It would be nice if JK should be higher but sure enough, there are a lot of great writers on there and we cant say they snob childrens authors because there are a fair share of them on the list. But I am shocked to find Terry Pratchett not on there. Before JK, he was the no 1 best selling author and has written over 40-50 books. I am also surprised Geoffrey Arthur not on the list either. Also Joan Aitken was a great children/adult author (well in my view, anyway). Some of my favourites on there though: Phillipa Pearce, Roald Dahl, Iain Banks, Philip Pullman, CS Lewis.
i dont agree with the selections!!!! Jk should have been at least from the top ten : Jk number 5 JRR number 6!!!! My two favourite authors!!!!!!!
WHAT Only 42nd!? She should be WAY higher up! You cannot have J.K. Rowling at 42nd and Tolkein at 6th! J.K. Rowling’s book are just as good, or even better than C.S. Lewis’s!
Seriously
What I find interesting is comments on the The Times website. If anyone mentions Rowling it is mostly negative saying she doesn’t deserve to be in the top 50 and that her work will be forgotten in a decade. I find these comments so shocking since she is by far the most popular author in the world. I know that my children will read the Harry Potter series and the series will not be forgotten. It sounds like jealousy to me.
holly, remember that c.s. lewis wrote a lot more than just ‘narnia’... and his works as supremely important…
I realise it says more about me than about this list, but of the approx. 10 writers from this list, whom I have never even heard of, Philip Larkin is one. I read the article about him, but not one title he has written, rings any bells. Or has he written only poetry? That would explain things, because I don’t know many poets. And least of all modern ones.
I don`t really think that she’s a children’s author. Harry Potter can be read by children & adults. Rowling should totally be on a better ranking that 42. I expected in the top ten or something. Ah well. Congrats Jo! :)
I agree that Jo should have ranked higher than 42. But prejudice is against her. Ah, well, maybe after her ‘political fairytale’ has been published…? ;o) Anyway, congrats from me too, Jo.
P.S. very nice article by Charlie Higson (now I had heard of him before! ;o) )
I think JKR’s work hasn’t yet had the chance to stand the test of time. Many of the authors on the list have had the benefit of standing the test of time. In many forms of art, things are more critically appreciated as more time passes. For example, I’m pretty sure from what I’ve heard that Tolkein would not have been included on any such list had it been compiled only a couple years after LOTR was first published. (I could be wrong about this, but I remember hearing somewhere that LOTR didn’t really gain its current noteriety until a sudden revival in the 1960s).
”.K. Rowling at 42nd and Tolkein at 6th! “
Just to turn the complaint on its head: How high will JKR score 70 years from now? That’s how long JRRT’s been kicking around, and has permanently warped our world with his world.
It’s not jealousy, but time. Literature measures it popularity in decades, even centuries….Harry’s still the New Kid on the Block.
Go J.K, I would have ranked her a bit higher on the ladder though.
Note to Errol, the poor tired bird
The LOTR trilogy was published in 1954 and 1955; the ‘60s weren’t a revival but the first recognition. Seems the Age of Aquarius had room for the 3rd and 4th ages of Middle-earth….
This quite an achievement. After only one major opus, HP, to be considered as a major writer is remarquable. We have not heard the last of her. If her next book is not for a young generations book, I will certainly give it a try. She is full of promises as a writer for adults.
Way to go! Jo.
i know that i never want to leave.