The 50 greatest storytellers of all time have been revealed, with Ed Sheeran, Banksy and Eminem outranking Jack Kerouac and John Lennon.
Despite been a pioneer of the Beat Generation and renowned for his method of spontaneous prose Kerouac still couldn’t out-place Castle on the Hill author Sheeran, who ranked in 29th spot.
Imagine and Jealous Guy song-writer John Lennon scraped into the top 50 in 49th place, one spot ahead of Kevin Spacey.
Roald Dahl was named the greatest storyteller of all time, topping the poll of the greatest authors, songwriters, artists and photographers. Visual storytellers including graffiti artist Banksy, Jurassic Park director Steven Spielberg and legendary cartoonist Walt Disney also featured in the top 50.
Canon UK commissioned the research to mark the launch of its 365 Days of Summer competition to find a storyteller to spend a year identifying and living 365 new stories across the globe.
Matthew Searle, Country Director, Canon UK and Ireland said: “You can’t beat a good story, whether it’s words in a book, photographs or film or simply through conversation.
“Storytellers come in many different forms whether it’s through music, writing or photos, and those in this top 50 are responsible for some of the greatest tales of all time.
“Roald Dahl in particular may be well known for his words, but the images which accompanied many of his children’s books have helped to paint the picture for children for generations.
“As technology evolves, stories are now so much more than just the written word and people today have a variety of ways to tell their own story and make sure it lives on.”
TOP 50 GREATEST STORYTELLERS OF ALL TIME
