That the literary name of one age can mean nothing to the next is both a truism and a comfort; it would be depressing to have to think that in 40 years, or even five, people might still be reading the effusions of - well, write in your own candidates from today's bestseller lists. What does seem to be less predictable is the process that will sometimes restore a lost household name.

LRB 18 August 1994 | PDF Download