Rowling voted 'UK's greatest living author'

Published on Thursday 8 June 2006 11:33

JK ROWLING has been named Britain's greatest living novelist, receiving three times as many votes as her nearest rival, fantasy writer Terry Pratchett.

The creator of Harry Potter topped a poll carried out by The Book Magazine.

The next three authors on the list were all Booker Prize winners - Ian McEwan, Salman Rushdie and Kazuo Ishiguro.

They were followed by children's author Philip Pullman and veteran playwright Harold Pinter.

The top ten also included Fever Pitch and About A Boy writer Nick Hornby and Jonathan Coe, author of The Rotters' Club, alongside literary giant AS Byatt and spy writer John Le Carre. Writers in the top 20 included Alan Bennett, Martin Amis and David Mitchell.

Zadie Smith, winner of the Orange Prize for Fiction with her novel On Beauty, trailed in 33rd.

Irvine Welsh, author of Trainspotting, also featured on the list. And there were votes for children's favourite Jacqueline Wilson and Bridget Jones creator Helen Fielding.

"Our survey provides a fascinating insight into what the British public thinks makes a 'great' writer," said the magazine's editor, Christine Kidney.

"It shows how a writer can connect with us, as if we were the only reader in the world, and it's why books prove to be such enduringly popular objects."