William Faulkner (1897-1962)
William Faulkner is widely regarded as one of the greatest American writers and one of the most influential novelists of the 20th century. He is best known for his novels set in the fictional Yoknapatawpha County, Mississippi, which depict the history, culture, and society of the American South from various perspectives and time periods.
Some of his most famous novels are The Sound and the Fury (1929), As I Lay Dying (1930), Light in August (1932), Absalom, Absalom! (1936), and The Reivers (1962).
These novels are renowned for their experimental techniques, such as stream of consciousness, multiple narrators, non-linear chronology, and complex symbolism.
Faulkner also wrote short stories, essays, screenplays, and poems. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1949 for his powerful and artistically unique contribution to the modern American novel.
Some interesting facts about William Faulkner are:
- He was born in New Albany, Mississippi, but grew up in Oxford, Mississippi. He dropped out of high school and college and worked as a bank clerk, bookstore owner, postmaster, carpenter, painter, and journalist before becoming a full-time writer.
- He served in the Canadian Royal Air Force during World War I but never saw combat. He also served as a screenwriter for Hollywood studios during World War II and wrote scripts for films such as The Big Sleep (1946) and To Have and Have Not (1944).
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- He was an alcoholic and struggled with addiction for most of his life. He often drank while writing and suffered from bouts of depression, anxiety, and paranoia. He also had several affairs and a turbulent marriage with his wife Estelle.
- He was a mentor and friend to many other writers, such as Ernest Hemingway, John Steinbeck, Truman Capote, and Flannery O'Connor. He also influenced many modern and contemporary writers, such as Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Toni Morrison, Cormac McCarthy, and Haruki Murakami.
- He died of a heart attack at the age of 64 in Byhalia, Mississippi. His last words were reportedly “I'm cold”. He is buried at St. Peter's Cemetery in Oxford, Mississippi. His epitaph reads: Beloved, go with God But not too far.
J.R.R. Tolkien (1892-1973)
J.R.R. Tolkien is widely regarded as the father of modern fantasy literature and one of the most influential writers of all time. He is best known for his novels The Hobbit (1937) and The Lord of the Rings (1954-1955), which are set in a fictional world called Middle-earth.
These novels are epic in scale, rich in detail, profound in theme, and imaginative in creation. They tell the story of a quest to destroy the One Ring, a powerful and evil artifact that threatens to enslave all living beings.
Along the way, they introduce a vast array of characters, races, languages, cultures, histories, and mythologies that make up the fabric of Middle-earth. Tolkien also wrote other works related to Middle-earth, such as The Silmarillion (1977), The Children of Hurin (2007), and Unfinished Tales (1980).
These works are collectively known as the legendarium or the Tolkien mythology. Some interesting facts about J.R.R. Tolkien are:
- He was born in Bloemfontein, South Africa, but moved to England when he was three years old. He grew up in Birmingham and Oxford and became interested in languages, literature, and mythology from an early age.
- He served in the British Army during World War I and fought in the Battle of the Somme (1916). He lost many of his friends in the war and was deeply affected by the horrors he witnessed. He later said that his experience of war inspired some of his writings about evil and suffering.
- He was a professor of English language and literature at Oxford University for most of his career. He was an expert on Old and Middle English, especially on the works of Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. He also invented several languages of his own, such as Quenya, Sindarin, Khuzdul, and Black Speech.
- He was a devout Catholic and a close friend of C.S. Lewis, another famous writer and scholar. They were both members of a literary group called the Inklings, which met regularly at a pub called the Eagle and Child in Oxford. They discussed their works and shared their ideas on faith, literature, and fantasy.
- He died of pneumonia at the age of 81 in Bournemouth, England. His last words were “Edith”, the name of his wife who had died two years earlier. They are buried together at Wolvercote Cemetery in Oxford. Their gravestone bears the names “Beren” and “Luthien”, two characters from his legendarium who represent their love story.
This concludes our ranking of the best authors of all time. We hope you enjoyed reading this article and learned something new about these amazing writers. Do you agree with our list? Who are your favorite authors? Let us know in the comments below!
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