Objects of the class “David Owen”

As I put it in my discussion of Clive James, the journalist David Owen is “serious, earnest, somewhat intelligent but a bit of a blockhead. Which I mean in a good way. Not clever-clever or even clever, but he wants to get things right.”

Another example would be Nick Hornby.

These are writers with a sort of Tom Hanks vibe: the earnest everyman.

For an example of someone who’s not a member of that class, consider Stephen King. Yes, he famously described his writing as “the literary equivalent of a Big Mac with fries”—but, nah, King has some special spooky inspiration. He’s not a straight-ahead teller-like-it-is of the Owen or Hornby variety.

The thing about Owen and Hornby is that they don’t come across as particularly brilliant or well-informed . . . but obviously they do have lots going for them or they wouldn’t be able to write so well.

Another example would be George Orwell, whom I’ve enlisted as a literary ally before and also defines his own class of objects.

P.S. For more Clive James, see here and especially here.