Where Lardner stands among American writers is still a matter of debate. But for one devotee, there is no doubt about Lardner's stature.
Matthew J. Bruccoli, editor of "Ring Around The Bases," says: "Lardner has beenexcluded from the top rank of American fiction writers because he did not write novels.Allegedly, the short-story form restricted the scope and development of his work. But a serious writerwrites about the subjects that have meaning for him in the best way - perhaps in the only way -that he can....
"Reputations fluctuate during a writer's working life and posthumously. Aconstant process of preservation and recovery operates apart from the activities of the officialstature-determiners and canon-makers. Literature is what lasts - apart from the influence of fashion."
Elder, Lardner's biographer and fellow Niles native, is more direct:"(Lardner) belonged to the line of American originals, Thoreau, Hawthorne, Melville, Whitman, and Mark Twain,each eccentric, unique, and unaccountable, owing nothing except to the demands of his own genius."
