I wasn't saying that Hemingway was not a great writer but that, in my
opinion, Leonard's body of work considerably surpasses Hemingway's in
quality. As to Sherwood Anderson, he was marvellous.... and today,
hardly anybody reads him. Same with Ring Lardner, one of my overall
favorite authors regardless of genre. Leonard's ear is on the level of
Lardner's, that is, sensationally accurate. Hemingway didn't have that
kind of ear, his dialogues are not believable. He hit a peak with The
Sun Also Rises, whose emotional impact is not diminished many decades
later.
Best,
mrt
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