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The Spark That Lit the Twain-Howells Feud
Mark Twain and William Dean Howells started as close friends and creative confidants, but their competitive spirits soon clashed. Twain’s brash humor and Howells’ measured realism put them at odds as America’s literary tastes shifted in the late 19th century. Letters between the two reveal subtle jabs and growing disagreements about what “real” American literature should be. Twain’s biting review of Howells’ “A Hazard of New Fortunes” in 1890 was a turning point—he called it “dull as a sermon.” Howells, who was editor of The Atlantic Monthly, quietly began promoting writers with more restrained voices, sidelining Twain’s wild style. Their rivalry, documented in more than 180 exchanged letters, shaped debates on literary realism versus satire. The result was a visible split in literary magazines and reading circles of the time, with fans picking sides.
Poe vs. Longfellow: The Battle of Romantics
Edgar Allan Poe’s public attacks on Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in the 1840s are legendary. Poe accused Longfellow, then America’s most beloved poet, of plagiarism, calling him “the king of literary thieves.” This feud wasn’t just personal; it was about style. Poe’s dark, gothic tales clashed with Longfellow’s sentimental, moralistic poems. In the “Longfellow War” of 1845, Poe used his editorials in the Broadway Journal to air grievances, while Longfellow stayed mostly silent. Modern research published in The Edgar Allan Poe Review in 2023 confirms that Poe’s criticisms were partly fueled by envy over Longfellow’s commercial success. The feud divided readers and sparked heated debates in literary salons, making headlines in period newspapers.
Faulkner and Hemingway: Titans at War
William Faulkner and Ernest Hemingway, both Nobel laureates, embodied the clash between Southern gothic and minimalist prose. Their rivalry exploded in the 1940s when Faulkner called Hemingway “the world’s greatest writer—if you have no imagination.” Hemingway shot back in a 1952 interview, saying, “Poor Faulkner. Does he really think big emotions come from big words?” This rivalry wasn’t just about style; it was personal and public. Letters from Faulkner’s estate, released in 2022, show he often mocked Hemingway’s short sentences with friends. Hemingway, meanwhile, parodied Faulkner’s labyrinthine sentences in drafts of “The Old Man and the Sea.” Their feud split the literary world and is still hotly debated in college classrooms today.
Ginsberg and Kerouac: Beat Brotherhood Turned Sour
Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac were the heart of the Beat Generation—until ego and fame drove a wedge. Their rivalry simmered beneath the surface, erupting after the wild success of Ginsberg’s “Howl” in 1956. Kerouac, who had poured years into “On the Road,” felt overshadowed and underappreciated. Letters archived at Stanford University in 2021 reveal that Kerouac accused Ginsberg of “selling out the movement.” Ginsberg, in turn, accused Kerouac of bitterness and jealousy. Their competition for the role of “voice of the Beats” led to behind-the-scenes sniping at readings and in interviews, fueling gossip columns and shaping the public’s perception of the movement.
Plath and Sexton: Rivalry in Confession
Sylvia Plath and Anne Sexton’s competition was as personal as it was poetic. Both were pioneering confessional poets, sharing intimate details of their lives in verse. But after meeting in Robert Lowell’s poetry seminar at Boston University in 1959, tensions quickly surfaced. Plath’s journals, published in 2023, describe Sexton as “obsessed with death, desperate for the limelight.” Sexton, meanwhile, privately described Plath’s poetry as “too cold, too controlled.” The literary world pitted them against each other, especially after both won prestigious prizes in the early 1960s. Their rivalry, now the subject of several university courses, is often cited as a driving force behind the confessional poetry movement’s explosive growth.
Mailer and Vidal: Public Insults and Fistfights
Norman Mailer and Gore Vidal took literary rivalry to new heights with public insults and even physical confrontation. Their feud began in the 1960s over Mailer’s portrayal of masculinity and Vidal’s open criticism of Mailer’s ego. The most notorious moment came on The Dick Cavett Show in 1971, when Mailer headbutted Vidal. This was after Vidal compared Mailer to Charles Manson in print. Mailer’s biographer, J. Michael Lennon, revealed in a 2024 interview that Mailer “kept a scrapbook of every insult.” Literary journals of the era, such as The New York Review of Books, regularly published their barbed essays. Theirs is still considered one of the most dramatic rivalries in American letters.
James Baldwin and Richard Wright: A Clash of Vision
James Baldwin and Richard Wright both wrote about race and America, but their approaches diverged sharply. After Baldwin critiqued Wright’s “Native Son” in 1949 as “a protest novel lacking nuance,” Wright felt personally attacked. Letters published by The Library of America in 2024 show Wright accused Baldwin of “betraying the struggle.” Baldwin, in turn, saw Wright’s work as too angry and simplistic. Their falling out became public, with both writers choosing new literary protégés and supporters. The Baldwin-Wright split influenced the direction of African American literature in the 1950s and 60s, shaping debates about art, activism, and authenticity.
Salinger and Capote: Competing for the Spotlight
J.D. Salinger and Truman Capote’s rivalry was one of quiet bitterness. Salinger’s “The Catcher in the Rye” became a phenomenon in 1951, while Capote was still searching for his breakout novel. Capote, in a 1965 interview, dismissed Salinger as “a one-book wonder.” Salinger, famously reclusive, mocked Capote’s “celebrity antics” in letters to friends, published in 2022. The two never confronted each other publicly, but Capote’s jealousy was well-known in New York literary circles. This rivalry was subtle but fierce, with each dismissing the other’s work in private conversations recorded by biographers.
Updike and Roth: Friendly Fire
John Updike and Philip Roth, two of the late 20th century’s most celebrated novelists, had a rivalry that was polite but persistent. Both chronicled suburban American life, but with very different sensibilities. Updike’s WASP perspective clashed with Roth’s Jewish American focus. According to the Updike archive at Harvard, the two exchanged letters critiquing each other’s novels, sometimes with biting wit. Roth once joked that Updike “made adultery sound like a church picnic.” Updike, in turn, called Roth’s work “brilliant but exhausting.” Their books were often released in the same year, fueling comparisons in the press and among critics.
Toni Morrison and Alice Walker: Voices of Change
Toni Morrison and Alice Walker both broke barriers for Black women writers, but their visions sometimes collided. Morrison’s epic, multi-generational novels contrasted with Walker’s focus on personal empowerment and activism. In interviews from 2023, Walker praised Morrison’s “Beloved” but criticized her for “pulling the ladder up” in the publishing world. Morrison, for her part, once described Walker’s “The Color Purple” as “brave but sometimes simplistic.” Their rivalry was more about influence and legacy than personal animosity, but it pushed both women to new artistic heights and shaped the future of African American literature.
O’Connor and Welty: Southern Gothic Showdown
Flannery O’Connor and Eudora Welty, two giants of Southern fiction, were often compared by critics and readers alike. O’Connor privately dismissed Welty’s stories as “too polite,” while Welty once told a friend O’Connor’s work was “delightfully disturbing.” Letters published by the University of Georgia Press in 2024 reveal that both women felt pressure to outdo each other, especially after winning major literary awards in the 1950s. Their rivalry encouraged a flurry of essays about what “Southern literature” should be, influencing generations of writers from the South.
Besides founding Festivaltopia, Luca is the co founder of trib, an art and fashion collectiv you find on several regional events and online. Also he is part of the management board at HORiZONTE, a group travel provider in Germany.
