Who Is America's Homer?

#1

Post by samclemens » Tue, Jul 14, 2026, 10:19 PM UTC

Re: Who Is America's Homer?

#2

Post by slwvx » Tue, Jul 14, 2026, 10:36 PM UTC

Mark Twain is America's Homer

One aspect of Huckleberry Finn (the novel) that I think is relevant today is the spectacularly stupid zero-sum conflict between the Grangerfords and the Shepherdsons. It seems relevant to the US's politics and many international conflicts

Re: Who Is America's Homer?

#3

Post by killthebuddha » Wed, Jul 15, 2026, 9:14 PM UTC

this is not super productive, but not including “Germany has Goethe” in the opening line turned me off immediately

Re: Who Is America's Homer?

#4

Post by brightball » Wed, Jul 15, 2026, 9:17 PM UTC

Solid read.

Recommendations elaborated on in the article are a solid set. Mark Twain or Walt Whitman would probably get my vote.

Re: Who Is America's Homer?

#5

Post by freetime2 » Wed, Jul 15, 2026, 9:18 PM UTC

Unfortunately that title is already reserved in the US for Homer Simpson.

Re: Who Is America's Homer?

#6

Post by [deleted] » Wed, Jul 15, 2026, 9:23 PM UTC

[deleted]

Re: Who Is America's Homer?

#7

Post by sfRattan » Wed, Jul 15, 2026, 9:27 PM UTC

The stories still passed down and translated into other languages two thousand years from now will be the answer. I think Sherman's memoirs could become something like the Iliad. They're surprisingly funny, engaging, and insightful, and Mark Twain (mentioned in this comment thread) had a hand in the memoirs IIRC.

Re: Who Is America's Homer?

#8

Post by bryanrasmussen » Wed, Jul 15, 2026, 9:28 PM UTC

I think it is somewhat weird that nobody put Twain in.

I could also see someone suggesting Hemingway, although I don't buy it.

Hart Crane at this point in time seems somewhat secondary, so that was surprising.

The Tracy Chapman thing seemed seriously like a troll, I could definitely agree to a black Homer, but then I guess it would be Langston Hughes or James Baldwin as my choices.

To suggest someone though who has the name recognition for American literature that Homer had for the Greeks, it would need to be Twain. You can't really have a great national writer that hardly anybody in the nation can name.

Re: Who Is America's Homer?

#9

Post by kayo_20211030 » Wed, Jul 15, 2026, 9:29 PM UTC

I'd go with Ogden Nash as the most American "American" poet. He's my horse in the race.

Re: Who Is America's Homer?

#10

Post by yaman12 » Wed, Jul 15, 2026, 9:30 PM UTC

Stephen King. Homer was not great literature at the time he his works were written. He was popular entertainment with a dose of folk religion. I’m not sure Homer existed. 1000 years from now people will say the same of SK.