Introduction

More lists than ever these days, we know.

Time Magazine declared "You" to be the most influential person of the year, the one who most shaped the way information is gathered, organized, and disseminated. Without going too deeply into the weeds on this statement, one that predicates "your" access to computers, a speedy connection, and—most important—the time to make use of these things, "we" think it's critical to use "our" powers for good, and not for banal repetition of what's already been deemed "popular."

So, one thing "we" can do is shine a light into some dustier corners of literature.

To that end, just as we did last year, we've polled over 20 of "you" who fill your time by hanging out in those dusty corners. We asked those readers to name writers they feel aren't getting the attention they deserve, those writers they feel are "underrated"—however they choose to define it.

The results, as with last year, are delightful, in the most literal sense of the word. We have writers from almost every continent, poets from the past, essayists who are concerned for the future, and novelists desperate to understand the now. Only two writers were nominated only twice, which tells us we asked the right group of people to give us as broad a list as possible. Thanks to those contributors you'll find listed down along the left-hand side. Please visit their little corners of the web and thank them yourself.

Thanks also to you for looking into the writers we're exploring in this list. We hope you'll pick at least one or two to get to know in the coming year. We hope you'll tell us who you're excited to see listed here. We hope you'll tell your friends about the folks on this list. Finally, we hope that you'll spend less time here and on other websites, and more time in your own dusty corner of the universe, just reading.

Please enjoy this year's Underrated Writers list.

{Brief note on using the site:  If you want to check out which writers your favorite blogger nominated, scroll down to the bottom left of the screen to the section labeled "Category" and click on the blogger's name.  But be sure to check all of them out.  We think it's worth your time!}

Comments

[Colleen]

One thing that surprises me about this list (and it is really really wonderful) is that there are no young adult authors here. I realize that it is a "literary" list, but in a year where MT Anderson rocked everyone's world with "Octavian Nothing", I'm sure that there are many many YA authors who did not receive the NBA who did similar impressive work. Off the top of my head, I would say look to Catherine Fisher and her Grail King novel "Corbenic" and William Bell with his impressive anti-war novel, "The Blue Helmet". Both are astounding and as someone who reads a fair amount of adult lit each year (and adores the unrecognized Caitlin Kiernan and Scarlett Thomas), I think they are books that adult readers would be impressed with as well.

[Trevor Jackson]

Thanks for the feedback, Colleen. Your criticism's a fair cop, though I'd argue Jeff Ford (to name one) would be great reading for a high school student. We certainly place no restrictions on who contributors can recommend and tried to be pretty expansive in who we ask to contribute.

We'll dig a little more deeply next year in searching out YA-lit bloggers. (It occurs to me, too, that we're missing graphic novelists on here. Something else to think about.)

Thanks again for the recommendations!

[Colleen]

Gwenda just got me over at my blog that one of her recs (Gregorian) is a YA author. So you did have at least one! (And trust Gwenda to include her!)

[CChen]

Thank you, thank you, thank you for compiling this list. It's nice to see people like Jeff Vandermeer, Jeff Ford, Laird Hunt, etc. get acknowledgement for their craft. I haven't read many of the others but will be sure to put them on my list.

[bdr]

Donald Harington's missing, but quite a good list.

[LetterShaper]

Very much enjoyed my stroll through your blog...as a poet and an avid reader, I found it both an enlightening and enriching stay. I thank you...

[Margo]

Thanks for the list. My most recent discovery was Ron Carson, an astonsihing writer who I expect to see ranked with Chabon, Cheever, Carver, (y'know, the C Boys) for his short fiction alone.