When Author X was Compared to Author Y by Author Z

I dunno, but it is funny.

A,B,C, stand aside. D is now a better short story writer than you will ever be again during the rest of your lives. -E

No I was off by one name. The original quote is "“Saul Bellow, Philip Roth, Norman Mailer, stand aside. Harlan Ellison is now a better short story writer than you will ever be again during the rest of your lives.”

Because, as we all know, these first three were famous for their short stories. /him_with_his_foot_in_his_mouth

Also "than you will ever be again during the rest of your lives"- how can he know?

OK, here's a non-sci-fi one.

/I once confessed to Z that I was allergic both to X and to his poetry. "I don't know what all the fuss is about," Z said. "He's just an American Y."/

I once confessed to Philip Larkin that I was allergic both to Lowell and to his poetry. 'I don't know what all the fuss is about,' Philip said. 'He's just an American Heath-Stubbs.'

And this was written by- Kingsley Amis?

Letter from X to Y:

I was enraged to see they gave the £40 to Z; still now you and Rosamond can join in blaming her. Who is she? What is this book? And so you can't buy your carpet.

And this was written by- Kingsley Amis?

Charles Osborne of the British Arts Council.

A fine intellectual writer, X is here sharper and more substantial than Y. -Z

If the Y had been literary rather than thespic fantasists ... they would have been X." — Z

(Arrgh unpaired unneeded quotation mark)

Evan Connell comparison of Thomas Berger is from New York Magazine review of Neighbors: https://books.google.com/books?id=IOQCAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA76&lpg=PA76&dq=%22INSANELY+PLAUSIBLE+HE+WRITES+LIKE+THE+DEMENTED+SON%22&source=bl&ots=uzUOcMtcyI&sig=vp9B0tOfjhDQFFwGYM8A0SDcGcM&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwit2vyevpDUAhXCRCYKHd3bAAcQ6AEIKDAA#v=onepage&q=%22INSANELY%20PLAUSIBLE%20HE%20WRITES%20LIKE%20THE%20DEMENTED%20SON%22&f=false

X at his best is Y-and-soda. His fizzing nihilism expresses itself most pungently at short-story length. -Z

https://mobile.nytimes.com/1996/12/08/books/jacketeering.html

A fine intellectual writer, X is here sharper and more substantial than Y. -Z

lol never change Michael

RIP, Harlan Ellison

RIP™, surely

Lol, yes

She is X’s heir and Y’s sister.
-Z

This one is really obvious, but:

In his earliest time I thought he (X) perhaps contained the seeds of an English Y; but I have given that up in proportion as he has come down steadily from the simple in subject to the more simple–from the Anglo-Indians to the natives, from the natives to the Tommies, from the Tommies to the quadrupeds, from the quadrupeds to the fish, and from the fish to the engines and screws. - Z

X is Kipling? Z ... Wells?

Yes to Kipling, no to Wells.

The Kipling part was what I meant when I said this one was obvious, btw.

Y is Balzac, Z is Henry James

imo, Mr. James should have just re-read his Balzac instead of trying to spawn an English reproduction of him. heaven knows Balzac wrote enough to satisfy most people's thirst for Balzac-ness.

I believe the example in the OP also appeared in one of David Markson's books.

She is X’s heir and Y’s sister.
-Z

I am bad at these games but want to know what this one is. Anybody got any guesses before I just ask for it to be revealed?

Do you want hints? Initials?

How about saying who 'she' is?

Is there a genre you could point to, or is it in the vague purportedly genreless world of "literary fiction"?

Slipstream, according to Christopher Priest.

Aha, I was thinking sci-fi so not that far away. Are any of the authors involved Le Guin?

I did just have to check if Slipstream was what I thought it was and got a bit of a spoiler, seeing as the corresponding thread has been bumped here - is one of the authors the dude who wrote Dhalgren?

Ha, no.

Hmmmmm. I told you I was bad at this game ;_;

Balzac-ness

Balzacité

anna kavan! was it kafka's sister... something, something brian aldiss?

Oh yes indeed

Ah fuck, I like Anna Kavan too. I'm going to properly kick myself if that quote is featured in the blurbs of any of the ones of hers I've read.