The Greatest Authors of All Time Live On

Online, December 27, 2009 (Newswire.com) - The benefits of reading are as varied as the types of books there are available today. Besides being a fundamental requirement to complete the early years of schooling, the benefits of reading are many.

The ability to read comes with the ability to understand and comprehend the world around us. Remember that required reading list you had in school? At the time it may have seemed less than important to your development, but in truth is was one of the most important aspects of your early education.

The ability to learn new things and extract meaning from words on paper keep our brains agile, young, and healthy. As stories unfold between the covers of a book, our imaginations are engaged and we are almost transported to an entirely different world.

Whether you enjoy fiction, non-fiction, classic literature or popular literature, there is no denying that some of the world's greatest authors have had some kind of influence on your favorite author.

Here is a short list of some of the greatest authors of all time, in no particular order:

Count Leo Tolstoy - Anna Karenina and War and Peace are by far Tolstoy's greatest works. And even with just these two books he would be considered a great author, but he went on to pen other great works, too. These books painted a vivid portrait of 19th-century Russian life and attitudes. Tolstoy also wrote essays and plays. His War and Peace is generally considered the best novel of all time.

Fyodor Dostoyevsky - There's just something about the Russian writers of the 19th-century. Dostoyevsky's epic Crime and Punishment and The Brothers Karamazov deal with the spiritual and political troubles of 19th-century Russia. Dostoyevsky is often considered the best psychologist in writing, as his novels explored the human condition and the human psychology of the times of his novels.

William Shakespeare - Probably one of the most familiar names in great literature, William Shakespeare's nickname is The Bard (or The Bard of Avon) for his beautiful poetry and world-famous works of drama. In fact, during his time he was considered a genius and his plays were sought after by some of Europe's most elite. In fact, the Victorians of the time liked Shakespeare so much their worship was described by George Bernard Shaw as "bardolatry." Today his works have been translated into every major living language. Some of his most familiar works of drama are Romeo and Juliet, a Midsummer's Night Dream, Hamlet, and Julius Caesar. Though he was thought to borrow a lot of his ideas from other authors, he was the first author to collect a massive amount of writing and output some of the best poetry, prose, and drama the world has ever seen.

Charles Dickens - This author is probably one of the most humorous if not beloved authors of all time. His books paint vivid characters and his characters are lovable, relatable, and timeless. Who doesn't know the names Oliver Twist, David Copperfield, or Pip (from his book Great Expectations). His iconic characters have gained his novels enough popularity to never have gone out of print.

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