Hello /lit/, for the next year or so I'll be reading entirely American literature. My intention is to discover American authors and become well-read in my country's books. Henry James, John Williams, William Faulkner, John Steinbeck etc. I post today to ask for recommendations, who you think is the most important American author to read. I hope to lay emphasis on pre 21st-century literature, though this isn't a rule of course. I hope to see as well some authors that aren't commonly read though who you think should be.
What do you think of the attached picture? Who should there be more of? Who's missing? Can we perhaps create a better chart?
One author I think that is critically missing from this chart is John Williams. Stoner, Butcher's Crossing, and Augustus are phenomenal novels each covering entirely different subjects. It really is as if different authors wrote these novels.
Please give your favorite authors and who you think should be read more closely.