilenberg's book(s) like? She was fantastic on The World At War.

Where should I start with Ballard?

Short stories. I started off with Myths Of The Near Future which hooked me, followed by Crash which completely knocked me sideways, in a good way.

My favourite was Cocaine Nights, followed by High Rise.

Most people here say Crash is his best, but I found that too......preposterous and pretentious......and just a bit pervy.

Ta!

I always had a 'thing' about scars, blame Action Man probably :ohdear:

It's funny how everybody hates the pretentious dick Paulo Coelho in his own homeland, but he has such a big acceptance abroad..

From that list, it was a toss up for me between Burgess and Faulkner.

In the end, I went for Faulkner, haven't read anything of his for absolutely years but remember his distinctive style, his ability to capture time and place and his skill at storytelling.

On another day, I might have voted for ramshackle old waffly Burgess but he does have an air of pomposity...so not today.

Robinson Crusoe is the new Amis.

I agree. Crash isn't much of a read, really.

i like crash the best out of the ballard stuff i have read.

apart from that i have read douglas coupland, bret easton ellis, martin amis and margret atwood.

i dont like those ones v much.

i liked atwood alot when i was 15 but imo she has become increasingly bitter.

Kate Atkinson- a great writer who loved Buffy. :wub: