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Here's one that came up in the 5 favourite books thread:
Mikhail Bulgakov, a Russian author of wit and brilliance, wrote, among others:
Heart of a Dog
Master and Margarita
White Guard
Black Snow
His early career centered around playwriting, but he is best known today as a satirist of his times; perhaps the Russian equivalent to Britain's Orwell.
On a note of obscure writers, and also with an Orwellian twist, is Eugene Zamayatin, the writer of the dystopic We. Very interesting book.
Other writers that slip by Hmmmm.
I find that Science Fiction writers often get lost even if they are brilliant. I barely read SF except for a few select authors that take the genre to a whole new level. These guys have given me many sleepless nights
Kim Stanley Robinson
Philip K. Dick
JG Ballard
William Gibson
Ian Banks - The Wasp Factory variety
I know they are not all as obscure as maybe the posting suggests, but I think Robinson gets unfairly looked over. "The Years of Rice and Salt" is magic.
Forgot to mention Kobe Abe - Magnificent writer. After my obsession with him and Murakami if there are any other Japanese writers people can recommend I'd appreciate it.
And Philip K. Dick is hardly overlooked. He's one of the most lauded authors in science fiction, second only to guys like Asimov and H.G. Wells.
Of course being a lauded Science Fiction author is one of those "kissing your sister" type things - it's not quite the same as being a well respected author in general. Science Fiction tends to be looked down upon by the "serious" literary critics and their followers. Their loss as far as I'm concerned - some of the SF authors are just plain great writers. Philip K. Dick was one and William Gibson is one.
For readers of 'highbrow' and historically significant serious fiction, there is the "The Complete Review" web site. My personal opinion is that there is a lot of very high-quality examination of literature at this site. Welcome to the Complete Review
Loren Eiseley. He was an anthropologist and a naturalist. So far, my favorite book by him is "The Night Country." He reflects on nature and mankind in a unique way.
Of course being a lauded Science Fiction author is one of those "kissing your sister" type things - it's not quite the same as being a well respected author in general. Science Fiction tends to be looked down upon by the "serious" literary critics and their followers. Their loss as far as I'm concerned - some of the SF authors are just plain great writers. Philip K. Dick was one and William Gibson is one.
I think Philip K. Dick is a real-world Kilgore Trout.
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