Cooper wrote a novel which is absolutely indistinguishable from Austen, completely from a female point of view, completely English, no sense that he was an American.
One more recent novelist to come along is Cormac McCarthy. Him, I like.
My assignment is what every writer's assignment is: tell the truth of his own time.
When all of us are forgotten, people will still be remembering Stephen King.
Raymond Carver is good. I think he'll be appreciated more and more. He's an easy writer to imitate.
Saul Bellow never took my advice when he was my friend.