Humorous and Witty Writers

Niteowl · Mar 26, 2007

As I'm attempting to write humourous fantasy, I thought it would be best if I read up on all the better known humour/witty writers out there. I'm talking writers who are legendary or near legendary in their wit and writing.

Here are the folks I know about:

Douglas Adams
Terry Pratchett
Raymond Chandler
William Goldman
Oscar Wilde
P.G. Wodehouse

Please help me read increase my reading list by adding some writers you know of.

AnnieColleen · Mar 26, 2007

Robert Asprin.

blacbird · Mar 27, 2007

Kingsley Amis
Kurt Vonnegut
Stanislaw Lem
Philip K. Dick
Joseph Heller

caw

triceretops · Mar 27, 2007

Peter Benchley
Joseph Wambaugh
Poul Anderson
Alan Dean Foster

Tri

johnzakour · Mar 27, 2007

For something a bit different I would also suggest reading Calvin and Hobbs.

I'm a big fan of Douglas Adams (first book dedicated to him) but as far was humor writing goes for flow and dialog Bill Watterson is fantasic.

Rich · Mar 27, 2007

James Thurber
Woody Allen
Perrelman
Robert Benchly
Dorothy Parker
Veronica Geng

JimmyB27 · Mar 27, 2007

For something very different, and very surreal, try some Robert Rankin. He has a couple of stinkers, but a lot of real gems too, imho.
'The Greatest Show Off Earth' was the first one I read, and I loved it.

Rich · Mar 27, 2007

For great outdoor stuff: Patrick McManus.

maestrowork · Mar 27, 2007

David Sedaris.

Will Lavender · Mar 27, 2007

Jonathan Ames, Wake Up, Sir!

Funniest novel I've ever read.

C.bronco · Mar 27, 2007

Flannery O'Connor. My favorite short is "Why I Live at the P.O."

scarletpeaches · Mar 27, 2007

I'm rather fond of GordonJerome.

He cracks me up every time.

Will Lavender · Mar 27, 2007

C.bronco said:
Flannery O'Connor. My favorite short is "Why I Live at the P.O."

"Why I Live at the PO" is actually Welty, C.

They're both funny writers, though.

C.bronco · Mar 27, 2007

My bad, Eudora Welty. The Flannery was "Revelations" if I remember, I read both writers at the same time, and they're both great.

eric11210 · Mar 27, 2007

It's Scifi, not fantasy, but my personal favorite is the Mission Earth series by L. Ron Hubbard.

Fair warning: When I first read the first book of the series, I so desperately wanted to know what happened next that I spent hours hunting through all the local libraries to borrow the remainder of the books of the series and spent very, very late nights sitting up reading.

Eric

melon · Mar 27, 2007

Piers Anthony's Xanth Series was very popular humor/fantasy. Puns-o-plenty.

maddythemad · Mar 27, 2007

J.K. Rowling!

DeadlyAccurate · Mar 27, 2007

A. Lee Martinez - definitely falls into the group with Robert Asprin and Terry Pratchett.

Spiny Norman · Mar 27, 2007

You guys certainly have the list nailed. I was thrown for a loop when I saw Flannery O'Connor, as most of my experiences with her were the emotional equivalent of being repeatedly struck by cars.

Though this is a no-brainer, Dave Barry. Some find his humor crude, but sometimes effectively using crude humor is an art form. When he takes the position of a pedantic textbook it's guaranteed comedy gold.

herdon · Mar 27, 2007

Tom Holt. Flying Dutch is hilarious.
Steve Martin. Suprised no one else mentioned him.
John DeChancie. Not sure if his Castle Perilous series is still in print as it's been a good 15 years since I read them, but good stuff if you want to read fantasy humor.

And, to repeat a couple that have already been mentioned, I'd definately recommend reading Slapstick by Vonnegut (not his best work but plenty of funny in it), Catch 22 by Heller, and, of course, the Hitchhiker's Guide by Adams.

scarletpeaches · Mar 27, 2007

Dan Brown.

Spiny Norman · Mar 27, 2007

I'd like to toss in that even though a lot of people find Wodehouse "quaint" these days, in my mind he's still the epitome of twentieth-century British humor. Douglas Adams even resolutely claimed that he's the "greatest humor writer of all time." And if you haven't see Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry's "Jeeves and Wooster," you're missing out on one of the greatest literary adaptations of all time, I think.

Shadow_Ferret · Mar 27, 2007

Our own John Zakour.
And Ed Pahule

Oh, wait, I haven't been published yet. Nevermind. But John is still good.

johnzakour · Mar 27, 2007

Shadow_Ferret said:
Our own John Zakour.
And Ed Pahule

Oh, wait, I haven't been published yet. Nevermind. But John is still good.

Thanks! I actually sent NiteOwl a PM with a list of my reviews. I learned from reading the masters.

Kate Thornton · Mar 27, 2007

Carl Hiassen - too funny!

And I agree about P.G Wodehouse - yes, Laurie & Fry were magnificent, but the old BBC adaptation of "The Code of the Mulliners" can still make me laugh out loud.

Humorous and Witty Writers

Niteowl

AnnieColleen

Invisible Writer

blacbird

triceretops

johnzakour

Dangerous with a Keyboard

Rich

JimmyB27

Hoopy frood

Rich

maestrowork

Fear the Death Ray

Will Lavender

Everything is what it seems.

C.bronco

I have plans...

scarletpeaches

Will Lavender

Everything is what it seems.

C.bronco

I have plans...

eric11210

melon

maddythemad

DeadlyAccurate

Absolutely Fazed

Spiny Norman

herdon

What's up?

scarletpeaches

Spiny Norman

Shadow_Ferret

Court Jester

johnzakour

Dangerous with a Keyboard

Kate Thornton

Still Happy to be Here. Or Anywhere