Right now, damn near everyone in the writing business. Not literature, Mailer said loudly. The best statement on defining literature came this week in an editorial page column by Verlyn Klinkenborg in the august pages of The New York Times. He opines that Mailer's and Updike's novels meet the standard of entertainment, but not always that of literature, and he doesn't question that both esteemed writers have reached that pinnacle several times in their careers. The writer's point is a good one.
Literature becomes so by virtue of the passage of time.
Might it be a double case of jealousy. Having made his reputation by writing non-fiction, Wolfe's move to the halls of fiction has upset two masters who believe they own exclusive rights to live in the mansions of literature. But he thinks it's a good read. Bob, Because you asked me to weigh in on this one in such a gracious and encouraging way, I'm breaking my own rule and saying something definitive about a topic addressed by one of our team. This is exactly the kind of effete, intellectual pissing match that gives New York a bad name.