Who was the all-time greatest writer: Shakespeare or Dostoyevski?

Question

(the question is purposely biased)

yes, you can add other author...

maybe it is spelled " Dostoevsky", I didn't read him in English

Answer 1

Shakespeare was a playwright writing in The Elizabethan Age with a remarkable capacity for Truth, Satire and historical recall and/or an exceptional understanding of history.
Dostoevsky was a prose writer, writing in the 19th century, when writers (particularly in Russia) were becoming aware of a deterioration in the aesthetic structures of their societies. It is somewhat difficult to compare two men in different periods of history dealing with entirely different issues and interests. It would seem that they cannot be compared seeing as the muse was different for each man and writer.
Shakespeare's muse was arguably, an incredibly dynamic and complex English society. Dostoevsky used his prose to preserve the Russian spirit in a Russian old world that was fast disappearing. It takes courage to take up a pen.
One has to salute them both. The greatest playwright is Shakespeare. The greatest novelist is Dostoevsky followed closely by Jane Austen, The Bronte Sisters, George Eliot and Henry James.

Answer 2

If I had to choose between Shakespeare and Dostoevsky, I would choose Dostoevsky. But I am biased. Although Shakespeare is great and probably read more throughout the world, I'm not too huge of a fan and am also addicted to Russian literature.

Answer 3

I would say Dostoyevski for his originality. Both are great, but Shakespeare used and expanded on plots from other writers on most, if not all, of his plays. Not to say that this makes him a hack, he still deserves all the credit in the world for his great plays, but Dostoyevski treaded new ground and you can´t deny the power in his novels. The only bad thing about Dostoyevski is his ramblings on religeon and philosophy in some of his books, like the Brothers Karamasov.

Answer 4

Shakespeare

Answer 5

If we are talking strictly on the skill of crafting prose, then there are a number of people who come to mind: Swift, Wilde, Thomas Jefferson--a good argument can be made for DaVinci. For sheer impact, it's hard to beat Karl Marx. If we are limiting the discussion to the world of literature, hewever, James Joyce is one of the few writers mentioned in the same breath as Willy the Shake--Chekhov has a good case, especially considering his mastery of multiple forms. E.B. White makes some claim to the title simply through the sheer audacity of writing the most presciptive and most ubiquitous manual of writing style on the planet. For my tastes, though, I think that it's probably Jose Saramago.

Answer 6

Shakespeare.

Answer 7

I have to say Shakespeare, he is the most read author in the Western World, even though it's high school students who do read his poems and plays in school. But he did write a lot of great plays and poems.

Answer 8

Both were great but Shakespeare has such a wide variety of work that I think the nod has to go to the bard. Anyway neither of these guys were "bouring"

Dan Brown is "bouring" or at the very least a bore.

Answer 9

Shakespeare, mainly because he revolutionised the English language, introducing many new words and phrases. Also he was light years ahead of his time with the sophistication of his plot and sub-plot development.

Answer 10

In English its Shakespeare
In Russian its Dostoyevski
In Spanish its Cervantes