Book Wars: Intense Conflicts Between Writers Throughout History

Throughout the annals of literature, writers have not only created masterpieces that capture the human condition and imagination but have also engaged in heated conflicts and feuds with their peers. Here, we delve into a few of the most notable examples where writers have gone to great lengths to defend their work from their contemporaries.

Intense Conflicts in Literature: A Historical Overview

From the early days of English literature to the modern writing of today, conflicts between writers have been an integral part of the literary landscape. These conflicts often stemmed from differing artistic philosophies, commercial success, or personal rivalries. Here, we explore a few instances of such book wars.

Ernest Hemingway William Faulkner: A Literary Rivalry

During William Faulkner's visit to a University of Mississippi creative writing class in 1947, he was asked to rank himself among other writers of the time. His response was:

Thomas Wolfe William Faulkner Dos Passos Ernest Hemingway John Steinbeck

Regarding Hemingway, Faulkner laced his remark with a statement that Hemingway was not courageous, and that he never pushed himself into unfamiliar territory, often resorting to simpler words known to readers. Hemingway, not missing the insult, defended himself with a speech:

Poor Faulkner. Does he really think big emotions come from big words? He thinks I don't know the ten-dollar words. I know them all right. But there are older and simpler and better words, and those are the ones I use. Did you read his last book? It's all sauce-writing now but he was good once. Before the sauce or when he knew how to handle it.

This exchange set a tone for a rivalry that would last until Hemingway's death in July 1961. The feud intensified when Faulkner won the Nobel Prize in 1949, leading to a terse response from Hemingway, who had also been in the running for the prize. Each writer continued to write in a manner that poked fun at the other, culminating in Hemingway's later Nobel Prize in 1954 and Faulkner's Pulitzer Prize in 1955.

The Walcott-Naipaul Feud: A West Indian Literary Rivalry

Another notable example is the ongoing feud between Derek Walcott and V.S. Naipaul. Walcott was a prominent writer and visionary poet, both revered and criticized. In 2008, during a Calabash International Liberty Festival, Walcott read a poem that criticized Naipaul:

I have been bitten. I must avoid infectionn Or else I’ll be as dead as Naipaul’s fiction. Read his last novels. You’ll see just what I mean: A lethargy approaching the obscene.

Naipaul's ire was kindled by this incident, leading to a public criticism: "Walcott is a man whose talent had been all but strangled by his colonial setting. He went stale, he has exhausted his talent." Walcott wrote a poem in response, and since then, each writer has attempted to undermine the other's works, with an ever-escalating cycle of public critiques and counter-criticisms.

The Nabokov-Wilson Feud: A Scholarly Clash of Titans

Vladimir Nabokov and Edmund Wilson engaged in a particularly infamous feud over Nabokov's translation of Pushkin's Eugene Onegin. When Wilson published a review in the New York Review of Books, Nabokov responded in the same publication:

I fully share “the warm affection sometimes chilled by exasperation” that he says he feels for me. In the 1940s during my first decade in America he was most kind to me in various matters not necessarily pertaining to his profession. I have always been grateful to him for the tact he showed in refraining from reviewing any of my novels. We have had many exhilarating talks have exchanged many frank letters. A patient confidant of his long and hopeless infatuation with the Russian language I have always done my best to explain to him his mistakes of pronunciation, grammar and interpretation.

Despite the cordial beginning, their discussion quickly deteriorated into a point-by-point rebuttal. Wilson, aware of his position as a scholar, attempted to refrain from giving an overly heated response, although later articles criticizing Nabokov's work continued to fuel the fire.

These examples demonstrate how book wars have played a significant role in shaping literature. Writers from different eras and geographies have engaged in these confrontations, often using them as a means to further their artistic and literary goals. While these feuds may seem petty to the uninitiated, they are essential in understanding the evolution and diversity of literary expression.

Conclusion

From the classics of Faulkner, Hemingway, Walcott, Naipaul, to the modern masters like Nabokov and Wilson, these literary feuds showcase the complex human aspects of the writers behind the works. While they may seem like personal vendettas, these book wars are a testament to the fierce and passionate nature of artistic expression and the drive to establish a legacy in the literary world.