It’s an over used word but I came across this definition the other day in ‘The Deptford Trilogy’ by Robertson Davies:

“He was a genius – that is to say, a man who does superlatively and without obvious effort something that most people cannot do by the uttermost exertion of their abilities.”

Who makes it in under that definition? Any field.

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYcZGPLAnHA[/video]

I was going to say Gazza. Totally different but both definately make it in under that definition.

slainte 8) rob

Hora 🙂

Shane

elfinfredbra in the field of forum debate

Iain Banks

Terje Haakonsen !

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIr98KPxvYw&feature=youtube_gdata_player[/video]

Lionel Messi
James Ellroy
Shane Williams

And either of the Chuckle Brothers…

Paul Dirac
James Lighthill

Two people who although I have not met personally, I do know people have met both of these people. Themselves world leader in their field but still amazed at how strong their intuition was.

Personally, I don’t think Iain Banks has a place on this list. A good writer and possibly a great one but not, I feel, a genius in this sense. He lacks the economy of expression and lightness of touch of the true literary genius. I offer Italo Calvino and Dylan Thomas as examples.

Feel free to shoot me down.

Or Seth Morrison

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1kJJaORYHg&feature=youtube_gdata_player[/video]

Keith Harris

Jimi Hendrix

Keith Harris

Bollocks. Orville was the talented one in that duo

Personally, I don’t think Iain Banks has a place on this list. A good writer and possibly a great one but not, I feel, a genius in this sense

Well I’m nothing like erudite enough to have this conversation properly, but I’m talking about storytelling and scifi really. Usually when I read I’m thinking about the book, the writing, the author, analysing as I go. With the really good ones I’m suddenly a child on the teller’s knee and I don’t care about any of it, I just want to know what happens next. Banks can that, in his scifi, with ease, panache, and deft humour that I can do nothing but prostrate myself.

I’ve never met one, and the only ones I’e seen in action would be sportsmen (or women, though I’m not instantly getting any)

Gazza, Zidane & Best more than Messi, somehow that I can’t explain (isn’t that pretty much a requirement ?) but I think Messi’s too consistently good and so must be trying hard. (Mind, I’d have him above the others on my team – or zidane maybe)

Jonathan Davies

McEnroe

Viv Richards

(writers, dunno, they’d have to just trot a story out rather than redrafting etc and I don’t know how you tell)

but I’m talking about storytelling

Being able to spin a yarn is a rare talent and one that some look down their noses at in preference for all sorts of literary bells and whistles. It’s what makes literature enjoyable for most of the people most of the time (me included).

I’d put George Macdonald Fraser in that bracket but I wouldn’t call him a genius.

I wouldn’t use the word Genius like this either, but the OP supplied a particular definition, so that’s what I was going with.

I’ll check out that Fraser chap.

Miles Davis
Richey Edwards
HG Wells

(writers, dunno, they’d have to just trot a story out rather than redrafting etc and I don’t know how you tell)

I think you’re right. With writing it’s hard (impossible?) to separate the fact that you like someones style from a cold analysis of merit. And it probably always is hard work it’s just that the good ones don’t make it look that way!

Sports figures are easier to rate, perhaps that’s why commentators over use the word genius.

The only sportsperson I can think of who makes winning really look easy is Cavendish. Nadal wins a lot, sure, but he really makes it look hard work not in terms of winning margins but just how he looks and the expression on his face.

Although I was never a fan; Alain Prost.