[zeestephen]

Re: "I admire good writing, even if it is fiction."

One problem...

People who write fiction do not claim it is true.

[nwrep]

Of course they do, all the time. Nearly everything written by journalists over the past decade is fiction, yet they would say it is true. :-)

A certain incisiveness and precision of writing has been lost in the English-speaking population of the US over the past generation. Thankfully, Englishmen, of whatever persuasion, still possess the skill to wield the language as an artful weapon. American writers, on the other hand, are mired in platitudes, clichés and tired old phrases.