The inimitable Tom Sharpe

To those who have never had the pleasure, Sharpe as the sharpest comedic writer since P. G. Wodehouse. There are many things that make for good writing. P.G. Wodehouse had a genius for language, for choosing the most appropriate word, for controlling the pace of the reading, and for deriving hilarity from his choice of words. Where Wodehouse is lacking is in Plot. His plots are always very very tight but often to the point of predictability. The novels of Wodehouse are often like a playbox in which his very fertile mind would conjure up entertaining and exciting stories.
Tom Sharpe seems to possess most of Wodehouse's dexterity with the language. But he doesn't have the music in his writing. Above everything else, Wodehouse's writing is like a line on which you can hang a music hall melody. That is also the general meter of this writing. Nothing rushes by too fast. There are some scenes where there will be futive stepping around but even in those scenes, the action often slows down and the suspense builds.
Sharpe's plots are far more complex than Wodehouse and yet he manages to hang everything together, often by a teleological principle (some overarching explanation over the entire course of the story) that becomes more and more apparent towards the end. The use of the overarching movement is not a crutch for him though. He ties up all the knots in the little details often with hilarious over-the-top brutality.
Tom Sharpe sounds more earthy, more controversial and less like the cultural museum piece that Wodehouse is becoming. Both writers may become obsolete artifacts but Sharpe is more of a gambler with his style, he pushes more buttons, he is almost offensive. And so I think Sharpe's writing will either date faster and be less relevant to our social and comedic outlook or perhaps- his gamble and his unafraid approach to controversy may etch him a little deeper into our consciousness.

Do yourself a favour- Check out a book by Tom Sharpe.