The Time 4

Rejoice! This year, there are four whole professional writers on the Time 100 List, up from one last year: Jennifer Egan, Jonathan Franzen, George R. R. Martin, and the Chinese investigative journalist Hu Shuli (who obviously belongs in the slightly elevated category of “professional writers who risk their lives for their work”). Like last year, there are names that made the list because of books—Amy Chua, for “Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother” and Rob Bell, for “Love Wins”—but whose owners have professions other than “writer.” And there are names of famous people who just happen to have published books recently (Patti Smith and “Just Kids”). This is all great, but I think there’s room on the list for many more writers (maybe not ninety-six more, but … more). What about the authors of super-important works of academic non-fiction (if academics qualify as professional writers, which they should if they’re not abusing tenure)? This year, I’d cite Robert Putnam and David Campbell, for “American Grace,” a landmark statistical survey of religion in the U.S. that people will be consulting for decades. I know, I know: it’s because they aren’t as “influential” in the current moment as Justin Bieber, the Korean pop star Rain, or the requisite slew of tyrants, dictators, and crazy French nationalists. Also true: it’s ill-advised to take seriously a list that asks Baz Luhrmann to describe Blake Lively’s influence, which he does like this:

I’ve known Blake the actress, and I’ve known Blake the person, who would surprise many with her down-to-earth coolness.

[#image: /photos/590953c7019dfc3494e9e519]But really: how is Time measuring the influence of Egan, Franzen, and Martin? Does it go beyond sales figures, literary prizes, HBO adaptations of their work, Time magazine covers? Do they believe that Franzen will shift twenty-first-century literature entirely toward naturalism? That Egan will shift it entirely toward narratively-pleasing-postmodernism? That Martin will be remembered as the next Tolkien?

Let’s take a look at the descriptions. Michael Lewis’s ode to Franzen is actually pretty great:

His influence isn’t like that of a political leader or a top chef or even a gifted journalist. It’s more like the influence of a natural disaster or a plane crash or a virus for which scientists can’t find a cure. You don’t know when Jonathan Franzen’s going to happen, only that when he does, there’s going to be trouble.

Curtis Sittenfeld on Jennifer Egan offers less by way of explanation of the writer’s impact, but is still informative:

I’ve had the pleasure of crossing paths with Egan, 48, over the years (yes, her cheekbones really are as magnificent as they look in the picture).

And John Hodgman gets straight to the point with George R. R. Martin:

If you have not read these books, you should be ashamed of yourself.

Well put, Mr. Hodgman: perhaps the reason writers don’t show up more frequently on Time’s list is there isn’t enough shaming of non-readers in our society. Something to ponder for 2012.