18, 929 votes 1, 242 voters 31, 921 views 360 items tags List Criteria: Vote up the best writers and authors of all time. The pen is truly mightier than the sword, and if you’re a book enthusiast you know that to be true. Some of history’s most influential people were authors, writing the most important literature and political works of all time. Writers have shaped human history, capturing some of the most important historical events and reflecting the culture of a changing world around us in a profound way. Who are the best writers of all time? Vote up the authors you think are the best and see how they rank! The writers on this list are the best in history, writing books, plays, essays, and poetry that has stood the test of time and make up the world's canon of literature and written work. No matter what type of writing you like to read, you can't go wrong with a book by one of these best writers of all time. This list features the best writers ever, including, William Shakespeare, Jane Austen, Emily Bronte, Geoffrey Chaucer, Homer, Joseph Conrad, Charles Dickens, Herman Melleville, William Faulkner, and Edgar Allan Poe. Vote up the best authors of all time below or add the writer you think is the best who isn't already on the list.

The American South has long been seen as the focus of the country’s Civil Rights Movement, carrying with it the stigma of poverty, racism, and anti-intellectualism. Yet the region has also produced a disproportionate number of intellectuals, poets, and writers, possibly because of the complicated and layered identities each Southerner holds within him- or herself. The South has begotten some of our nation’s most important authors, including prize winners like William Styron, Eudora Welty, Flannery O’Connor, Ralph Ellison, Harper Lee, and that titan of American letters, William Faulkner. These 50 novels are a reminder that the South cannot be defined solely by its failings; it is also responsible for shaping the minds of countless thinkers who offered to American literature essential insights about not only their region but the world at large Absalom, Absalom! by William Faulkner Sure, alphabetically, is first on this list. But, coincidentally, it is also the greatest Southern novel ever written. A crowing achievement of William Faulkner’s experimentation in narratives and storytelling, it encapsulates all that defines the post-war (that’s the Civil War, you guys) Southern mentality, perfectly summed up in the book’s final line, revealing Quentin Compson’s true feelings about the homeland with which he has such a complicated relationship: “I don’t hate it he thought, panting in the cold air, the iron New England dark: I don’t. I don’t! I don’t hate it! I don’t hate it!”

The job of the public editor is to supervise the implementation of proper journalism ethics at a newspaper, and to identify and examine critical errors or omissions, and to act as a liaison to the public. They do this primarily through a regular feature on a newspaper's editorial page. Because public editors are generally employees of the very newspaper they're criticizing, it may appear as though there is a possibility for bias. However, a newspaper with a high standard of ethics would not fire a public editor for a criticism of the paper; the act would contradict the purpose of the position and would itself be a very likely cause for public concern. Many major newspapers in the U.S. use the public editor column as the voice for their ombudsman, though this is not always so. Public editor columns cover a broader scope of issues and do not have an accreditation process, while in order to qualify as an ombudsman of any standing one must be a member of the Organisation of News Ombudsmen. At, the position was created in response to the Jayson Blair scandal. The Times' first public editor was Daniel Okrent, who held the position from December 2003 through May 2005. Okrent's successor was Byron Calame, who was followed by Clark Hoyt, who held the position for three years. In August 2010, Arthur S. Brisbane assumed the post and held it until 2012, when Margaret M. Sullivan took the position.

And here at last they all are! Pressed and cleaned and ready for your perusal. From one to one hundred and everything in between. And remember that if you want this list in a fancy handout PDF that looks a lot nicer and can be given to patrons, parents, teachers, etc. just sign up for it here. Enjoy! None of this could have been possible without the help of Eric Carpenter. He single-handedly created the algorithm that allowed us to tally the votes easily. Then he and Sondra Eklund did double duty to get the final votes tallied and ready in the time to announce. Thanks too to the survey monkeys Sam Bloom, Katie DeKoster, Joy Wright, Kate Conklin, and Dick Holmes who all did the initial tallying. Bibliography of Sources Used Blackbeard, Bill, and Martin Williams. The Smithsonian Collection of Newspaper Comics. Washington D.C.: The Smithsonian Institution Press, 1977. Clark, Beverly Lyon Clark. Kiddie Lit: The Cultural Construction of Children’s Literature in America. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press. Galda, Lee and Bernice E. Cullinan. Literature and the Child, 5th Edition. Stamford: Wadsworth Thomson Learning, 2002. Gauch, Patricia Lee. Artist to Artist: 23 Major Illustrators Talk to Children About Their Art. New York: Penguin Young Readers Group, 2007. Marcus, Leonard, ed. Dear Genius: The Letters of Ursula Nordstrom. New York: Harper Collins, 1998. Marcus, Leonard, ed. Funny Business: Conversations with Writers of Comedy. Boston: Candlewick, 2009. Marcus, Leonard. Minders of Make-Believe: Idealists, Entrepreneurs, and the Shaping of American Children’s Literature. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2008. Marcus, Leonard, ed. Show Me a Story! Why Picture Books Matter. Boston: Candlewick, 2011. Nel, Philip and Julie Mickenberg, ed. Tales for Little Rebels: A Collection of Radical Children’s Literature. New York: New York University Press, 2008. Pearl, Nancy. Book Crush: For Kids and Teens Recommended Reading for Every Mood, Moment, and Interest . Seattle: Sasquatch Books, 2007. Silvey, Anita. 100 Best Books for Children. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004. Silvey, Anita. Everything I Need to Know I Learned from a Children’s Book. New York: Roaring Brook Press, 2009. Sutton, Roger and Martha Parravano, ed. A Family of Readers: The Book Lover’s Guide to Children’s and Young Adult Literature. Boston: Candlewick, 2010. Zipes, Jack, ed. The Norton Anthology of Children’s Literature: The Traditions in English. New York: W.W. Norton and Company, 2004.

Long before we even heard of great contemporary writers we get amazing, touching, slice-of-life and memoirs such as Alice Walker's "To Hell With Dying", Mary Elizabeth Vroman's "See How They Run" to Kristin Hunter's "An Interesting Social Study". Here, Hughes showcases shorts from some of his idols, Paul Lawrence Dunbar's "The Scapegoat", to people he was fortunate enough to collaborate with and/or influence; Lebert Bethune's "The Burglar", "A Summer Tragedy, " by Arna Bontemps, Ernest J. Gaines' Here, Hughes showcases shorts from some of his idols, Paul Lawrence Dunbar's "The Scapegoat", to people he was fortunate enough to collaborate with and/or influence; Lebert Bethune's "The Burglar", "A Summer Tragedy, " by Arna Bontemps, Ernest J. Gaines' "A Long Day in November" and Ralph Ellison's"Flying Home", Zora Neale Hurston's"The Guilded Six-Bits" and James Baldwin's "This Morning, This Evening, So Soon". These and a dozen more compliment his own 1958 awesome short, "Thank You, M'am, " a litle ditty about a would-be purse snatcher, Roger, getting more than he bargained for when the rotund matronly older woman, Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones, gets ahold of him one day! This would be one of Hughes' last published works before his untimely death. For Short Story lovers, this collection is eclectic, funny, sad and everything in between. I highly recommend Walker's heart-warming memoir for its testimony to the extended family that make us who we are-nearly as much an influence as our immediate families.

"Make it new!" This exhortation by the American poet Ezra Pound sums up the Modernist agenda in one short phrase. Acccording to the Oxford Companion to English Literature, 7th edition: Modernism is… best understood as an epoch of radical cultural upheaval which flourished predominantly in Europe and the USA from, arguably, around the last quarter of the 19th century to, no less debatably, around the start of the Second World War. [Modernism] represent[s] modernist culture's uncompromising confrontation with and sense of severance from the conventions and tastes of both mass society and the governing elite and its determination to rebuild and renew the arts. For a more in-depth overview of "Modernism, " what it was, and how it manifested itself in architecture, music, dance, and literature, click the link directly below to read about it from the Encyclopedia of Aesthetics. This webpage is designed to assist the researcher, whether undergraduate, graduate student, or faculty member in finding information available through the Gumberg Library on American Modernist authors ant their works. It directs users to: Reference works, both print and electronic, great for learning the basics about a topic Books, by and about these authors and their work, as well as themes related to modernist literature, from the QuickSearch online catalog Periodical databases giving access to citations to articles, popular and scholarly (many in full-text) High-quality websites Information on citation Information on how to get materials from other libraries Use the tabs at the top of the screen to access the various sorts of information. Help is Available! The artwork in the banner images at top and bottom of most pages is a detail from the work Composition A , by Piet Mondrian, painted in 1920. It is in the public domain in the US, because it was created before 1923. Source: Wikimedia Commons. While Mondrian was born in the Netherlands, he spent the last years of his life in the United States.

This Yale College course, taught on campus twice per week for 50 minutes, was recorded for Open Yale Courses in Spring 2008. Course Materials Video and audio elements from this course are also available on: About Professor Amy Hungerford Amy Hungerford is Professor of English at Yale. She specializes in 20th- and 21st-century American literature, especially the period since 1945. She is a founder of Post•45, a collective of leading scholars in the field; Post•45 is developing a web journal based at Yale. Professor Hungerford is author of The Holocaust of Texts: Genocide, Literature, and Personification, (Chicago, 2003); her second book, Postmodern Belief: American Literature and Religion Since 1960 is forthcoming in 2009 (20/21 Series, Princeton UP). Her next project is The Cambridge Introduction to the American Novel Since 1945 . She serves as an editor at the journal Contemporary Literature. Professor Amy Hungerford, Professor of English Description In "The American Novel Since 1945" students will study a wide range of works from 1945 to the present. The course traces the formal and thematic developments of the novel in this period, focusing on the relationship between writers and readers, the conditions of publishing, innovations in the novel's form, fiction's engagement with history, and the changing place of literature in American culture. The reading list includes works by Richard Wright, Flannery O'Connor, Vladimir Nabokov, Jack Kerouac, J. D. Salinger, Thomas Pynchon, John Barth, Maxine Hong Kingston, Toni Morrison, Marilynne Robinson, Cormac McCarthy, Philip Roth and Edward P. Jones. The course concludes with a contemporary novel chosen by the students in the class. Texts Richard Wright, Black Boy (American Hunger) (Harper Perennial Restored edition, 1993) 1945 Flannery O'Connor, Wise Blood (Farrar, Straus and Giroux) 1949 Vladimir Nabokov, Lolita (Vintage) 1955 Jack Kerouac, On the Road (Penguin) 1957 J.D. Salinger, Franny and Zooey (Little, Brown) 1961 John Barth, Lost in the Funhouse (Anchor) 1963-68 (selections) Thomas Pynchon, The Crying of Lot 49 (HarperCollins) 1967 Toni Morrison, The Bluest Eye (Knopf) 1970 Maxine Hong Kingston, The Woman Warrior (Vintage) 1976 (selections) Marilynne Robinson, Housekeeping (Picador) 1980 Cormac McCarthy, Blood Meridian (Vintage) 1985 Philip Roth, The Human Stain (Houghton Mifflin) 2000 Edward P. Jones, The Known World (Amistad) 2003 Students' Choice Novel for Spring, 2008: Jonathan Safran Foer, Everything is Illuminated (Houghton-Mifflin) 2002 Requirements Students must complete the readings, explore archival material on the web for selected authors and attend all lectures. Students must enroll in a section in order to take the course; attendance at section will not only enhance the intellectual benefit and pleasure of the course (and will fill out 5% of your grade) but will also help you in preparing the papers. Your papers and exams will be graded by your TF. 1. Two graded papers: each a literary analysis of a single text, minimum 5 pages, maximum 8 pages. 2. Final exam: will cover the whole semester; identifications, passage readings, and one essay. The papers, lectures and section discussions, if pursued with energy and attended regularly, should prepare you well for the exam. Grading Paper 1: 30% Paper 2: 30% Final exam: 35% Discussion section attendance and participation: 5% Sessions Lecture 1 Lecture 2 Lecture 3 Lecture 4 Lecture 5 Lecture 6 Lecture 7 Lecture 8 Lecture 9 Lecture 10 Lecture 11 Lecture 12 Lecture 13 Lecture 14 Lecture 15 Lecture 16 Lecture 17 Lecture 18 Lecture 19 Lecture 20 Lecture 21 Lecture 22 Lecture 23 Lecture 24 Lecture 25 Lecture 26 Exam 1 Survey Please take a few minutes to share your thoughts about this course through the survey linked below. We also invite you to provide general feedback about Open Yale Courses by visiting the Feedback area of the site. Take the survey Join a Study Group Through a pilot arrangement with Open Yale Courses, OpenStudy offers tools to participate in online study groups for a selection of Open Yale Courses, including ENGL 291. If you wish to participate in one of these study groups, you will need to register for a free account with OpenStudy. View study group Course Books and Other Related Titles Yale University Press offers a 10% discount on the books used in ENGL 291 that it publishes, as well as on other related titles. A portion of the proceeds from your purchases will be donated for the ongoing support and development of the Open Yale Courses program. View the catalog for this course

This is WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News. I'm Rachel Martin. Author Azar Nafisi has a gift for using literature for her own purposes in her best-selling memoir "Reading Lolita In Tehran" it's a key - the path to internal liberation in the midst of an oppressive revolutionary Iran. In her new book, "The Republic Of Imagination: America In Three Books, " literature becomes a map of American culture, society, and the disparate elements that make up the adopted home she loves. The three books that guide her are Mark Twain's "Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn, " "Babbitt" by Sinclair Lewis and "The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter" by Carson McCullers. She told us she was drawn to these three books because together they're a kind of American conscience. AZAR NAFISI: As I was working for this book, I realized how much works of American fiction are almost like the moral guardians of the American reality - how much they remind us of the other aspect of the American dream. I see two contradictory aspects to this dream. One is the materialistic, crass one - it's a dog eat dog world. We each are after our own interests. And the other is the idealistic one where if you have a passion, you go after your passion, which is Huck Finn. He rejects any form of success, including money, you know. And then I realized that for me, Huck Finn becomes sort of literary Declaration of Independence. And the Mark Twain - maybe not consciously - he described what is the ideal of American - the homeless, restless American that is always looking to new horizons and thinks with his heart. And so Huck Finn came, you know, became my main character. And then I thought, OK, it seems to me that many of the great American novels became Huck Finn's progenies. As if these characters started walking out of "Huckleberry Finn" and populated landscape of American fiction.

FluentU is perfect for learning from difficult videos like movie trailers. FluentU has great videos for learning English in one convenient place. It also provides a video player designed for learning English. When you review vocab, you do it with video clips. And FluentU remembers your progress and uses it to recommend videos to you. Below are a couple of must-watch movies to help you become more fluent in English…and not to mention a movie buff (movie expert) too! 1. “The Social Network” (2010) Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Justin Timberlake, Andrew Garfield. Story: Want to know the history behind the invention of Facebook? This story tells the story of the young Mark Zuckerberg, a geeky Harvard student, who wants to revolutionize the way we communicate with other people. The story shows how Zuckerberg accidentally finds fame and becomes a multi-millionaire – but there is a price. Many of his old friends and people he’s connected with over the years want him to fail. Mark Zuckerberg shows us he’s got everything in terms of material things but very little in terms of friends. Mark Zuckerberg finds himself in court a number of times and the movie questions whether it was really Mark Zuckerberg or not who first created the world’s largest social network, Facebook. Why it’s a great movie for learning English: This is an award winning movie written by Aaron Sorkin. He’s famous for his natural dialogue and funny lines, which makes this movie really enjoyable to watch and of course it’s easy to follow too. Also, almost everyone understands and knows Facebook and you will automatically be able to relate to the movie and not to mention, you’ll also be able to pick up a lot of great English vocabulary related to computers, technology and social networks. Favorite quote: “I invented Facebook!” 2. “The Hangover” (2009) Starring: Ed Helms, Bradley Cooper and Zach Galifiankis. Story: Four male friends go to Las Vegas for a bachelor party a couple of days before their friend’s wedding. It follows their wild adventures and how they find themselves in a lot of trouble. They find themselves in so much trouble, it’s unsure whether they are going to make it back in time for the wedding or not. Why it’s a great movie for learning English: First of all it’s hilarious (really funny) and it keeps us interested throughout the movie. Because it’s a comedy and we rely a lot on the visuals to understand, it makes it a lot easier to understand the dialogue between the characters. All of the characters in “The Hangover” use everyday English, which makes this movie an awesome way of learning modern American slang which will help you fit into everyday life if you’re planning on moving to the United States. You’ll hear common phrases such as “stag party” (bachelor party) and “all-nighter” (staying up all night without sleep). Favorite quote: “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.” 3. “The Hunger Games” (2012) Starring: Jennifer Lawrence and Liam Hemsworth. Story: This story is set in the future and set in a futuristic nation called Panem. Every year there are two people who are chosen to represent their district in the Hunger Games fight. Those who are chosen are done so by a lottery system. This follows the story of Katniss, a 16-year-old girl, from District 12. It shows her intense training and then how she is suddenly thrown into the fight to represent her area in the 74th annual hunger games. Why it’s a great movie for learning English: This is a very visual movie and what you miss in the dialogue, you’ll be able to be filled in by the visual action. While the actions are fast, the language is relatively easy to understand unlike other sci-fi and futuristic movies which use complex terms. The accent is a clean North American one so you’ll have no problem understand what the characters say. The characters don’t speak too fast and it’s fairly easy to understand what’s going on. It’s also an action-filled movie and has an interesting plot, which makes it even better. This movie has something for everyone as it cleverly includes action, romance, comedy and the future all in one movie. Favorite quote: “Here’s some advice, stay alive!” 4. “Toy Story” (1995) Starring: Tim Allen and Tom Hanks. Story: This is an animated (cartoon) movie that follows a young boy called Andy. Andy loves playing in his room with his toys. He especially loves to play with his action figure called Woody. When Andy disappears, the toys come to life. Andy’s mom gives him a new toy for his birthday which is called Buzz Lightyear, which becomes Andy’s new favorite toy to play with. Woody feels hurt and is jealous of the attention Andy gives his new toy and as a result he tries to get rid of him. However, as the two toys begin to fight they get lost. This story follows their adventure and is full of action and a lot of laughs. Why it’s a good movie to learn English: Animation movies such as “Toy Story” are usually written for and aimed at a younger audience which means the story and vocabulary used is not complicated. Even though the movie is mainly for kids, it doesn’t feel like it. The director made it attractive for adults too, by including a little bit of adult humor in it. Favorite quote: “Woody to Buzz Lightyear: This town ain’t big enough for the two of us.” 5. “Cast Away” (2000) Starring: Tom Hanks, Helen Hunt and Chris North. Story: This is an American adventure drama that follows Chuck Noland (Tom Hanks), a systems analyst, who has to travel around the world fixing problems at Fedex centers. Chuck is called up at Christmas time to go to Malaysia on business and is forced to leave his girlfriend Kelly (Helen Hunt) behind. His plane hits a terrible storm and it crashes somewhere into the Pacific Ocean. Chuck manages to escape the crashed plane and holds on to a life raft in the cold sea. Eventually he washes up onto a deserted island the next day. The story follows Chuck and his survival on the island and focuses on a ball he calls Wilson. Every day Chuck talks with the ball (Wilson) to fight his loneliness. Four years later Chuck is still on the island and is fishing off a man-made raft he made with Wilson. Wilson falls into the sea and cannot be rescued leaving Chuck feeling lonely and lost again until he’s rescued by a passing cargo ship. Chuck is taken back home, however, four years later everything has changed and it’s no longer the life he once knew. Why this is a great movie for learning English: Most of the dialogue in this movie is a monologue (one person speaking). There are no complicated relationships or turnovers between different characters which makes this movie very easy to follow. Tom Hanks is also known for his clear and slow voice, which is perfect for any English learner to understand.

Are given annually to outstanding African American authors and illustrators of books for children and young adults that demonstrate an appreciation of African American culture and universal human values. The award commemorates the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and honors his wife, Mrs. Coretta Scott King, for her courage and determination to continue the work for peace and world brotherhood. 2016 Author Award Winner The 2016 Coretta Scott King Book Awards Author Winner is given to Rita Williams-Garcia, author of “Gone Crazy in Alabama.” “Gone Crazy in Alabama, ” published by Amistad, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, is the final book in Williams-Garcia’s trilogy about the Gaither sisters. She blends cultural and family history in a vivid, readable way, laced with humor. Each sister is a distinct individual, growing, changing, and helping to change the perspectives of their elders. Rita Williams-Garcia is the author of several award-winning books for young people, including the 2014 Coretta Scott King Book Award for “P.S. Be Eleven” and “One Crazy Summer, ” recipient of the 2011 Coretta Scott King Book Award and Newbery Honor title. Williams-Garcia is also the recipient of the Scott O’Dell Award for Historical Fiction. She lives in Jamaica, N.Y., and is on the faculty of the Vermont College of Fine Arts’ Writing for Children and Young Adults Program. “Rita Williams-Garcia has written a convincing, often humorous portrayal of three young sisters from Brooklyn spending the summer in the South, living and learning in the bosom of a complicated but loving multigenerational family, ” said Coretta Scott King Book Awards Jury Chair Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop. 2016 Illustrator Award Winner The 2016 Coretta Scott King Book Awards Illustrator Winner is given to Bryan Collier, illustrator of “Trombone Shorty." In “Trombone Shorty, ” written by Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews and Bill Taylor, and published by Abrams Books for Young Readers, an imprint of ABRAMS, Collier creates vibrant, bold color collages and realistic images that portray the musical growth of a young boy in the jazz tradition of the Tremé neighborhood of New Orleans. “Collier’s illustrations beautifully capture important events in Andrews’s life, as well as the spirit of his beloved city and the music that is at the heart of both New Orleans and Trombone Shorty, ” said Bishop. Bryan Collier is the illustrator of over 25 picture books and the recipient of multiple awards, including the Coretta Scott King Book Award, Caldecott Honor, and Ezra Jack Keats New Illustrator Award. He lives with his family in upstate New York, where he creates illustrations and visits classrooms to share his books and art. 2016 John Steptoe Award for New Talent The Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe Award for New Talent affirms new talent and offers visibility for excellence in writing and/or illustration at the beginning of a career as a published African American creator of children’s books. This year’s winners are Ronald L. Smith, author of “Hoodoo, ” published by Clarion Books, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company; and Ekua Holmes, illustrator of “Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer, Spirit of the Civil Rights Movement, ” written by Carole Boston Weatherford and published by Candlewick Press. “Hoodoo” is the rich, atmospheric tale of a boy trying to ward off an evil spirit in 1930s small-town Alabama. When the foreboding Stranger comes to town, Hoodoo Hatcher must use the folk magic passed down in his extended family to save the day. “Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer, Spirit of the Civil Rights Movement” is a powerful biography of the heroic Civil Rights leader. Told with inspiring poetry and vivid images, Hamer’s humanity shines through in this impressive collection.