# Who is the Shakespeare of your country? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 11, 2009, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-shakespeare-of-your-country/496042 "2009-05-11T16:03:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![WormTheRed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/bbe5ce/32.png) [@WormTheRed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WormTheRed)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2009, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-shakespeare-of-your-country/496042/1 "2009-05-11T16:03:51Z")
So the UK has Shakespeare - the grandest author in all the land. At least, the most famous author native to the British isles. Iceland has [Laxness](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halld%C3%B3r_Laxness), who doesn’t reach Sakespearean heights by hardly any norms, but he’s still the best we’ve got. With Sweden, I’d say [Strindberg](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strindberg), since everyone has to read him when in school. But what about you Americans, Canadians, Dutchmen, Germans, Aussies and members of all other nationalities here on the Dope. Who is your Shakespeare? ---
**Author:** ![cuauhtemoc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecb155/32.png) [@cuauhtemoc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cuauhtemoc)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2009, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-shakespeare-of-your-country/496042/2 "2009-05-11T16:06:20Z")
Mark Twain maybe? He’s pretty famous around the world, right? ---
**Author:** ![Tarwater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9de0a6/32.png) [@Tarwater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tarwater)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2009, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-shakespeare-of-your-country/496042/3 "2009-05-11T16:14:44Z")
Germany, I’d say Goethe. America, Henry James. Canada, Alice Munro? ---
**Author:** ![Estilicon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/848f3c/32.png) [@Estilicon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Estilicon)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2009, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-shakespeare-of-your-country/496042/4 "2009-05-11T16:16:11Z")
Argentina has great poets and writers but our Shakespeare is a guy called [José Hernandez](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Hern%C3%A1ndez) (1834-1886). He wrote an epic poem about a Gaucho called [Martín Fierro](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Fierro) that is a touchstone about argentinian identity. It’s funny because the poem is about a different Argentina, the one that existed before the massive inmigration of the late 19 century and early 20 century transformed my country into a different one: open plains, gauchos and indians were replaced by europeans and cities. But just like americans and the far west, we treasure those bygones years as the years when our identity was formed (even though its mostly untrue). ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2009, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-shakespeare-of-your-country/496042/5 "2009-05-11T16:36:01Z")
England has Shakespeare. Scotland has [William McGonagall.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_McGonagall) \* \*or [Robert Burns!](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Burns) ---
**Author:** ![Svejk\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea666f/32.png) [@Svejk\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Svejk_1)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2009, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-shakespeare-of-your-country/496042/6 "2009-05-11T16:43:02Z")
> [@WormTheRed](#): > > But what about you Americans, Canadians, Dutchmen, Germans, Aussies and members of all other nationalities here on the Dope. > Who is your Shakespeare? For the Netherlands: Anne Frank. Hands-down the most well known work ever that was originally written in Dutch is ‘Het Achterhuis’ - Anne Frank’s diary. For fiction, though, I’m not quite so sure. I don’t think there’s any Dutch author, classic or modern, who’s actually widely read abroad. Maybe Mulisch, or Nooteboom. The former is the perennial Dutch Nobel Prize candidate (or so he thinks); the latter is widely translated and well regarded in a bunch of countries (esp. Germany) but not so much so in The Netherlands. The greatest post-war Dutch author, Gerard Reve, on the other hand, has hardly been translated. Similarly, Hermans, who (along with Reve and Mulisch) is considered one of the Big Three, is not well read beyond our borders. ---
**Author:** ![Svejk\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea666f/32.png) [@Svejk\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Svejk_1)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2009, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-shakespeare-of-your-country/496042/7 "2009-05-11T16:48:21Z")
Czech literature, of course, is translated much more often. Well known authors include Milan Kundera and Václav Havel, and then there’s Jaroslav Seifert, who won the Nobel Prize in literature in 1984. Also, there’s Karel Čapek, one of the Čapek brothers, who wrote magnificent books and is known for inventing the phrase and the concept of the robot. Traditionally though, the most well-known Czech author, I feel compelled to add, is Jaroslav Hášek, the author of ‘The Adventures of the Good Soldier Švejk’, which is a book well worth reading, to say the least. ---
**Author:** ![WormTheRed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/bbe5ce/32.png) [@WormTheRed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WormTheRed)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2009, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-shakespeare-of-your-country/496042/8 "2009-05-11T16:51:28Z")
> [@Svejk\_1](#): > > For the Netherlands: Anne Frank. Hands-down the most well known work ever that was originally written in Dutch is ‘Het Achterhuis’ - Anne Frank’s diary. > > For fiction, though, I’m not quite so sure. I don’t think there’s any Dutch author, classic or modern, who’s actually widely read abroad. Maybe Mulisch, or Nooteboom. The former is the perennial Dutch Nobel Prize candidate (or so he thinks); the latter is widely translated and well regarded in a bunch of countries (esp. Germany) but not so much so in The Netherlands. The greatest post-war Dutch author, Gerard Reve, on the other hand, has hardly been translated. Similarly, Hermans, who (along with Reve and Mulisch) is considered one of the Big Three, is not well read beyond our borders. Interesting answer. My flatmate is Dutch and he, like you, couldn’t really give me a proper answer for this question. ---
**Author:** ![WormTheRed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/bbe5ce/32.png) [@WormTheRed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WormTheRed)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2009, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-shakespeare-of-your-country/496042/9 "2009-05-11T16:54:17Z")
> [@Tarwater](#): > > Germany, I’d say Goethe. America, Henry James. > > Canada, Alice Munro? Henry James and Alice Munro? Can’t say I’ve heard of them. I’d put Mark Twain, Old Man Hemmingway and even Thompsson up there. > [@Estilicon](#): > > Argentina has great poets and writers but our Shakespeare is a guy called [José Hernandez](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Hern%C3%A1ndez) (1834-1886). > He wrote an epic poem about a Gaucho called [Martín Fierro](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Fierro) that is a touchstone about argentinian identity. It’s funny because the poem is about a different Argentina, the one that existed before the massive inmigration of the late 19 century and early 20 century transformed my country into a different one: open plains, gauchos and indians were replaced by europeans and cities. > But just like americans and the far west, we treasure those bygones years as the years when our identity was formed (even though its mostly untrue). Cool! Never heard of him either, need to check him out. Has it been translated into english? > [@Svejk\_1](#): > > Czech literature, of course, is translated much more often. Well known authors include Milan Kundera and Václav Havel, and then there’s Jaroslav Seifert, who won the Nobel Prize in literature in 1984. Also, there’s Karel Čapek, one of the Čapek brothers, who wrote magnificent books and is known for inventing the phrase and the concept of the robot. Traditionally though, the most well-known Czech author, I feel compelled to add, is Jaroslav Hášek, the author of ‘The Adventures of the Good Soldier Švejk’, which is a book well worth reading, to say the least. Hásek I’ve heard off. Feels like a good top spot. ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2009, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-shakespeare-of-your-country/496042/10 "2009-05-11T17:06:48Z")
Hmmm, interesting question. I’m not sure I could answer it for my own country. I can certainly give you a list of French authors the French zeigeist deems “The best French writers evah !”, but I have no idea whether or not they are known as such, or even known at all outside of France and French culture. For example, in terms of playwrights, if you’re not Corneille, Racine or Molière, you’re nobody. For novels, it’s Victor Hugo and Emile Zola. Poets ? That’s easy : Baudelaire, Raimbaud, Verlaine and maybe La Fontaine (although he shamelessly cribbed Aesop). Modern stuff : Sartre, Camus, Proust. Any of these names ring bells to you guys ? ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2009, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-shakespeare-of-your-country/496042/11 "2009-05-11T17:11:31Z")
I don’t know about anybody else, but this american is familiar with Corneille, Racine, Moliere, Hugo, Zola, Sartre, Camus, and Proust. The poets, not so much. ---
**Author:** ![Tarwater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9de0a6/32.png) [@Tarwater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tarwater)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2009, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-shakespeare-of-your-country/496042/12 "2009-05-11T17:12:43Z")
> [@WormTheRed](#): > > Henry James and Alice Munro? Can’t say I’ve heard of them. Really? You’ve never heard of Henry James? Munro I can understand, but I would’ve thought James would be as readily identified as Hemingway, at least. ---
**Author:** ![WormTheRed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/bbe5ce/32.png) [@WormTheRed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WormTheRed)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2009, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-shakespeare-of-your-country/496042/13 "2009-05-11T17:31:29Z")
> [@Kobal2](#): > > Any of these names ring bells to you guys ? Check on all but Corneille, Verlaine and La Fontaine. > [@Tarwater](#): > > Really? You’ve never heard of Henry James? > > Munro I can understand, but I would’ve thought James would be as readily identified as Hemingway, at least. Sorry, nope. Even checked his Wiki preparing to :smack: my head, but I’m afraid not. What work of his should I begin with? ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2009, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-shakespeare-of-your-country/496042/14 "2009-05-11T17:34:01Z")
I’d go with Twain being the definitive American author. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2009, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-shakespeare-of-your-country/496042/15 "2009-05-11T17:35:37Z")
James Joyce maybe. ---
**Author:** ![Wakinyan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wakinyan/32/352_2.png) [@Wakinyan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wakinyan)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2009, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-shakespeare-of-your-country/496042/16 "2009-05-11T17:36:11Z")
> [@WormTheRed](#): > > … With Sweden, I’d say [Strindberg](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strindberg), since everyone has to read him when in school. Yep, Strindberg is probably our Shakespeare in this sense, but there’s no particular writer everyone in Sweden has to read when in school – for good or for bad. ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2009, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-shakespeare-of-your-country/496042/17 "2009-05-11T17:39:39Z")
It’s hard to answer the question because Shakespeare isn’t just the most famous author native to Britain. I think it’s a little strong to claim that the last 350 years of English literature have been a response to Shakespeare’s work, but it’s not too far off. Kafka’s the only figure I know of who comes close, and I don’t think we have anyone in America–Mark Twain is our most famous author, but American literature students take classes in Shakespeare, not Twain. ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2009, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-shakespeare-of-your-country/496042/18 "2009-05-11T17:40:46Z")
We’ve had some excellent writers in the USA, but I don’t know that we’ve had “our Shakespeare” yet. (Actually, all of us Anglophones have a special link with Willy Boy.) Would Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (Shakespeare’s contemporary) stand for Spain? ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2009, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-shakespeare-of-your-country/496042/19 "2009-05-11T17:48:02Z")
> [@Bridget\_Burke](#): > > Would Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (Shakespeare’s contemporary) stand for Spain? Good call. For those who aren’t familiar, Cervantes wrote Don Quixote, which is generally considered the first novel, at least in its modern form. ---
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2009, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-shakespeare-of-your-country/496042/20 "2009-05-11T17:48:30Z")
I don’t think Henry James is a good match for the US Shakespeare, mostly because he’s tedious as hell and doesn’t have the range I associate with Shakespeare’s works. Twain would be close - his later stuff especially is more tragedy than comedy, and he tackled all the major literary themes. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-shakespeare-of-your-country/496042.md?page=2)