Authors with noteworthy characterization?

answers1:For great characters in great satire: Kurt Vonnegut Jr.,
Christopher Moore, [ADDing more now, here and there, like: ], Joseph
Heller, frequently John Irving ("...Garp," "Setting Free the Bears,"
more), once Thomas Berger ("Little Big Man"), sometimes Anne Tyler
(more than sometimes for her, though her's is sly, and usually
compassion overlays the satirical content; great characters though),
more. So many.For great characters in general fiction:Toni Morrison
(most of her books; some that 'sing' and some a bit too heavy; l know,
at least "Song of Solomon" offers [with others] much via
characterization), Sherman Alexie (go for his YA book "The Absolutely
True Diary of a Part-Time Indian" and "The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fight
in Heaven" plus "Ten Little Indians" [both short story collections,
but great characters] and more: "Indian Killer" if you want 'twisted
and really angry.').Louise Erdrich really hit great characters in
"Love Medicine" as did Alice Walker in "The Color Purple.[I'm sure
you've noticed I added a few in ADDition, but some are in your 2nd
answer, which I'd not read yet. Would also add Cervantes and G.
Marquez, G. Theroux ("Phantom...")etc.] Also Dostoevsky (you know the
rest), Nabokov, Dickens, the Brontes [ADD: the Brontes put out great
characters, which led them past dull], Austen, G. Elliot, Shelley,
Kafka, T.Pratchett, N. Gaiman, O.S. Card, A. C. Doyle, B.Stoker, D.
Hammett, [two ADDs here: ] Kesey, Kerouac, J. London, V. Hugo,
[already had next one: ] Steinbeck, Updike, S.Terkels and many more.I
am often giving you titles w/authors, sorry. A bit more, only
authors:For plays:Shakespeare, Arthur Miller, Tennessee Williams, (+
once for: ) Lillian Hellman, (more for: ) David Mamet, Chekhov, Kurt
Vonnegut Jr., Sam Shephard, (musicals = ) Gershwin, Irving and __,
arthurs of West Side Story (a remake), Oklahoma, Cats, Les Miserables,
lots of operas and many more.For short work:Poe, Damon Runyon (truly
great characters, both for shorts and at plays, musicals and more), F.
O'Connor, E. B. White (for essays: you could read one on my profile
page), [ADD: one here: ] D. Parker, R. Bass, U. LeGuin; many
more.You'll get a great many answers on this one. I like this
question: a star for it: it's interesting....Show more
answers2:LJ K nailed it, really. I'm going to second the nominations
for: Kurt Vonnegut, John Irving, Toni Morrison, Sherman Alexie,
Vladimir Nabokov, Charles Dickens, the Brontes (they're terribly dull,
but that's not the issue here), Orson Scott Card, William Shakespeare,
Arthur Miller, Anton Chekhov, Tennessee Williams and Edgar Allan Poe.I
will add:Clive Barker ('Imajica')Stephen King ('Dolores Claiborne,'
'Misery,' and 'The Shining')Roald Dahl ('The Best of Roald
Dahl')Robert Cormier ('Tenderness' and 'The Chocolate War')John
Steinbeck ('Of Mice and Men' and 'The Pearl')William Golding ('Lord of
the Flies' and 'Pincher Martin')...Show more