Who are your favourite contemporary and traditional authors. One contemporary and one traditional from each country of your choice.
UK. Jane Austen - Michael Morpurgo
USA. Nathaniel Hawthorne - Sharon Creech
I struggle to think of pairs of authors from other countries.
India: Jhumpa Lahiri (contemporary) Rabindrinath Tagore (traditional) pulitzer and Nobel prize winners for you there. Lahiri has a deeply introspective style that is very enviable.
US: Richard Yates and Margaret Mitchell (Traditional)
Asia: Murakami, (contemporary) and Pearl S Buck (Traditional-Nobel prize again-she is US born)
Afghanistan: Khaled Hosenni (contemporary)
Yann Martel" Canada, Contemporary
Renee, do like G. K.Chesterton's poetry? For example, 'The Donkey'.
Simon, I Haven't read Ness, yet. But he is on my list, as he has won two Carnegie Medals.