Forgotten Writers

James Sallis writes about forgotten writers.

Why should Sinclair Lewis (1885-1951) be remembered, and Kenneth Fearing (1902-61) wholly lost? What immortal hand or eye laid the blessing on F. Scott Fitzgerald while passing over John O’Hara? Why Thomas Wolfe and not Dawn Powell? And what ever happened to Philip Wylie? How many of us, for instance, inveterate readers all, know the name Calder Willingham?

Besides being an exercise in drudging up obscure writers, the article doesn’t really offer up much of a response to the question of why some are remembered and others aren’t.