Top 10 controversial writers
Throughout the history, lot of
people have preferred to convey their intellect and thoughts through
literature. It’s a sure fact that writers are heavily tempted by the
society as well as the social context, but it’s a matter of fact that
some time, some authors are rejected by the same society for exploring
its hidden aspects. Top Yaps lists ten controversial writers who conveyed
their opinions through books and novels, but were labelled as
disputatious.
10. Judy Blume:
Best known for writing one of the most arguable novels on children and young adults, Judy Blume is an eminent yet controversial writer
of America. Judy Blume’s novels revolve around teenagers, dealing with
several issues such as sexuality, existence of God, friendship, religion
and other burning topics which are considered contagious for a
particular age-group. No doubt, this controversial writer has been
banned in United States for independently writing on censored topics,
yet her books have managed to exceed sales of 80 million copies
worldwide.
One of the founding fathers of the United
States, Thomas Paine revolutionized the literal world by writing a
deistic pamphlet, “The Age of Reason,” which challenges the authenticity
of Bible and severely criticizes the methodologies of institutionalized
religion. This controversial writer was blackballed
for ridiculing Christianity by contemporary intellectuals, and till the
date he is considered as one of the most controversial figures in
writing arena.
Perhaps, most well known for his controversial novel
– “The Catcher in the Rye,” J. D. Salinger is termed for being one of
the most controversial writers of the 20th century whose works led to
public attention and scrutiny. Main characters in Salinger’s stories
were generally misfits of society who search for happiness through
symbolism, religion and loneliness. For employing disputed subjects in
his novels, Salinger is believed as controversial writer by many
critics.
David Herbert Richards Lawerence was an
eminent novelist, essayist, poet and painter of England, who, by his
works, earned stack of retaliations in the literal world and endured
censorship along with official persecution. This controversial writer
was widely known for fueling some of the frank discussions such as
religion, psychology and sex. During the last time of his death,
Lawerence’s reputation was that of a pornographer who had devastated his
artistic integrity, moral sincerity and considerable talents.
Taslima Nasrin was a doctor in Bangladesh who later turned into a firebrand poet and author. This controversial writer
has been widely criticized by intellectuals and some of the prominent
authors for ridiculing Islamic principles and propagating objectionable
and preposterous comments against this religion. Since 1994, Taslima has
been living in exile and currently she is residing in New Delhi where
she works for human rights, freedom of thought and equality for women.
Counted among one of the most eminent French Enlightenment figures, Voltaire was a prolific yet controversial writer
who is best known for advocating freedom of religion as well as
separation of church and state. A straight-from-the-shoulder supporter
of social reform, Voltaire had earned controversy from the very
beginning of his writing career.
Founding father of psychoanalysis and a
celebrated researcher of unconscious mind, Sigmund Freud’s view on women
is still a subject of controversial debate. Theories of this controversial writer
on female nature have been marginalized by experts of psychology as
they were sexist and pseudo-scientific. According to Freudian theory,
the primary motivational energy of human life is sexual desire. No
doubt, his books are considered as objects of controversy, but he has a
strong impact upon the civilisation in western world over 8-9 decades or
so.
Legendary head in the ring of modern controversial writers,
Salman Rushdie came to prominence after after winning Booker Prize for
his second novel – “Midnight’s Children.” It’s a matter of fact that
this top-notch author of magical realism became a matter of
global hatred after launching his controversial novel “The Satanic
Verses.” Rushdie was widely condemned by Islamic groups and various
authors for ridiculing Islam and its functions in this novel. Not even
this, for his blasphemy, a fatwa was issued against him by Ayatollah
Ruhollah Khomeini, the Supreme Leader of Iran.
Best known for being the greatest
humorist of his age, Mark Twain’s ironies and satires have been often
considered by many intellectuals as vulgar and insensitive. His popular
novel “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” was criticized by contemporary
critics for violating the traditions of American democracy. Racial slurs
used in this novel were enough to flare up controversy during the Civil
Rights movement in United States.
Vladimir Nabokov was a Russian author who
was widely criticized for his tongue-in-cheek erotic novel, “Lolita.”
Considered as one of the most controversial and erotic novels of 20th
century, the word Lolita is now synonymously used to account a sexually
precocious girl. Though the book was scandalous, it catapulted the controversial writer to enormous fame and fortune.
