dick francis.

dick francis is a fantastic writer.

look at his protagonists : the men are not beefy all-biceps-no-brains guys, and the women are not brainless bimbos.

how many authors would you find, portraying their hero as a handicapped guy (not a macho male) with one arm and the normal amounts of emotions and intelligence? i think his books are a quiet statement of good writing.

i like especially the stories where these nice ethical nuances are highlighted... but you know whats really nice? the way "The Hero" also feels scared and is in fact cynically laughing at himself but anyway saying ok, this needs to be done, so lets somehow gather the guts to do it... its all so natural!

the best part about his writing : when he describes characters, he sees them through a persons gaze. as in his people are not described like objects : they have personality and character and quirks... the descriptions of men and women are not restricted to parts of the body. which, if you look at it, is again a nice, quiet way of busting stereotypes.

hes no feminist theorist, not fashionable like sartre (ugh!), but oh, does he have class! - just another example of how you dont need to be in the "right" profession to do something good...