John Grisham sees himself as entertainer, not literary giant
NEW YORK - Some things John Grisham knows: He got 15 rejections
before his first book, 'A Time to Kill,' was published. He made
$9 million last year. He's not James Joyce or William Faulkner.
He's an entertainer.  'I'm not sure where that line goes between
literature and popular fiction,' the mega-selling author says.
'I can assure you I don't take myself serious enough to think
I'm writing literary fiction and stuff that's going to be
remembered in 50 years. I'm not going to be here in 50 years; I
don't care if I'm remembered or not. It's pure entertainment.'
Grisham is happy to write what he hopes is 'a high-quality
popular fiction.' But that matters not to fans, who gobble every
word.  Sometimes he wraps a serious issue around a plot - the
death penalty in 'The Chamber,' insurance reform in 'The
Rainmaker,' homelessness in 'The Street Lawyer.' Now, the self-
styled political junkie and former Mississippi state legislator
has written a book that'