Onlife: Sulla morte di Corman McCarthy e "the best writers" della letteratura americana

Corman McCarthy è stato descritto da alcuni come il più grande scrittore americano di [aggiungere qui un numero di secoli, oppure "la nostra epoca", oppure "una generazione" o semplicemente "sempre"]. Siccome sono insipiente, e lo avevo solo sentito nominare ma mai letto (ma i mie amici come mai non me lo hanno mai consigliato? che ci stanno a fare? O almeno Amazon, visto il numero di libri che compro, un "you may also like" lo poteva sputare no?), sono andato a vedere chi fosse. Ho letto un po' di cose su di lui, tutte molto interessanti. E poi mi sono chiesto chi rientra oggi in una lista più o meno accurata degli scrittori americani più importante degli ultimi 100 anni. Insomma, se uno dice, per esempio, "è morto il più grande scrittore americano del secolo" ti viene il dubbio di ricostruire la competizione gli ultimi cento anni.

Le posizioni sono ovviamente e come sempre discutibili, ma mi è stato utile ricordare a chi si sta confrontando McCarthy, magari per confermare un giudizio letto, oppure rivederlo del tutto, a propria scelta, dato che tutto ciò rientra nei gusti personali. 

Per pigrizia e incompetenza metto la lista stilata da ChatGPT (che ogni tanto si rende utile) alla domanda: chi sono i più grandi autori americani degli ultimi cento anni (ho pensato che "di sempre" fosse un po' troppo, ma vedi sotto per questa lista).

Ecco i primi dieci (prompt: best 10 American writers of past 100 years):

1) Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961) - Known for his concise and powerful writing style, Hemingway's works include "The Old Man and the Sea" and "For Whom the Bell Tolls."

2) F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896-1940) - His novel "The Great Gatsby" is considered a classic of American literature, capturing the Jazz Age and the disillusionment of the American Dream.

3) Toni Morrison (1931-2019) - An important voice in African American literature, Morrison's novels, such as "Beloved" and "Song of Solomon," explore themes of race, identity, and history.

4) William Faulkner (1897-1962) - Faulkner's experimental and complex writing style is evident in novels like "The Sound and the Fury" and "As I Lay Dying," which explore the Southern Gothic tradition.

5) Harper Lee (1926-2016) - Lee's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel "To Kill a Mockingbird" is a powerful exploration of racial injustice and childhood innocence.

6) J.D. Salinger (1919-2010) - Salinger's novel "The Catcher in the Rye" became an influential coming-of-age story and has resonated with generations of readers.

7) Flannery O'Connor (1925-1964) - Known for her Southern Gothic style, O'Connor's short stories, such as "A Good Man Is Hard to Find," delve into themes of morality, religion, and human nature.

8) John Steinbeck (1902-1968) - Steinbeck's works, including "The Grapes of Wrath" and "Of Mice and Men," often portray the struggles of the working class and examine social and economic issues.

9) Saul Bellow (1915-2005) - Bellow's novels, such as "The Adventures of Augie March" and "Herzog," explore themes of identity, Jewish-American culture, and the complexities of modern life.

10) James Baldwin (1924-1987) - Baldwin's essays and novels, like "Go Tell It on the Mountain" and "The Fire Next Time," confront issues of race, sexuality, and social injustice in America.

Tutti famosi e per fortuna letti... Ma mi sembrava che manchessero altri nomi altrettanto famosi, perciò ho chiesto a ChatGPT di elencare i dieci successivi:

11) Kurt Vonnegut (1922-2007) - Vonnegut's satirical novels, such as "Slaughterhouse-Five" and "Cat's Cradle," blend science fiction with social commentary.

12) Maya Angelou (1928-2014) - An acclaimed poet, memoirist, and civil rights activist, Angelou's works include "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" and "And Still I Rise."

13) David Foster Wallace (1962-2008) - Wallace's novel "Infinite Jest" is often regarded as a seminal work of postmodern literature, known for its complexity and exploration of contemporary society.

14) Zora Neale Hurston (1891-1960) - Hurston's novel "Their Eyes Were Watching God" is considered a classic of African American literature, showcasing the experiences of black women in the early 20th century.

15) Ralph Ellison (1913-1994) - Ellison's novel "Invisible Man" explores themes of race, identity, and the search for self in America.

16) Sylvia Plath (1932-1963) - Plath's poetry, including her collection "Ariel," is known for its confessional style and powerful exploration of mental health and femininity.

17) Philip Roth (1933-2018) - Roth's novels, such as "American Pastoral" and "Portnoy's Complaint," often depict the complexities of American identity and Jewish-American culture.

18) Flannery O'Connor (1925-1964) - O'Connor's works, including her short story collection "Everything That Rises Must Converge," are known for their dark humor and exploration of the human condition.

19) Annie Proulx (born 1935) - Proulx's novel "The Shipping News" won the Pulitzer Prize and her short story "Brokeback Mountain" was adapted into an acclaimed film.

20) Denis Johnson (1949-2017) - Johnson's novels, such as "Tree of Smoke" and "Jesus' Son," often depict characters on the fringes of society and explore themes of addiction, redemption, and spirituality.

Qui già passo male l'esame, alcuni e alcune non li conosco affatto... altro che non letti. Ma ancora nessuna traccia di Cormac McCarthy, quindi ho chiesto altri dieci ancora, per arrivare ai primi 30 ed ecco comparire il nostro autore:

21) Wallace Stevens (1879-1955) - Stevens was a renowned poet known for his richly imaginative and philosophical works, including "Harmonium" and "The Collected Poems of Wallace Stevens."

22) Allen Ginsberg (1926-1997) - Ginsberg was a leading figure of the Beat Generation and his poem "Howl" is considered a defining work of the era.

23) Eudora Welty (1909-2001) - Welty's short stories, including "A Worn Path" and "The Optimist's Daughter," capture the essence of the American South and explore themes of family, race, and memory.

24) Thomas Pynchon (born 1937) - Pynchon's complex and postmodern novels, such as "Gravity's Rainbow" and "The Crying of Lot 49," challenge traditional narrative structures and often delve into themes of paranoia and power.

25) Louise Erdrich (born 1954) - Erdrich, an acclaimed Native American writer, has written novels like "Love Medicine" and "The Round House," which explore Native American culture, history, and identity.

26) Raymond Carver (1938-1988) - Carver's short stories, including those in the collection "What We Talk About When We Talk About Love," are known for their minimalistic style and exploration of ordinary lives.

27) Don DeLillo (born 1936) - DeLillo's novels, such as "White Noise" and "Underworld," often tackle themes of consumerism, media, and the anxieties of modern society.

28) Toni Cade Bambara (1939-1995) - Bambara was a prominent African American writer known for her short story collection "Gorilla, My Love" and her commitment to social activism.

29) Cormac McCarthy (born 1933) - McCarthy's novels, including "Blood Meridian" and "The Road," often explore themes of violence, nature, and human morality.

30) Elizabeth Bishop (1911-1979) - Bishop was a highly regarded poet known for her precise language and attention to detail. Her notable works include "North & South" and "Geography III."

Fine dell'esperimento. De gustibus, of course. E poi ChatGPT riassume solo la vox populi (poi dicono che il Classico non serve, e da dove viene tutto questo latinorum...).  L'intera lista include alcuni autori e alcune autrici di cui non ho mai sentito parlare (e devo anche controllare se ChatGPT ha inventato qualche dato) ... sarà bene che inizi a documentarmi e leggere più narrativa americana... per stilare la mia personale in modo meno disinformato.

PS

Io per ora farei solo una correzione: al n. 10, nella mia lista personale, metterei Kurt Vonnegut e con i primi 10 sarei già felice.

PS Prima che mi arrivi una sgridata, lo so che le risposte cambiano a seconda del prompt, ecco che succede, per esempio, se uno chiede (prompt): who are the 100 most important american writers of all time? Cormac McCarthy è 64esimo. Sempre ChatGPT docet (ah, l'utilità del Classico). Mi dispiace per Jack London.

1. Mark Twain
2. Edgar Allan Poe
3. Herman Melville
4. Emily Dickinson
5. F. Scott Fitzgerald
6. Ernest Hemingway
7. William Faulkner
8. Ralph Waldo Emerson
9. Henry David Thoreau
10. Walt Whitman
11. Nathaniel Hawthorne
12. Toni Morrison
13. Harper Lee
14. John Steinbeck
15. T.S. Eliot
16. Langston Hughes
17. Zora Neale Hurston
18. James Baldwin
19. Sylvia Plath
20. Flannery O'Connor
21. William Faulkner
22. Saul Bellow
23. Philip Roth
24. James Fenimore Cooper
25. John Updike
26. Thomas Pynchon
27. Emily Brontë (though British, her work has had a significant impact on American literature)
28. J.D. Salinger
29. Wallace Stevens
30. Allen Ginsberg
31. Ralph Ellison
32. Robert Frost
33. Maya Angelou
34. Anne Bradstreet
35. William Carlos Williams
36. Herman Wouk
37. Gore Vidal
38. Truman Capote
39. Edith Wharton
40. Willa Cather
41. Ralph Waldo Emerson
42. Henry James
43. Tennessee Williams
44. Richard Wright
45. Margaret Atwood (though Canadian, her work has had a significant impact on American literature)
46. Jack Kerouac
47. James Joyce (though Irish, his work has had a significant impact on American literature)
48. Sandra Cisneros
49. Don DeLillo
50. Louise Erdrich
51. Thomas Jefferson
52. James Agee
53. Eudora Welty
54. Frederick Douglass
55. Kurt Vonnegut
56. Octavia Butler
57. Harriet Beecher Stowe
58. Sinclair Lewis
59. Ralph Waldo Emerson
60. Allen Tate
61. Adrienne Rich
62. John Dos Passos
63. Amy Tan
64. Cormac McCarthy
65. Richard Yates
66. James Dickey
67. John Berryman
68. Elizabeth Bishop
69. Jhumpa Lahiri
70. Raymond Carver
71. Henry Roth
72. Jack London
73. Kate Chopin
74. Djuna Barnes
75. Richard Ford
76. Carson McCullers
77. Nella Larsen
78. John Ashbery
79. Kurt Andersen
80. Jonathan Franzen
81. Charles Bukowski
82. Joyce Carol Oates
83. August Wilson
84. Alice Walker
85. William S. Burroughs
86. Bernard Malamud
87. Jonathan Swift (though Irish, his work has had a significant impact on American literature)
88. Nathanael West
89. Sherman Alexie
90. Leslie Marmon Silko
91. Richard Russo
92. John Cheever
93. Theodore Dreiser
94. Philip K. Dick
95. Gary Snyder
96. Anaïs Nin
97. Robert Penn Warren
98. Paul Auster
99. Adrienne Kennedy
100. Amiri Baraka