It's amazing the terrible things that writers have (and historically have had) to say about each other's work--unlike in the world of music, collaboration and cooperation simply isn't part of the game when it comes to fictional literature. Apparently, that's led to quite a bit of sniping back and forth between some pretty big names in the field.
It seems like Vladimir Nabokov didn't have a whole lot of nice things to say about anybody (he boasted three of the top 30 insults, including a biting takedown of Joseph Conrad), and there's also a brilliant back-and-forth between William Faulkner and Ernest Hemingway (who is a personal favorite of mine). But Quote of the Week goes to poet W.H. Auden, whose reproach of Robert Browning apparently went way beyond Browning's written word--it's so far out there that I couldn't help but laugh. Tell us how you really, feel, W.H.
This week's QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“I don’t think Robert Browning was very good in bed. His wife probably didn’t care for him very much. He snored and had fantasies about twelve-year-old girls.”
- W.H. Auden, poet
Wow. Alright then. I wonder what other bloggers would have to say about me if they read my stuff...
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