American Writers vs. Foreign Writers?

Question

Why is it that every time I talk to somebody about writers they always seem to know more and is more interested in American writers? Is that they think American writers are better, are they ignorant (not stupid, just under exposed), or are they stupid?

I believe some the best writers in history are foreign, from Oscar Wilde to Voltaire to Johnathan Swift to Franz Kafka. So why is it people so know little about them.

Answer 1

I think it has to do with exposure as well as personal taste. Some people are just not familiar with authors from other countries because they have not been introduced to their work. Plus, living in America, I think it is good that we study our own writers. I think we should study foreign authors as well, but just as we study American history in depth, I think it is good that we examine American literature in a similar way. Many of my favorite authors are foreign, but then a large number of them are American as well. My favorite author, Francesca Lia Block, writes about my hometown, Los Angeles, and I love to read her descriptions of the city. It is nice to see places that I am familiar with in a novel. But then, it is equally nice to hear about completely new places. I don't think people are generally stupid, but they could certainly be ignorant of many foreign authors. I had never heard of Haruki Murakami until a friend introduced me to his work recently and I am really enjoying his books. I also think it can just be a matter of taste. There are so many questions on here about people that enjoyed a book but have no idea who wrote it or even what it's called. People often go for a particular type of story and pay no attention at all to who wrote the book or where they happen to be from. I usually remember the authors of the books I read, but seeing so many questions like that, it makes me wonder if most people take note of the author's name. Generally, people read what they like, regardless of the author's nationality.

Answer 2

I don't know to whom you are putting the question. My experience is quite different. If anything I've found more people know Jane Austen, William Shakespeare, Charles Dickens, C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien than Mark Twain, Louisa May Alcott, Willa Cather, Jack London and Washington Irving (for instance). I've found that Russian, French, Danish, German and Spanish writers tend to be less well-known than 1-British authors and 2-American authors. There are some nations whose authors are basically unknown. I would think this has more to do with the availability of the books in the particular reader's language than any prejudice against a nation.

It could have something to do with what books are read in various schools (though when I was in school they didn't even read Shakespeare, Austen, Dickens, Alcott, Twain or W. Irving!) and/or the popularity of certain books.

Usually book lovers aren't regarding books favorably simply because they are written by a person with whom they share a nationality. I think those of us in the "book lover fraternity" have open minds and tend to judge according to our own tastes.

If you're talking about more modern writers - at least where England and America are concerned - that wouldn't be the case either. J.K. Rowling is British and her books have been talked about more than most authors’ books. She must be at least as famous as the American Stephen King.

BTW: No one is stupid because they prefer one book over another or one author over another. It's a matter of preference. If the people you know talk and know more about American writers, they may be ignorant of other writers' works (you could expose them to some of the classics) or they might have a penchant for a certain writer or story or even place. You can make no judgment concerning their level of intelligence by this.

Answer 3

We live in the US so we are exposed to US writers. It's not surprising that folks are more familiar with "local" writers. The more widely read a person is, the more s/he is exposed to other writers. Higher education can help, but colleges only require basic English and Lit. classes for non-English majors. There is still a chance to get a bachelor's degree and miss an exposure to a wide range of authors.

As a librarian, I've noticed that many folks don't pay attention to the author's name nor know much about where he lives. They only know they like his books. I'm sure there are quite a few who burned midnight oil reading The Lord of the Rings, or any of the Harry Potters, or the Narnia series and never noticed the author's name on the cover nor could identify England as the author's homeland.

As for Johnathan Swift and Franz Kafka, there are some folks who just don't read classics. They like the books on the New York Times Best Seller list. They find the older writers wordy and long-winded. I, for example, like the stories of Sir Walter Scott and Robert Louis Stevenson, but I skip large sections of description because it drags down the story. I don't care for Charles Dickens at all, because he's not only wordy, he's depressing. For all of that, I consider myself a reader and widely read. I'm just not reading classics.

If you are talking to folks who don't read your favorite authors, share what you like about their stories. I remember cornering a science teacher and reading him part of a chapter from Robert Heinlein's Farmer in the Sky because it related so closely to his Freshman level Ecology class. He couldn't wait to get away from that crazy librarian!

Later, he thanked me for cornering him. He wasn't a reader and would never have found the book by himself. However, he he liked what I showed him and sent many students to the library for Farmer in the Sky.

You many not want to be so heavy handed, but it's hard not to share books you love.

Answer 4

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Answer 5

It could be that American schools tend to focus only on American and British writers. Personally, my favorite authors tend to be French and Russian, but I think all civilizations have something to contribute.

Answer 6

somehow i could never develop my taste 4 american writers...i think english russian french spanish ...literatures a re very intresting n enticing but american is not what i like 2 read...