OK, now the question is, which authors of the 20th century will be "classics" that we are still reading in 100 years time? And why? if you want to diss someone who is well known now but you think is heading for well deserved obscurity go right ahead.

I was going to post a poll but the possibilities for humilation along the lines of "oh my God you forgot to list ......." were just too great. So you'll just have to do your own nominations.

To kick things off, I reckon Kafka will be recognised as a genius in 100 years just as he is today. I can't believe that the horrors of being a powerless pawn in the hands of uncaring (worse than that, impersonal and irrational) forces beyond our control will be any less in 100 years time.

I think Vonnegut will still be around. The quality of his writing will help, and again the (pretty similar) themes will surely be relevant.

I'm not so sure about one of my personal favourites, JG Ballard. Maybe its too early to say but certainly his later work, which has much to do with civilisation that breaks down when it becomes too easy, is vulnerable to the world turning out to be much nastier than he imagines. In other words he banked on the wrong future.

Likewise George Orwell, who is great, but will people read Animal Farm or 1984 when Stalin is 150 years in the past? I like his other work, but its probably too much about the English working class of the 1930s.

And I always mention Borges, always to a resounding silence, but anyway. Borges. No doubt. You can otherwise pick your South American, I'd go for Mario Vargas Llosa myself but I admit thats only because I read more of his stuff before I finally got sick of magical realism.