Jim Crace and Zadie Smith should be on the list but aren't probably because one is too popular and the other not popular enough.

Gordon Marshall, Boston, United States

An odd list but with relevant names. I would put Tolkien, Lewis, Fleming, Powell, Agatha Christie, PG Wodehouse [both inexplicably not included] and JK Rowling at the top, in no particular order but perhaps Tolkien at Number One, followed by Anthony Powell.

Dr Charles Stephens, Ruislip, Middlesex

Are you quite mad? No Harold Pinter, no Tom Stoppard, no Tony Harrison?

Peter Nørgaard, Copenhagen, Denmark

J.K Rowling should be higher. Shes turned a majority of a generation to reading and sold more books than the bible. She should be in the top 10. For some bizzare reason journalists have a completley different view to NORMAL PEOPLE. I dont know one person who hasnt read Harry Potter.

James, Glossop,

I mostly agree with this list. But Philip Pullman should be much higher up the list. Definetely above JK Rowling! I also think Philip Reeve should be in that list somewhere.

Matthew, VIC, AUS

You chose Rowling and Pullman over Pratchett? The whole list is a farce for this reason alone.

Zoe Robinson, Manchester, United Kingdom

Phillip pulman should be higher than JK rowling he is much better than she.

Aimee, london, england

Of course Rosemary Sutcliff should be on the list, rather higher than 49.......but as her godson and literary executor I might be thought to be less than disinterested. You mention of course Eagle of the Ninth, but it is worth noting that The Lantern Bearers won the Carnegie Medal.

Anthony Lawton, Leicester, UK

But did they que up to read it? Get the slippers, get the duvet, get the book.

Eric Skelton, Cardiff, Wales

I'm sorry Pat Barker wasn't anywhere on the list. I'll read anything written by A S Byatt and Ian McEwan, but not J K Rowling. However, I think she deserves a place simply because thousands of kids all over the world actually queued up to buy - a book.

Evelyn, Rabat, Morocco

I think Burgess should be higher up the list - there are at least 3 ahead of him who shouldn't be.

R K Dillon, Brooklyn,, NY, USA

No Robert Graves!!! Novelist, poet, memoirist , translator, letter writer

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Graves

Raymond Nemo, Kingston, UK

I have to agree with Garrett, J.R.R Tolkeien should be number one. And then C.S Lewis for number two. Thes men were genius.

Matt Klatt, Edmonds, Washington

Tolkien should indeed be #1. there is no question about it. then should be a tie between Douglas Adams and C.S. Lewis for the #2 spot. this list is a joke.

Garrett, Kalispell, Montana

I consider myself well read. I have a Ph.D. in linguistics and I currently work as a lawyer. However, I have never even heard of Philip Larkin, the man who was first on the list. And J.R.R. Tolkien, the most read author on this planet (his books are exceeded in readership only by the Bible) is sixth.

Who made these choices? What were the criteria used?

Paul, Toronto, Ontario

Graham Greene should be there, close to the top. His writing is unfashionable now, but is direct link back to the great writers of the turn of the last century such as Conrad. Also there is an admirable tautness to his style, and the dialogue is crisp with the tone of real life. Perhaps he is too foreign a writer to be dearly loved in his own country, too expat, exiled, and maybe journalistic. He rarely wrote about writers or artists. In many ways he was to prose what Larkin was to poetry; which is why I am surprised (pleasantly) that Larkin tops the list. Greene should be in the top twenty if only for books like "The Heart of the Matter" and "The Power and the Glory". Also...Robert Graves; great poet and novelist, and RS Thomas; the great Welsh writer of the second half of the last century. Good to see Alasdair Gray there though. No Mervyn Peake?

John Pownall, Bridport,

How is Tolkien not No.1 ? Blasphemy! And on such a specific list... best post-war british authors? On the list of best british authore "of all time" Tolkien should be number one. This list is bogus.

Ray Corvin, Baltimore, MD

Edwin Morgan? Robin Jenkins? Sort of English dominated no?

Adam Graudus, Edinburgh,

What about Penelope Lively?

PJ, Montreal, Canada

Lawrence Durrel????

Odin, London, England

Terry Pratchett, Douglas Adams, Neil Gaiman not on the list?

Georgi Markov, Sofia, Bulgaria

A comment on the comments:

I am not, alas, surprised that there have been comments asking "Why was X excluded?" for every author whose exclusion was specifically addressed in Erica Wagner's introduction.

I am, however, amused that one of these commenters chose to accompany his question with a sarcastic remark about illiteracy.

Paul, Kalgoorlie, Australia

Any such list would have to contain Terry Pratchett and Douglas Adams

Jim Goulter, Morwell, Victoria, Australia

I suppose we all have our own favourites, and some of these authors I have never heard of, so will be a useful reading list, but I would have liked to see:

Terry Pratchett, Douglas Adams, J G Ballard, Ruth Rendell/Barbara Vine, P D James, Jeanette Winterson, CS Lewis (both child and adult fiction), Graham Greene, Fay Weldon, George Orwell, Alan Bennett and DH Lawrence (or is he earlier in time than this field encompasses?)

Pleased to see A S Byatt and Beryl Bainbridge, Muriel Spark, Angela Carter, Iain Banks on the list.

Yes, might have been easier to have a seperate poets list, and a list of playwrights, there are so many good writers to choose from!

Who picked the list???
Helen Pope, Scottish Borders, UK.

Helen Pope, Scottish Borders,

Alan Sillitoe, without doubt is well included, but as someone from his home town - Nottingham - I can't help but feel he deserves higher merit.

His voice reflected the honesty of the everyday working man in industrial post-war East Midlands. Indeed his own screenplays for, "Saturday Night and Sunday Morning", and "The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner", shine as a snapshot of anti-establishment reality for an era when the younger generations had a lot to say, but no means to be heard.

He is still going strong today, and still very much a Nottingham lad at heart - the sort of bloke who could talk about literature or the local football scores over a pint with equally commanding passion.

An inspiration to every working class lad whoever pondered the benefit of education and literature.

Christopher Green, Nottingham, UK

What no Terry Pratchett? Is this a sense of humour failure or sour grapes after "The Truth".
On the subject of humour, surely Douglas Adams should be there as well!

Neil Leslie, Waltham Abbey, Essex

Terry Pratchett is not on the list?

Let me ask the opposite question... by which criteria was he *excluded*?

Quality of writing? From laugh out loud to weep in your beer, the stories are in the best traditions of 'a mirror held to the world'. A wealth of background material coupled with a marvellous command of language.

Longevity? Over 30 books. Been around -- and at the same level of popularity -- for a darn sight longer than many others on your list.

Lasting impact? Since he started writing, his books have been bought by young and old alike. A widespread appeal like that ensures longevity because he appeals to real world *people*.

Commercial success? Every book he's written has gone straight to the top of the best sellers list. Best selling fiction hardback of 2007? Yes, it's a Terry Pratchett.

Oh, wait a minute... could it be that he was left off the list because he "doesn't even write in chapters"?

Brian Johnson, Cambridge,

HI,

It seems that commercial success must have figured higher on the selection criteria thatn literary quality.
I would include the following authors (I'm unsure whether all are British):

Terry Pratchett
Richards Adams
Peter Beagle
James Herriott
william Horrwood

sibylle hechtel, boulder, colorado / USA

J. R. R. Tolkien beats them all. His fictional languages have bursted the boundaries between fiction and reality, and there are loads of people learning them. WHO CAN TAKE THAT ON???
Everyone knows Tolkien!

Kevin, Zurich, Switzerland

This is a list of the fifty most self-important writers, not the best. In itself, it is a fantastic work of fiction.

Anna Morell, London, UK

its unfortunate that you have omitted TERRY PRATCHETT from your list. its especially insulting when you have included jk rowling and philip pullman in your list. mr. Pratchett's books totally fulfills your requirements! Please correct this glaring omission.

Gogy Jacob George, Trivandrum, India

TERRY PRATCHETT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

GOGY, metropolis,

As an angliophile and mystery lover living in the United States, I can't believe there aren't more mystery writers on this list. Don't you know that the best mysteries are written by the British? Glaringly omitted....Agatha Christie; and my particular passion...Robert Goddard. I have trouble getting some of the British mysteries from my small little world in the middle of the U.S. But when I find them, they are always worth the hunt!

L. Calvert, Quincy, IL, U.S.A.

I think Stan Barstow should be in the list.

Derek Fey, Bristol, UK

Sebastian Faulks wrote the greatest novel this side of WW2, namely Birdsong ......... he cannot possibly be omitted.

H.E.Bates wrote many of his best works post-war, including the Pop Larkin series (surely a more entertaining Larkin than the number 1 in the list) ....... where was he?

Frank Bernard, Guildford, UK

All in all I think the ranking is your personal view of things and in my opinion there are some authors who are more famous to the younger generation like myself, e.g. Tolkien or C.S. Lewis. Their works are great, but nobody should forget which kind of books they wrote and how difficult it is to pay them the respect they should gain, because of their own fantasy and the trial of bringing this to the reader.
I don't know all of these authors, but just by now I'm very interested in which way they are better than my personal all-time-favourite Tolkien.
I'm sorry if my english is not as good as it could be.

Johannes Schmicking, Limburg, Germany

The Greatest British Writer is and shall always without any doubt remain to be 'The Master'.

Wolde, Bangkok, Thailand

I'm outraged that Graham Greene is not on the list, especially in view of his association with The Times!! On the basis that Brighton Rock was written too early. What about all the other great books he wrote post-45 - The Heart of the Matter, The Quiet American, The End of the Affair. These are great works of fiction with immense quality of writing. Does anyone in all seriousness think Larkin should be top? For goodness sake make a separate list for poetry and include true greats like RS Thomas... Please also extend the list to include the entire 20th Century - I'm fed up with the use of 1945 as a kind of Rubicon marking the beginning of a new literary era - because if that rules out Graham Greene (for Brighton Rock), and also Huxley (Brave New World) - it's surely wrong!! If we extended it a bit we could see some real greats such as Robert Graves!! You should ditch commercial success as a criterion...recent research suggest that books bought does not equal books read!!

Sophie Bennett, Lincoln, UK

Berlin is masterful and should be in the top ten There is no other individual who has encapsulated what it is to be aware of the enlightening moments that deep thought about our own values and our transient involvement in this world brings.
As time progresses his contribution will undoubtedly grow.

Paul, Chepstow, UK

By your own admission the list reflects accidents of birth rather than words, language and the raw stuff of writing. Disappointing when we're talking about writing. The original language counts, not the colour of the passport in the pocket. But your fastidiousness helpfully allows you to exclude the Irish, Americans, Africans, Antipodeans and all the rest of the world who have helped make writing in English the glorious feast it is. Shame to see Kazuo Ishiguro so low on your list, below Martin Amis... And Larkin above Walcott...

Duncan Simpson, Cromford, UK

Wot, no travel writer ? The very descriptive Michael Haag on Matters Egyptian ( The River Nile, Alexandria, etc , with brilliant photographs ) should be on the list.

Bettina Maskelyne, Brisbane Queensland, Australia

Excellent to see a poet top this list, however subjective and fanciful such lists always are. If for no other reason, Larkin remains one of the greatest poets of the postwar era for his blending of the 'spirit of the times' with a serious artistic integrity and ambition: never an easy feat.

But to include Alice Oswald, and worse still, Benjamin Zepheniah, without even mentioning Seamus Heaney is just plain silly. Oswald, along with the influence of Clare, Hardy and Hughes, would be the first to recognise Heaney's huge impact on British and Irish poetry since his first collection in the mid 1960s - his influence still rings loud and clear in the poetry of our most important contemporary poets, and his prose works (collected in Finders Keepers) are a masterpiece on the life of the poet and poetry's purpose.

Ben Wilkinson, Sheffield, UK

I feel that Penelope Lively should have been on this list. Her book "Passing" is a quiet masterpiece of characterisation and a plain but sinuous and hardworking prose. If Anita Brookner, whose novels follow a pleasant but ultimately repetitive and predictable arc, could feature so how on this list, then how on earth could Lively be completely omitted.

Deborah Black, London,

While Muriel Spark and Kingsley Amis are great authors I do not at all in my right mind see them as great enough to top C. S. Lewis. I'm not sure of the methods you are ranking each writer but I do not see them as fully accurate. Or maybe you had a spelling error?

Cheyne, Parker, Colorado, USA

No travel writer? Definitely the distinguished author on Matters Egyptian ,(The River Nile, Alexandria, etc ,) Michael Haag, has my endorsement.

Bettina Maskelyne, Brisbane Queensland, Australia

To add J.K.Rowling to a list of the 50 greatest writers since 1945 is for me very difficult to understand, the only criteria for inclusion I could see, is based on revenue generated.

Without entering into a personal rant on the poor fellow Harry Potter ,I sometimes wonder if I am the only person on the planet who sees the books as nothing more than revamped fairy tales.

But there is no accounting for taste,even mine.

craig, Glasgow, Scotland

Irvine Welsh?

Bob, Kuwait,

I concur with the complaints about Sebastian Faulk. My list would include Rachel Cusk.

Philip Gough, Austin, Texas

If Anthony Powell is listed, then I think it appropriate that both Simon Raven (in particular) and CP Snow get guernseys too. As I see it, in documenting British social history in the second half of the 20th century, Powell dealt with privilege, Snow with power: yet is was Raven who brought both together. And in what style!

Stephen, Byron Bay. NSW. Oz

Stephen, Byron Bay, NSW

And why is Patrick Leigh-Fermor not in the top five?
Incredibly, he isn't even in your list.

Philip Jenkins, State College, PA, USA

Four words, four as in "Quartet": Where. Is. Lawrence. Durrell.
Five words, five as in "Quintet": How. Could. You. Omit. Him.

Plus the de rigueur question marks (countless).

tib pas, Ankara, Turkey

How can JRR Tokien be placed 6th he is the best novelist in British history. He created a whole language in his lifetime for his novels when languages have taken thousands of years to form in the world. His LOTR is second only to the bible in sales worldwide and has had the most ambitious film ever made based on his trilogy LOTR. He dedicated his whole life to give us something to make us proud to be British. There never has, is and will be anyone that will be like him again in the novel world. The only thing that i can see why the public have put him 6th is because his books don't follow the traditional professional methods of book writing.

jono, Birmingham ,

roald dahl and j.k rowling should be in the top 10!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ron bon, Winnipeg, canada

Put a sentence written by Patrick Leigh Fermor next to one written by J.K.Rowling--which is more magical? And to think Sir Paddy never made it into Warthogs or whatever Rowling calls that prestigious school of presumptuous prestidigitation! Fie!

Vassilis Zambaras, Meligalas, Greece

William Boyd, Jane Gardam, Patricia Ferguson, Sebastian Faulks (though Engleby was a let-down) and yes - definitely Graham Greene. JK Rowling deserves her place on grounds of the increased interest in books she provided for children alone. I like Larkin at No. 1, but would also like Dan Paterson in there somewhere too. Also - Terry Pratchett - if you've got Rowling you've got to have Pratchett, and probably Douglas Adams as well.

Eileen Shaw, Leeds, UK

This is the opinion of a non- Brit.
I do not know the work of all the writers on the list.
What strikes me first of all is that none is in the truly great category. Joyce and Beckett are the great British writers of the century and they are respectively Irish and Anglo- Irish.
Where is Lawrence Durrell on the list?
I believe Orwell does belong as close to the top or perhaps even in the number one place.
I believe Burgess should be higher up. A man of his enormous abilities and achievements in so many different kinds of writing deserves a higher place.

Shalom Freedman, Jerusalem , Israel

Where is the marvelous TERRY PRATCHETT? I am french and a fan of this writer ! It's well write, funny, full of philosopy and spirituality, Pratchett feed all reader, young and old. For me it is the best at this time, one who never look like another writer.

Henley, Paris, 75001

Where's Edgar Allen Poe !!???

Frans-Jozef, Helmond, The Netherlands

What's Tolkien doing on #6!?
He should at least be the number one

Robin, Boxtel, Netherlands

Ha bloody ha. Tolkien on a greatest writers list? Come on! And our racist friend Larkin top of the list? And Roald Dahl? I guess we should be rgateful for JG Ballard and Alan Garner. But what about Russell Hoban, Nicholas Royle and Jim Crace? Or some major poets like Allen Fisher or Peter Redgrove? Our our major psycho-geographer Iain Sinclair?


Only in the Times.....

Rupert Loydell, Devoran, Cornwall

Why is it that no one protests the glaring omission of Elizabeth (Coles) Taylor from this list? Her works are at least on par with Barbara Pym and Muriel Spark .

Nermal, Palermo, New Jersey, USA

Tolkien should be #1 or #2 with Orwell.

Eddude, Kirkland, WA

What? No major Graham Greene since 1947? Even skipping three or four novels you've got:
1948 The Heart of the Matter.
1950 The Third Man.
1951 The End of the Affair.
1955 The Quiet American. .
1958 Our Man in Havana.
1961 A Burnt Out Case.
1966 The Comedians.
1969 Travels with My Aunt.
1973 The Honorary Consul.
1978 The Human Factor.
1982 Monsignor Quixote.
Speaking of Comedians, you folks have to be kidding. Haven't you visited any bookstores recently? Like Dickens, these books are all still in print!

Fran Assa, Milwaukee, WI

Why do you not think that playwrights are writers? Surely, one would have expected Harold Pinter to show up in the top 50. For my money, I would have included Arnold Wesker and Alan Bennett.

Ken Donow, SILVER SPRING, MD

While I am glad to see Taylor and Berlin on the list (even if towards the bottom), I was disappointed not to see CP Snow. While the best of his 'Strangers and Brothers' Saga were set before the War, they were published afterwards, and I would stand them up against 2/3 of the fiction you did list. And some of the authors may have created the best characters (Fleming, Rowling), but they were/are hardly great writers overall.

Terrance Lewis, Winston-Salem, NC, USA

J.R.R. Tolkien should be higher up! He was a true literary genius, and the Lord of the Rings along with his other works are definitely timeless classics.

I'm only 15 so i havn't really read too many of the authors on the list, but I'm in love with the Harry Potter series! J.K. Rowling at no. 42? She deserves to be way higher up!

That goes for some of my childhood favourites, Roald Dahl and C.S. Lewis. Children will be reading those stories for decades yet to come, and I myself still find so much enjoyment in rereading their works.

Uzzi, Sydney, Australia

JRR Tolkien only #6? I guess I can't get too bent out of shape about it. Glad to see him get all the credit he deserves...and he is certainly in good company on that list. A word of praise and thanks ought to be said to his son, Christopher, without whom his father's life's work, The Silmarillion, might have never seen the light of day. Thanks to both these great men of literature.

Steve Wilson, New York, New York

That Kingsley Amis, who wrote only two novels worth reading (Lucky Jim and The Old Devils), and Anthony Burgess, who wrote only one (A Clockwork Orange), are on this list is a bit alarming, particularly if we take the career of Graham Greene. Greene left us with a more diverse literary ouevre than anyone writing in English in the 20th Century, touched on virtually every major political crisis that happened on the planet , and did so while being popular and populist. I'd be willing to put The End of the Affair up against any novel written in the 20th Century, and would suggest that his novel set in Vietnam, The Quiet American, is as important a political novel as has ever been written. Those two novels alone should give him a place in the top-ten, certainly well ahead of a writer like Kingsley Amis, who, in 20 years time, will almost certainly be known only as the father of Martin Amis.

Justin Pfefferle, Saskatoon, Canada

in replie to jocelyn, she finished the 7th book, i feel that she should be farther up as well, although i dont think that she should be the highest. there are many other authors who are better that her in a different sence. i live harry potter and all, but i do think that other books deserve the top spot. i dont think she should be so far down, but even as the ravid harry potter fan i am, i dont think that just because she finished the series that she should get the top spot. i havent read much by the others. as for my response to matt, she definitly deserves to be on the list. she has gotten many people reading and that she has created such an international fandom makes it so that she should be on the list because the majority of people at least know about harry potter, if they dont like it.

Forest , chicago,

Where is the great Winston Churchill, the greatest man of the 20th century? He didn't stop contributing when the war ended.

How about Agatha Christie? She wrote half of her works after '45. Or How about Edith Pargeter (Ellis Peters)? Where would the mystery genre be without them?

Terry Pratchett and Douglas Adams are minds as keen as anyone's on these lists, and their observations are as penetrating as any so-called 'serious' writer's.

Finally, I have to say I don't think JKR deserves to be on the list at all.

Matt Wirkkala, Seattle, USA WA

I'm glad that J.R.R. Tolkien was high on the list. He writes in a way that makes you think and also manages to be entertaining. People will be reading The Lord of the Rings for a long time.

Jane, Tulsa,

I think that J.K. Rowling should have been way higher in the list. She has finished her 8th and final book this year, if not number one or two in the previous years this year should have been the one. The Harry Potter series are not just a fantasy epic they have morals and real life challenges. There are so many little details that lead up to the main idea.

Jocelyn, Seattle, Washington

JKR is here but not Terry Pratchett?

This is a grave oversight.

josephine, San Jose, CA, USA

Larkin? I don't agree with Larkin. Yeah his poetry is very well written but I don't enjoy it at all. And where is Malorie Blackmen, Jaqeline Wilson,Terry Pratchet and Anthony Horowitz? I do wish you book snobs would shut up about JK. She writes childrens books, not on the same adult standard as the likes of Larkin or Orwell. You can't compare them in those terms. She writes exciting, brilliant novels which millions of us, including myself, enjoy. Her ideas are not rehashed,she made up an entirely new world and fantasy that other authors just don't have. You won't get half the British public knowing the authors on the list apart from her.

Sarah , Northern Ireland,

One pictures Patrick Leigh Fermor wincing at the Aegean. It's all I can do not to scowl at my laptop.

Jesse Marsolais, Jamaica Plain, MA, USA

Helen Dunmore should be in the long-list, at least, for novels such as "A Spellof Winter" and "The Siege", not to mention potery and children's books.

|elizabeth dunford, nottingham, UK

I was so pleased to see Rosemary Sutclif on the list. As a child i was enthralled by her books, and she has certainly influenced me in my own writing.

Peter, bournemouth,

Derek Walcott isn't British. And Derek Walcott isn't a better poet than Geoffrey Hill, either. In fact, judging by your list, the last sixty years have been very poor for poetry and much better for the novel. And apparently people who write for the theatre have either all been disasters, or they don't count as writers.

Will Smith, Richmond, VA

Surely Nevil Shute was writing post war (but I do not know where he was born), one of the great story tellers and that is what writing is all about.

Charles D Lillie, Black isle, Scotland

It's not hard to imagine why Laurence Durrell in an age of cultural relativism and cringing political correctness should be omitted - his very context is his damnation.

Likewise the omissions of Malcolm Bradbury and David Lodge for outrageous cannibalism; an exegesis (or 'deconstruction' in linerati-speak) of their work would reveal the digested remains of their own entrails.

John G, Bromley,

Nevil Shute, Nevil Shute, Nevil Shute, Nevil Shute, Nevil Shute,
Nevil Shute, Nevil Shute, Nevil Shute, Nevil Shute, Nevil Shute.
That's my top ten for starters.

Charles D Lillie, Black isle, Scotland

How could you possibly forget about Richmal Crompton and Frank Richards?

William Brown , Greyfirars, Jolly old England

I like the fact that there are many writers on this list who have been widely read and it is not restricted to a forgettable literary coterie. But how can any serious list omit Graham Greene? Not just one of the greatest writers since 1945 but a contender to be among the top 20 UK writers of all time.

Peter James, London, England

What no Pat Barker?

Josie, Bristol, England

I'll put my neck on the line and say that, had any of the judges read Lawrence Durrell's 'Justine', they'd be falling over themselves to stick him in the top ten.

Andrew Dobson, Cambridgeshire, UK

After giving readers a delicious beginning to 2008--the essays on Christmas Carol, Louis MacNeice and the very perceptive review of re-reading Gertrude Stein, why disappoint us with the 'best writers' list ?
It seems based more on commercial success than literary worth (JKRowling, Jan Morris, Ian Fleming, CSLewis, Roald Dahl). If that's your yardstick, why leave out Agatha Christie, Ruth Rendall, PDJames?
The absence of Graham Greene is hard to forgive, but he's dead and it won't hurt him. But how can you possibly ignore William Trevor?
Who will read Jan Morris, or JKRowling fifty years from now? And if you must have Ian Fleming (he certainly will be read) why not Sue Townsend and Helen Fielding? And too many of the writers you have included are raconteurs--pleasant , but hardly family.
Salman Rushdie and VSNaipaul and Derek Walcott may be British nationals, but their writing is rooted elsewhere.
Where is Carol Ann Dufy? Jim Crace?Colm Toibin? Bernice Rubens?
Grrrrr!

Kalpish Ratna, Bombay, India

I understand the cookie crumbling to leave some authors of lesser endurance in work and influence out, but how can you omit Winston Churchill from both the Top 50 and the "Almost made it" list?

He published his fine and hugely influential histories of World War II and the English-speaking peoples after 1945, as well as receiving the 1953 Nobel Prize in Literature. An explanation at least!

Luke R, Melbourne, Australia

why was'nt the welsh poet R.S. Thomas included in the top 50?

barry smith , hull, england

I was disconcerted to find that not only had I read more books by the authors on your "Almost Made it" list, but that I had enjoyed them more as well.
And leaving Greene off altogether is, frankly, daft.

Stephen Taylor, Windsor,

Two writers - both undeservedly underrated - would certainly merit inclusion in the list:
William Boyd
and Barry Unsworth

corinna Weiss, Vienna, austria

May we know who was on the deciding panel ?
This may be as illuminating in understanding the list and its ordering.

nina jo rees, canterbury,

If this list is to have any credibilty, Malcolm Lowry's extraordinary masterpiece 'Under the Volcano' - published in 1947 - should have earned him automatic inclusion in the upper reaches of this list. And I hope Graham Swift, Norman Lewis and the wonderful P.D.James were at least somewhere on the 'long list'.

Steve Archer, Croydon,

I think you ought to have included Angus Wilson in the top 50 but then again you left out some other good writers, as your correspondents have duly noted. I was happy to see many of the names you did include.

I am familiar with most of these people but I will now serach out works by those with whom I'm not acquainted. So thanks!

Robert Durison, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

JK Rowling and not James Kelman? Bainbridge and not Tom Leonard? Why not admit this is a list for girly munchkins scared of writers with things to say?

Lo, Edinburgh,

Where is Terry Pratchett?

Hrdlodus Vrozkrokkop, Jičín, Czech Republic

James kelman, Tom Leonard, Dylan Thomas left on the sidelines while Rowling, Sutcliff and Bainbridge get advanced beyond their ability. I'm English and the parochialism of this list makes my toes curl

Lo, faversham,

I'd like to put in a word for Brian Aldiss, at least on the long list.

Malcolm Cathcart, Birmingham, UK

Sebastian Faulks should be very high up on your Top 50 list. Human Traces is one of the greatest books published for many a year. What on earth are you playing at?

David Charles, Solihull, UK

I disagree with JK Rowling, she is populist but doesn't write literature. Good to see Roald Dahl up there, though.

Kazuo Ishiguro should have been higher than 32nd - his bad books are good and his good ones are exceptional - and all Louis de Bernieres' books, not just Captain Corelli's Mandolin, are outstanding. Terry Pratchett is also a far better writer than some of those included.

Fraser Rew, Wellington, New Zealand

I understand that your judging criteria included writers whose main work was published after 1945, but surely Graham Greene deserves a high position? Some of his best novels are postwar, especially the often neglected 'The Human Factor', a moving spy and love story, superbly constructed.

John Betjeman, like Larkin, "spoke straight to our hearts" in his more serious poems and should have been included.

Alan Bennett is a versatile writer with wide appeal, whose work will last far longer in readers' and viewers' memories than many of the so-called 'greats' in your top 50, some of whom are quite frankly lightweight but currently revered by the chattering classes.. I was amazed to see his name omitted even from your longlist!

At least you placed Larkin and Orwell correctly. No-one has mentioned Jane Gardam, a splendid writer who won the Whitbread Prize with her tour-de-force "Queen of the Tambourine", and was recently greatly praised for "Old Filth".

Let's have a Times Readers' List

Christine Jemmeson, Darlington, UK

I agree with the writer who missed Zadie Smith, and Andrea Levy. What about AL Kennedy? Another missing woman is Margaret Drabble who wrote a lot of books in the seventies and several recently. She was a novelist long before her half sister, AS Byatt. I miss Elizabeth Bowen as well.

Susan, Houston, TX

Dear Sir

It's about time that the self-styled literati metamorphosed into true literati: Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings is a landmark in English Literature. Lewis and Auden recognised this 50 years ago - never mind the naysayers like John Mortimer and, it has to be said, Alan Garner. Not in the same league. Tolkien was the ultra modernist, practising his art in isolation in the face of convention, and wasa perfectionist like Flaubert. The Lord of the Rings is not a fantasy but a unique fusion of heroic romance, saga and fairy tale, though it created the fantasy genre as we know it. It's so easy for those like Germaine Greer, who want to dismiss it as fantasy literature. In the sense of self-consciously inllectualized literature, Tolkien is not a great writer: he's no better than Homer or the author of an Icelandic saga. The paradox is he's written a book that is more important than Ulysses.

High praise indeed to the brave and honest Times team, and of course to Tolkien

Charles Waddington, Northampton, England

David Lodge should be on the list; so should John Mortimer...& John Betjeman;and it's ridiculous not to include Waugh---in one of the top three spots---also Graham Greene & Nancy Mitford [who wrote until her death in 1973]. Another omission is William Boyd...and Alan Bennett. Sybille Bedford should be on the list; actually, with my first choice being Tom Stoppard, I like my ten names, not on your list, as being reflective of great writing post-WWII through to January, 2008..

Sally Clark, Carlsbad, CA, USA

I agree that Terry Pratchett should be on the list.
Great that you included Roald Dahl. As for JK Rowling, she's very readable yes, but her books will not stand the test of time. The quality of her writing is just not good enough. I say this as an adult who enjoys reading the best of children's fiction.
P.S. Glad to see you make the distinction between Irish and British. We have our own top 50 to argue over!

Niamh, Co. Meath, Ireland

One would have hoped that Rushdie's surname would be spelled properly, but no one celebrates editorial ability these days.

I would vote for Joan Aiken over Rowling, and the omission of Edmund Wells is unforgivable.

Mike Williams, Sydney, Australia

Where is Zadie Smith on this list? Where are other women of color, immigrants? What about Andrea Levy whose Small Island and Fruit of the Lemon are wonderful. What about Monica Ali and Brick Lane?

Kathleen E. Durkin
New York

Kathleen Durkin, New York, NY

Genuinely surprised that William Boyd is nowhere to be seen. Also a shame that there's no Auden.

Good to see Roald Dahl in there; in fact I think it's a pretty good list overall. My only ommisions would be McEwan, whose books have always disapointed me, and Martin Amis who I think is a bit average.

Laura, London,

JK Rowling and no Douglas Adams? Tsk tsk.

Ryan, Fargo, ND, USA

I love that Michael Moorcock is on the list, especially given that he has written extensive and thought provoking essays on why C.S. Lewis (#11) and J.R.R. Tolkien (#6) are examples of the worst kind of hack writer. His essay "Epic Pooh" is a worthy read for Tolkien-haters everywhere.

Joe Bond, San Jose, CA, USA

How about Jeanette Winterson? Her influence is not to be minimised, even if she's rubbed some of the establishment up the wrong way in the past.

And is Derek Walcott a Brit? Thought he was from the Commonwealth? Ditto V.S. Naipul.

dc, Vancouver, Canada

I agree with the choice of Larkin and Orwell at the summit but am simply flabbergasted at the omission of writers of the calibre of William Boyd, Alan Bennett and Pat Barker. I am also assuming the absence of Waugh and Greene is owing to the cut off date...what other justification can there be?

Gail Rundle, London,

Why isn't John Braine on this list? A glaring omission!

M.Koppenberg, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

...and what about David Brown? And who can forget Jayne Perkins' Truffles? - for many, their most memorable encounter of the 1970's.

tim myall, haywards heath,

JK Rowling? Shame on you.

Colin, Manchester,

Where is Ruth Rendell/Barabara Vine?

Cathy Clark, Singapore,

1 orwell 2evelyn waugh 3betjamin 4larkin

john shergold, wells, somerset

An interesting list and all lists involve hard choices so you're bound to be criticised by people whose favourites aren't there. Still, If your criteria include "sheer quality of writing, longevity, lasting impact and, naturally, commercial success" then it's quite astounding that Terry Pratchett does not appear in the top 50. One of the most successful writers of recent times, his work is known for its incisive satire and sheer inventiveness and his work for adults and children has received both critical acclaim and awards. You've noted fantasy with Tolkien, Lewis and Rowling. But Pratchett not even in the longlist? Come on!

Andy Sawyer, Liverpool,

Bad decision to omit playwrights. How could the land of William S.
not include them in a "Greatest of British Writers" list?

J.L. Pottenger, Jr. Bloomsbury, London & Connecticut, USA

J. L. Pottenger, Jr., Bloomsbury, London, UK/USA

Yes, what a good way to start the New Year. Because there weren't enough best and worst of 2007 lists at the end of last year.

Also, I love this concept of Britishness. Not only does it seem to include England, Scotland, Wales and N.I, but at a glance at the list Japan (Ishiguro), Zimbabwe (Lessing), and Trinidad and Tobago (Naipaul) are all now annexed and subjects of the Crown. Just like the good old days.

Johnny, Dublin,

I, too, was surprised that Alan Bennett wasn't on the list. Why not?

Cath, London, London

Interesting and provocative list....but can you be serious about J K Rowling ? Literary judgement should be resistant to media hype. Seeing adults reading her books makes me depair - and will anyone - even a child - read this whimsy in 10 years' time ?

Aeron Thomas, Bury St Edmunds,

I agree with the gentleman who said he hated lists - they, like league tables; the Booker (& other) prizes & Housewives Choice - reflect commercial interests - TV advertising revenues.
Football would be dead were it not for TV.
Critics - and prize judges - seem to have some PC need to include a multicultural flavour. A book about a small community in Wales stands no chance against the identical story set in Africa; India or China.
I would rate the following as superior to most on your list:-
William Boyd: Laurence Durrell: John Mortimer: Simon Raven: Alan Bennett: Andrew Greig: Roger Longrigg: Tom Sharpe: William Trevor (although I think he may have a green passport)
Kenneth Tynan: Ian McEwan: Helen Fielding: Pat Barker.
All these writers have the ability to stimulate; entertain; challenge and improve the quality of a few hours reading.
They don't demand that we recognise how clever, clever they are. Nor do they try to play the race card - a not too subtle form of blackmail.
E&OE.

MYLES SATNISTREET, NERAC, FRANCE 47

J. G. Ballard has certainly been left off by accident. He is our generation's Orwell.
For him, the future is NOW and it is alarming. Read about what virtual death really means.

Joanne, fairlawn, ohio

where is ken follett?

janet, tortola, b.v.i.

Another vote for Graham Greene here. And have any of the Ian Fleming nay-sayers actually read Ian Fleming?

Meg Rosoff, London,

Where is Len Deighton, I see Fleming and Le Carre got on the list and they wrote about spys. He also wrote about World War I and II. His books have been turned into films, tv series and the BBC dramatised "Bomber" for the VE day celebrations a few years ago. Just because he is not afraid to counter popular opinion and did not seek to glamourise war and espionage that he is not included.

IAN SULLY, HADLEIGH, ENGLAND

Yes - tough call on Graham Greene. 'Heart of Matter' and 'End of Affair' are both post war.

Alex Stephenson, Mwlbourne, Australia

Just noticed a glaring omission - William Boyd. He could merit top ten. And what about David Lodge -somwhere in mid-twenties.

I

Alex Stephenson, Melbourne, Australia

Terry Pratchett scores on all points. His books are well written, commercially successful and, often, challenging. Many of his books have an underlying message that adds to the experience - try 'Small Gods', 'Feet of Clay' or 'Thud'. He has created a world (Discworld) the equal of anything devised by Tolkien, Peake or Rowling. His omission can only be down to London-Literati snobbery!

Andrew Hurdley, Nottingham,

Not a bad list, but Pym, McEwan and Powell (especially) should be much higher. One has the impression that commercial success was overweighted.

Hugh Fryer, Rye, New York

Sybille Bedford’s writings seem to me a remarkable contribution to postwar British letters, full of news that only she, with her unique cosmopolitan background and inability to say anything commonplace, could have delivered. “A Visit to Don Otavio,” “A Legacy,” “Jigsaw,” and her biography of Aldous Huxley – together with the other novels and memoirs, food and travel essays, and reports on “law at work” – will continue to find passionate readers, and influence her fellow writers, after many of the names on your list are forgotten.

Christopher Carduff, Melrose, Massachusetts USA

Christopher Carduff, Melrose, MA

I cannot believe you have missed out Seamus Heaney -nobel prize winner. Not even in the longlist of 100.

Irish? Yes and British too - born in Co Derry, N Ireland therefore British.

Catriona

Catriona Mitchell, Wokingham, Berkshire

No Douglas Adams?! Outrageous!

Graham Seabrook, Adelaide, South Australia

First on the subject of Rowling and Pratchett, as successful as they are now are doubt their books will be read in 50 years time. They don't actually say anything. JK Rowling political?. Don't make me laugh, all she did was re-hash every successful fantasy of the last twenty years. Fantasy outside of children's fairytales did not exist before Tolkein, and even then his trilogy lashes out against the futility of war.

I have to say that, I was delightfully surprised to find my favourite author Angela Carter there (having just discovered her in September through a University reading list). Ian Rankin is another of my favourites, a great author, but I am doubtful whether he should have been in the list. Although I am sure in future his post-Rebus books will change all that (if Rowling does want to be political, then I recommend she reads The Naming of The Dead and Fleshmarket Close).

On the whole I think it was a good list. This wasn't meant to be a populist list.

Feona Bowey, Stirling, Scotland

Angus Wilson

Jason, Brisbane, Australia

I agreewith many of the previous comments, but must add (in no particular order) Tom Stoppard, Harold Pinter, Ian Sinclair, Brian Aldis and W. H. Auden.

Jay Hoge, Riga, Latvia

Surely the brilliant James Hamilton-Paterson should have appeared on your long list at least - although I'd argue Seven-Tenths, Playing With Water, Gerontuis, View From Mount Dog, Option Three and so many other works over the past 40 years, merit his inclusion in the top fifty

Isabel Morgan, Wembley, Middlesex

You ask if any reader is working up a real rage.

Anyone who writes – of Muriel Spark, as it happens - “child of a Jewish father and an English mother” is ignorant. “Jewish” and “English” are not mutually exclusive. In future please choose selectors who have no solecistic tendencies. I realise that C S Lewis, for one, would have been content with this particular solecism but that just makes matters worse.

The omission of Lawrence Durrell is, avoiding vituperation, surprising.

colin s dean, nottingham,

What about Penelope Lively? I have only discovered this author and she is terrific. Her voice is mesmerizing and what she has to say she does with quiet determination.
And what do you mean by British? Does that include the incomparable William Trevor?
Mary, Ontario, Canada

mary barnes, wasaga beach, canada

I agree with Paul Owen, where is Terry Pratchett in the list??

Jason`, Birmingham,

Delighted to find Rosemary Sutcliff on this list. She is an author whose work has made early British history come alive to generations of children as well as creating a lifelong love of reading in them. Her writing is strong on atmosphere, setting and the understanding of human nature, and her themes of friendship, loyalty, suffering and the clash of cultures are universal and sensitively yet robustly handled in her work. "Sword at Sunset", her novel for adults and young adults, is arguably the most authentic (as far as authenticity is possible) and surely the most unforgettable of novels about "King" Arthur.

Sarah Cuthbertson, Crawley, United Kingdom

In some ways, I prefer the longlist to the shortlist! Olivia Manning, Paul Scott, JG Farrell are all superb chroniclers that help us understand how this country has become the way it is. Farrell, in particular, is a masterful stylist who would surely been in your top 50 had he not died so tragically early. In terms of lasting impact, I think they outpace some of those in your top 50. And Iain Rankin undoubtedly deserves a place as perhaps the great post-war crime writer who has elevated the genre above and beyond Christie cliches.

Also, if you're saying 'British', and including William Trevor - who is as much Irish as British - then where is the late great John McGahern?

PCM, UK,

Larkin at No. 1? Urrgh. Misanthropic old miserabilist.

I'd like to throw in a vote for Alexander McCall Smith. I know, I know, he's not a serious writer, but personally I think he might be some sort of genius. I can't stop trying to recommend his books to people. So funny. They should give his books out on the NHS in place of anti-depressant pills, especially the ones set in Edinburgh.

He's got to be better than Ian Fleming and Hanif Kureshi anyway

Ruth, Edinburgh,

I agree completely with your choice of Phillip Larkin as our greatest post-war writer. High Windows was one of my set AS level texts, and this introduction to an author does not normally result in great memories of their work. I however, have a great deal to thank Larkin for as High Windows taught me the measure of great poetry, being something that transcends age, class or religion and transmits emotion beautifully. Reading a perfect line of poetry, makes you eternally grateful to its author. It is something that will stay with you for always, which a novel doesn't quite have the same power to do. Thanks to Larkin, i went into my bookshop and discovered Eliot, Yeats, Milton, Hughes, Plath, Dante and a whole host of others. But Larkin, because he was the first, will always be extra special, and The Explosion, becuase it started it all, will always be my favourite poem of all time.

Jess, Northallerton,

There should be places for both Terry Pratchett, and John Betjeman - both far more worthy than some of the names on the list, and FAR more readable!

Adrian Thompson, Silsden, UK

If Philip Larkin is number 1, where is John Betjeman? Where is Arthur C Clarke? Where is Alan Bennett? Where is Jeffrey Archer? OK, maybe not Archer...

Philip Catney, Newcastle-under-Lyme, UK

John Trayner
I'm glad to see you had the time to read Jade Goody and Rowling, in between works from the other 49 writers coming top :-)).

Simmy, Bordeaux,

Sebastian Faulks and Pat Barker should be in the top 20.If J.K.Rowling and Ian Fleming were chosen over such wonderful authors then I am extremley disappointed by the Literary Editors final decisions.

Katherine Turner , Glasgow, Scotland

I think they overlooked Irvine Welsh.

Greg, Medicine Hat, Alberta

JOHN WAIN was a literary idol in his day (now sadly left out of anthologies by a younger generation) but was a VERY fine poet, also novelist, biographer, critic. He should be in the list & reconsidered by literary readers.
Have no objection to Ian Fleming as he had a superb style.
List mainly predictably sound!

Professor Edward Black, SCARBOROUGH, North Yorkshire

If Ian Fleming is included there is no excuse for not including John le Carré and even Len Deighton. I also think Will Self deserves a place if only for 'The Book of Dave'. I would have included Kingsley Amis but not Martin.

Jane Leaper, Edmonton, Canada

Where's David Lodge and Terry Pratchett?

Jenny Barber, Hartley Wintney, Hampshire

Philip Larkin at number one is spot on, his poetry is utterly fantastic. One person I'm astounded has missed out is John Betjeman. I assumed that this wass because his verse was written before the war, but his collected works were published in1958, so perhaps one can justifiably call for his inclusion. I also agree with the comments advocating Terry Pratchett.

Lewis Godfrey, Amersham,

No Graham Greene, are you completely mad?

Anthony F. Marsh, Axminster,

I'm pleased to see the generous representation of children's writers. Of the omissions, Dylan Thomas is the one I most regret.

Charlie Butler, Bristol,

How on earth does Rowling get into the top fifty? Why not add Jade Goody as well!!!!!! Similar standard.

John Traynor, Birmignham, West Midlands

No David Mitchell?Cloud Atlas and Black Swan Green were great books.

Ian Sheldon, Ellicott City, Maryland, USA

Having Alasdair Gray and Salman Rushdie higher than Anita Brookner can't have taken much soul-searching - at least those two would also have made it onto a top 50 'writers in English' list. I'm not sure how many of the others would.
The biggest ommissions for me are Eric Hobsbawm and John Berger.

graham furey, London,

Good to see George Orwell up there, and Anthony Burgess (also Earthly Powers). Personally would have included Flann O'Brien for "The Third Policeman".

Steve, Welwyn, UK

Terry Pratchett is essential. Every one of his books hits the best-sellers lists and he is without doubt worthy of a top-ten ranking in any list.

Paul Speak, Longniddry, Scotland

Even though the commercial success of Rowling, I feel that for skill, wit and the contribution to a whole genre of fiction, Terry Pratchett should preceed her in the list. Additionally I wish to mention George MacDonald Fraser. The man's ability remains unparalleled.

Leo, Worthing,

You seem to have forgotten James Kelman.

Pete, cwmbran,

Why no Terry Pratchett? If there is room for Tolkien, Rowling and Pullman with which I have no argument then Pratchett, who has published over 30 best selling books, passes all of your tests including quality of writing.

Paul Owen, Birmingham, UK

Astounding!
Who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1953?!!!
Winston Spencer Churchill.

John Seigal, London,

Very surprised and disappointed not to see the best writer of historical fiction included on the list, Patrick O'Brian. His Aubrey/Martin books provide a true feel for English life abroad at home and on the sea during the early 19th century.

Bob Witman, Winter Garden, FL, USA

No Sebastian Faulks?

Murray, Theydon bois, uk

Where is Paul Scott on your list?

Surely one of the greatest, but sadly forgotten, writers England has produced since the war. He must deserve a place in the top 50 and not just for winning the 1977 Booker Prize.

Andrew Brown, Bagshot, UK

I am surprised Jeffrey Archer has not featured in this list and that JK Rowling was placed so low. Is this perhaps due to them being slightly more 'commercial' than the rest?

Sam, London, UK

....searches in vain for Dylan Thomas.
Surely in the top ten?

Paul Davies, Barnsley, UK

I agree about Dan Jacobson.
However I did not see C.P. Snow.
Isn't he considered not only a great writer, but his " Ruth Lectures " on BBC have made a hugh impression on Lthe so-called 2 cultures.

Natan Amir, Israel

Natan Amir, Ilaniya, Israel

Orwell surely outranks Larkin. Animal Farm is the finest piece of English narrative writing of the 20th century. Treat yourself tonight by reading it or, better yet, reading it out loud. Technically faultless, concise, brilliant plot, contemporary impact and lasting resonance. I wouldn't change a word. Animal Farm alone is worth the award. And if you honour Orwell, you must recognise Waugh. He was born the same year, came from a similar social background and addressed the same issue as Orwell, which was the decline of England, but from a totally different perspective.

Edmund O'Sullivan, Dubai, UAE

Historian AJPTaylor is on the list. I would rate Sir Arthur Bryant a better writer.
Richard, Calgary

Richard Barrett, Calgary, Canada

I would definitely add Dan Jacobson.

South african in origin but very much a British writer tehlast forty years.

alan rosenthal

alan rosenthal, london, england

Wot! No Evelyn Waugh? No Eric Newby? I now understand what is truly meant by 'illiteracy'.

André hattingh, Bloemfontein,

Since when is Derek Walcott British? If you include him, then include J.M. Coetzee, who'd place in the top five. I think Martin deserves a place next to his father.

Nigel Beale, Ottawa, Canada

How on earth could Graham Greene be overlooked?

LRG, Los Angeles, USA

I am somewhat surprised to not find David lodge in the list .

cyril NOEL, london, london

Ian McEwan is ranked too low. He is surely one of the best, if not the very best, authors writing in English today.

Lynne, New York,

No Sebastian Faulks or Ken Follett ? Everyone out there who's read both "Birdsong" and "Pillars Of The Earth" must rate these authors in your top 50. For anyone who hasn't please do and I'm sure agree.

Mark Dawson, Tayport / St Andrews, Scotland

All very well, but it would've made more sense to make a list of the best writers in English, regardless of their nationality. But then, not many British would've appeared, since the best are mostly American or Irish. Hard luck.

Jaume Vivé, Vic, spain

George Orwell is, most definitely, number one...

maggie, Preston, UK

Ian McEwan should be in the top 10, definitely

Mark, Glasgow,

Without a doubt, Barbara Pym should be placed in 1st spot.

Rosemary Dale, Alnwick, UK

A lot of fine and justified entries in the list, but I was surprised that Sebastian Faulks was omitted. I'm sure that there was a good reason....

Stephen Geers, St Albans, UK