[Borges]

He's half right. Faulkner is certainly right there with anyone. It's a toss up who number 2 is.

[Ghost of Philip Marlowe]

Yes, I agree. I just didn't appreciate what appeared to be Roth's cronyism (trying to attach superlatives to a member of a group he is identified with by way of one who does deserve some superlatives).

Such statements about the arts are absurd anyway. "If Wagner were alive today he'd be composing heavy metal. If Shakespeare were alive today he'd be writing sitcoms."

Writers, especially novelists, are admired principally on matters of style (which is the content and how it is put forth). To try to rank them or compare them with predecessors speaks more about the ranker than the rankee.