The "Great Authors That Not Too Many People Know About" Thread

[Dr. Drib]

Originally Posted by OtterBooks

OK now you got me curious, especially after reading some excerpts on Amazon. There's quite a few books. Are there any of his you consider a good place to start?

If you're the kind of person who really enjoys off-the-wall humor and can accept the premise of cockroaches, then I wholeheartedly recommend "The Cockroaches of Stay More." Although it's very humorous, it's filled with compassion and sentiment.

I also recommend "Lightning Bug," one of his early novels of Stay More, and the one that got me hooked on him.

For a more recent book, you might try "With."

Here's a quote from Amazon about Harington: Donald Harington was one of America's greatest writers of fiction. His fifteen novels have been called jubilant, lyrical, foxy, captivating, delicate, bawdy, playful, reckless, joyful, courageous. Set in the fictional hamlet of Stay More, Arkansas, Harington's stories blend myth, dreamscape and sharply observed speech and manners to depict a rich, eccentric, rural society.

In talking with other Arkansans (I am one), for those who enjoy his work we don't simply like him as a writer; rather, I would say we love his work and the body of literature that he so lovingly created.

Because of the rural nature of his work, he may not be for everyone.



Don

[TGS]

There was an Irish-Canadian author called Brian Moore. He died in 1999 and it always surprises me that he is not better known. He is one of the writers I "discovered" through picking up his books in remaindered bookshops. This obit serves as a good introduction to him.

[issybird]

+1 to Brian Moore. The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne alone qualifies him for greatness. Ginger Coffey, Mary Dunne, Emperor of Ice Cream, I can recommend several of his other novels and I see there are many more I could read. Thanks for the memory-jog.

[Dimwit]

If you want to try something different, try an unpublished/self published author named Wes Boyd. He has a series of books revolving around the people of Spearfish Lake. Really well done and he posts for free!

I'd rank Snowplow Extra up there with anyone for quality.

[Japes]

Originally Posted by Dimwit

If you want to try something different, try an unpublished/self published author named Wes Boyd. He has a series of books revolving around the people of Spearfish Lake. Really well done and he posts for free!

I'd rank Snowplow Extra up there with anyone for quality.

Where does he post for free? All I found was the following (WAY overpriced Ebooks):

http://www.spearfishlaketales.com/store.htm

[kacir]

One of best selling German authors, with 200 millions books sold worldwide and yet, practically unknown in English speaking world.

I will quote Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_May here:

Karl May was a popular German writer, noted mainly for adventure novels set in the American Old West, (best known for the characters of Winnetou and Old Shatterhand) and similar books set in the Orient and Middle East (with Kara Ben Nemsi and Hadschi Halef Omar). In addition, he wrote stories set in his native Germany, in China and in South America.

I grew up reading his books. His Winnetou, the Red Gentleman - the Apache chieftain and his German friend Old Shatterhand are deeply ingrained in the culture here in Europe. The actor that played the main character in the movie is big celebrity here even after 30 years.

I was absolutely shocked when I found out that many of his books have not been translated into English and that even his most famous books have only very recently been translated.
Please note, that Karl May has never seen the "Wild West" or "Orient", so many of things he wrote are ... aehm ... amusingly naive.

[kacir]

One of my favourite authors from the time when I was discovering the wonderful world of SciFi literature is Gert Prokop. His book called "Who would steal legs" made extremely deep impression.

I am not sure if you can find English translation of any of his books. Gert Prokop lived and wrote in East Germany - called DDR [Deutsche Demokratische Republik] here.

[Gudy]

Originally Posted by Japes

Where does he post for free? All I found was the following (WAY overpriced Ebooks):

http://www.spearfishlaketales.com/store.htm

Just go to the Spearfish Lake Tales main page. All his books are free to read online. He also posts his books on BeyondTheFarHorizon.com and StoriesOnline.net

And yes, I second the recommendation. I wouldn't exactly classify him as one of the great, overlooked authors of our time, but I do love his stories and he certainly deserves to be better known.

Originally Posted by kacir

Gert Prokop lived and wrote in East Germany - called DDR [Deutsche Demokratische Republik] here.

While we're on the subject of East German SF, I recommend Michael Szameit. I loved his books as a teenager. He and the Strugatzki brothers were what opened my mind to the possibility that SF could be so much more than lasers, space battles and bug-eyed monsters.

[fbrII]

Jose Saramago

Granted there are more than a few people who know his name and has gathered an award to two. I still feel he remains unknown and unappreciated by many

[Dr. Drib]

Originally Posted by fbrII

Jose Saramago

Granted there are more than a few people who know his name and has gathered an award to two. I still feel he remains unknown and unappreciated by many

How about the Nobel Prize in Literature?

I know two people here at MobileRead who appreciate him, and I'm one of them!



Don

[jgaiser]

Originally Posted by Dr. Drib

How about the Nobel Prize in Literature?

I know two people here at MobileRead who appreciate him, and I'm one of them!

And thanks to both of you, I've picked up a copy of his Collected Novels from Amazon.

[AnneT]

Well, while reading this thread I realize it's not so bad to speak a language that is only shared by some 20 millions of people: we don't have a giant lot of writers... but books in other languages are easily translated into Dutch, and not only English books...

So I was almost shocked to hear writers as Jose Saramago, Carlos Ruiz Zafon and Karl May being called 'Authors not too many people know about'.

Want to hear a Dutch recommondation? Harry Mulish's 'De Ontdekking van de Hemel' is translated (The discovery of heaven).

The autors from Belgium I like don't have many books translated in English. (OK, there is The misfortunates' from Dimitri Verhulst. But Tom Lanoye has no English books yet.)

[issybird]

Originally Posted by AnneT

Want to hear a Dutch recommondation? Harry Mulish's 'De Ontdekking van de Hemel' is translated (The discovery of heaven).

My favorite Dutch writer is Cees Nooteboom. Roads to Santiago (US title) is a towering travel narrative, learned and evocative.

[fbrII]

Again, not unknown, but not necessarily well know Daniel Woodrell ranks very high among my favorite authors I think 'Winter's Bone' is brilliant and I recently read 'The Bayou Trilogy' a collection of three of his earlier works, which is also well worth reading.

If you are someone who appreciates authors like Faulkner or Zola I think you would like Winters Bone. If you like Chandler, Hammett, McDonald or somebody like James Lee Burke I think you would like Bayou Trilogy.

[fbrII]

Speaking of Burke, Declan Burke is an Irish crime mystery writer who falls under the "not well known" category. His 'Crime always Pays' is both a very fun and very inexpensive read. (Smashwords and Amazon). I have yet to read his second book 'Eight Ball Boogie' which I recently bought, but I am looking forward to it.

Not great as in the same class as the others posted here, but defiantly the best .99 cents I've spent lately.