DEAN R. KOONTZ

Perhaps I am the victim of literature professors who overstressed the literature of irony and alienation, but, whatever the case, I long ago ceased to be shocked by The Times’ shameless pandering to commercial success and its perpetrators. However, even a cynic like me was shocked by the new depths that you have plumbed with the Dean R. Koontz article, “America’s Least-Known Best-Selling Author” (Jan. 7).

Perhaps the problem lies in my reading of the article itself. If it is intended, as I fervently hope, as high irony, then my hat is off to journalist Sean Mitchell, for it is indeed a masterpiece of the genre. But if it is not, my soul cries out for the unfortunate Angelenos who depend on The Times for objective information.

To suggest that Koontz is superior to Fitzgerald and Hemingway because he sells more books is wrongheaded. To quote Koontz, regarding Fitzgerald, “The body of his work is small.” I suppose one could conclude from this statement that as might equals right in international relations, weight equals great in literature. Is this responsible journalism?

It’s not so much Koontz’s silly musings on art that I object to as much as The Times’ spinelessness in printing it without a hint of critical commentary or opposing viewpoints. Unfortunately, this is not a fluke but an established trend.

JEFF FALLS, Sherman Oaks