In a recent long post defending Derek Raymond, Peter asked
"was there
ever a writer of any calibre who only wrote books people
liked?"
Well, if you mean, was there ever any writer of substance
who
deliberately tried to write things that would be popular
with the
general public, the answer is yes. Absolutely. Two who
spring to
mind immediately are Shakespeare and Dickens, both of them
consummate
artists, bu, at the same time, both of them shamelessly
commercial
writers. The fact that a writer writes with an eye towards
popular
success does not necessarily make him or her an artistic
failure;
neither does a writer's disdain for popular success
automatically make
his or her works worthwhile.
I haven't read Raymond, so I can't comment on his books
specifically.
This is just a general observation. - Jim Doherty
--UNS_gsauns2_2987180530--
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