▁h ired ▁largely ▁to ▁ac quire ▁books , ▁" and ▁if ▁he ▁can ' t ▁get ▁good ▁books , ▁he ▁usually ▁takes ▁what ▁he ▁can ▁get -- books ▁that ▁are ▁not ▁so ▁good . ▁And ▁then ▁he ▁sometimes ▁w re cks ▁himself ▁trying ▁to ▁make ▁a ▁sil k ▁pur se ▁out ▁of ▁what ▁can ▁never ▁become ▁anything ▁but ▁a ▁sow ' s ▁ear ." ▁ ▁Kn opf ▁was ▁generally ▁un im pressed ▁with ▁current ▁literature , ▁though ▁he ▁adm ired ▁John ▁Her sey , ▁John ▁Up di ke , ▁Jorge ▁Am ado , ▁and ▁a ▁few ▁other ▁contemporary ▁authors . ▁In ▁Publishing ▁Then ▁and ▁Now ▁he ▁wrote : ▁" Fre qu ently ... ▁our ▁American ▁author , ▁whatever ▁his ▁age , ▁experience ▁in ▁life , ▁and ▁technical ▁knowledge , ▁simply ▁can ' t ▁write . ▁I ▁don ' t ▁mean ▁that ▁he ▁is ▁not ▁the ▁master ▁of ▁a ▁pro se ▁style ▁of ▁eleg ance ▁and ▁distinction ; ▁I ▁mean ▁that ▁he ▁can ' t ▁write ▁simple ▁straightforward ▁and ▁correct ▁English . ▁And ▁here , ▁only ▁an ▁exception al ▁editor ▁will ▁really ▁help ▁him ." ▁American ▁authors ▁are ▁not ▁very ▁dur able , ▁he ▁said ▁in ▁ 1 9 6 4 , ▁and ▁" there ▁are ▁no ▁gi ants ▁in ▁Europe ▁now ." ▁And ▁though ▁twelve ▁Kn opf ▁authors ▁had ▁won ▁Nobel ▁P riz es , ▁Kn opf ▁acknowled ged ▁that ▁" some ▁Nobel ▁Prize ▁books ▁aren ' t ▁very ▁good ," ▁calling ▁Doctor ▁Zh iv ago , ▁for ▁example , ▁" in cred