In The New York Times Book Review this Sunday the Q & A has Marilynne Robinson: By the Book -- and one of her responses helps explain, I think, why I've never really warmed to her and her work (though obviously the whole religiosity-thing doesn't help either):
What's your favorite literary genre ? Any guilty pleasures ?Always disappointing to hear. (I know it's unrealistic to expect everyone to venerate fiction to the extent I do, but I can't help but hope that at least for people who occasionally write fiction it would also be their be-all and end-all.)
Oddly enough, my favorite genre is not fiction.