I have been thinking about literature lately. I would guess that everyone agrees that modern "English" literature basically starts with William Shakespeare. The bard really started literature as we know it, even though he was a playwright. The British begat Jane Austen, George Eliot (Mary Anne Evans), Dickens, R.D. (Richard Doddridge) Blackmore [my personal favorite], Thomas Hardy, and Robert Louis Stevenson. I must mention that MY favorite author from the early "English" ones was Sir Walter Scott (a Scotsman) … I devoured his books in my early days ... Rob Roy, Ivanhoe, and others.
      American literature started basically with James Fenimore Cooper, Washington Irving, Herman Melville, Nathanial Hawthorne, Edgar Allen Poe and Mark Twain. As Hemingway said … “All modern American literature comes from one book by Mark Twain called Huckleberry Finn. American writing comes from that. There was nothing before. There has been nothing as good since.” Speaking of Hemingway … these are all MY opinions … except for "The Old Man and The Sea", I think that Ernest would have been a better screenwriter than a novelist. He was great at writing vignettes and setting moods, but (for me) his novels were disjointed, semi-biographical, mis-mashes. I did appreciate his early novels although I feel the same about them. I did like Hemingway better than F. Scott Fitzgerald ... whom, I feel, is the most overrated author who ever lived. Early 20th century writers that I did appreciate more were Faulkner, Steinbeck, Harper Lee, Carson McCullers, Ray Bradbury, and Dashiell Hammett.    Two authors (modern) whom I think have the best command of prose in American writing, albeit in different ways, (and maybe the best prose writers I've ever read) are James Lee Burke and Craig Johnson. Some other REALLY good modern writers I find interesting, readable, and informative are Martin Cruz Smith, Len Deighton, Frederick Forsythe, John Le Carre (David John Moore Cornwell), Ian Rankin, and P.D. (Phyllis Dorothy James, Baroness James of Holland Park) James.
   Feel free to let me know what you think of my ranting.

Opinions on Music ...

I have been asked, at times, about singers … because of my constant association with and love for music. I like many singers and some, although they're not my type, I respect greatly. I think that some people have great songs, great ability, great promotion but not "essential" voices. I think that some great "essential" voices in music must include:
     Billy Holliday, Ray Charles, Nat "King" Cole, Laura Nyro, Judy Collins, Dean Martin, Merle Haggard, Jay Black (of Jay and the Americans), Johnny Maestro (The Crests, Brooklyn Bridge), Linda Ronstadt, David Clayton Thomas (Blood, Sweat, and Tears), Juice Newton, Norah Jones, and Freddy Mercury.

Then … there is the area of musicians. There are many greats out there … rock guitarists ad infinitum … but who are the musicians that influenced the many decades of musicians who came after? I think the list must include: Django Reinhardt, Louis Armstrong, Benny Goodman, Carl Perkins, Dizzy Gillespie, Acker Bilk, Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Leon Russell, Billy Preston and Duane Allman.

Are these "all-encompassing" lists? Of course not, but I think that these people must be considered in any discussions of the topics.

A New Start ... or, Look Out World!

I find … at times ... that there are things I wish/need to say, and photos I need/want to share that are too large for Facebook. This will be my format for doing both. I have, for years, sent out a weekly or so letter with my thoughts, et al, in it. I feel that this may be a better format for those meandering ramblings and pithy comments that clutter my brain at night. Most of what will be posted is my opinion on things … but, if you think about it, all writing is someone's opinion (no matter how disguised they are, or seem to be). I shall notify my Facebook friends and my eMail friends (some of who are the same) as I post new stuff on here.