Pre-eminent US novelist Philip Roth died recently,
reminding me of Edward Abbey's stubborn "impossible dream"
of one day becoming, God help us, a pre-eminent US novelist.

Abbey's published output includes a number of novels,
some of which have been adapted for film or broadcast,
as pointed out in earlier posts on this thread.

Abbey initially wrote non-fictions essays for publication, I believe,
in periodicals. He wrote them in order to make enough money to indulge in writing fiction, or so it seems.
When a reader came to an Abbey lecture/appearance, and approached him saying rather emotionally (read: gushing) that "Desert Solitaire" was her favorite book, it is said that Abbey, with his deep speaking voice, rumbled back: "well, it's not MY favorite book."

Such is fate. In the public eye, Abbey is remembered as a non-fiction writer, a naturalist, a 'voice crying in the wilderness', who by the way published a list of novels collecting dust on the library shelves.