We danced around this in the PG Wodehouse thread, so I'm wondering who you think the greatest British comic novelists are. For me it's Wodehouse, Evelyn Waugh and Kingsley Amis. With special mention for Kingsley's son, Martin, whose Money must be one of the funniest novels of the last thirty years.
David Lodge is a slightly more contemporary candidate, I would say.
Douglas Adams, for the first couple of Hitchhikers.
George MacDonald Fraser. Funny and exciting and sexy and impeccably researched.
Forgot to mention Jerome K. Jerome, author of the brilliantly funny Three Men In A Boat.
Adams and Rankin. Nice and silly.
Not my cup of tea, but Terry Pratchett certainly has a lot of fans.
I'd have to agree on the Amis front; both Kingsley and Martin.
Will Self can pretty funny at times.
Stella Gibbons (for Cold Comfort Farm) and Bruce Robinson have written with great humour too.
Saki, Pratchett, Adams and though he hasn't aged quite so well Tom Sharpe.
I practically shit a kidney laughing at Wilt and Vintage Stuff.
Quote: Timbo @ January 13 2009, 12:02 PM GMTGeorge MacDonald Fraser. Funny and exciting and sexy and impeccably researched.
Ditto.
Kate Atkinson is also very funny. I love Behind the Scenes at the Museum.
PG Wodehouse
Roddy Doyle
John Mortimer
Am I the only person who found Tom Sharpe hilarious?
No only is he funny, he was persecuted and exiled by the South African government for taking the piss.
Riotous Assembly is very funny and helped destroy Aparhteid.
I'm with you Sooty, though didn't really like Riotous Assembly as much - Blott on the Landscape for me.
Would say Pratchett too
Douglas Adams I guess.
Stephen Fry, Mark Gatiss and Jeremy Dyson are all comedy writers I love, who write novels, but I guess their books aren't exactly laugh out loud funny.
I'd go for Waugh, though Anthony Burgess' comedies are often overlooked. The Enderby novels are so funny.