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

[coldtortuga.livejournal.com]

Goddamit. I just wrote a fine and well-researched comment on why and how Herbert has earned his "literati" promotion (up from mere "pulpist")... AND THE FRIKKIN' INTERNET HAS EATEN IT.

Ctrl-A Ctrl-C, why hast thou forsaken me? Back-button, oh my back-button...