Samuel R Delany, Philip K Dick, Ursula K Le Guin, and (maybe) William Gibson.

[pmb]

What scifi/fantasy authors would you be willing to defend as writers of high quality literature and not just genre fiction? What authors both have something to say, and say it well?

NB: I'm primarily looking for people who are by default filed in the SciFi ghetto, not "real" authors who have occasionally been filed in SF/fantasy. Because Kurt Vonnegut is widely acknowledged to be a virtuoso writer and has written a bunch of SF, but I'm not sure that most people think of him as a science fiction writer.

Comments

[annag.livejournal.com]

charles dodgeson also tends to be considered a writer of "literature" (and math) rather than sci-fi or fantasy, and he definitely knew language well.

i'll second tolkien, atwood, possibly le guin and gaiman, and add terry prachett, who also appears to know language intimately, and have things worth saying, with distinct characters, and plots that hang together well.

[mbrubeck.livejournal.com]

Oh yeah, Pratchett! His writing is so fun that it's easy to forget how well done and insightful it is. And it's been getting even better with each new book.