2.Kafkahated his own writingso much that it seems he wanted some of his books outright burned.

Milnecame to resentWinnie The Pooh, because it overshadowed his numerous plays and novels.

9.Agatha Christiegrew sick and tired of Hercule Poirot, killing him off in the ’70s.

Book cover of "The Case Book of Sherlock Holmes" by Arthur Conan Doyle. Beside it, a portrait of Arthur Conan Doyle in a suit with a mustache

Travers wished her book,Mary Poppins,had never been adaptedinto a film.

13.Harlan Ellisonasked his wife to burnall unpublished copies of his finalDangerous Visionsanthology.

King then took the book out of print.

Cover of "The Metamorphosis" by Franz Kafka, featuring an illustration of a partial human and insect, next to a black-and-white portrait of Franz Kafka

The story focused on a student who brought a gun to class.

Bellard, who wroteCrash,disownedThe Wind From Nowhere,calling it “a piece of hack work.”

17.In his collection of essays,Palm Sunday,Kurt Vonnegut gaveSlapstickapitiful “D” grade.

Winnie the Pooh illustration beside a black-and-white photo of A. A. Milne, hugging Christopher Robin

18.Karl Ove Knausgaard sayshisMy Struggleseries ruined a lot of his relationships.

19.Jeanette WintersonsaysBoating For Beginnerswas a cash grab, adding that it might have marred her literary reputation.

20.Leo Tolstoy was pretty hard on his own work, includingWar and Peace.

Ian Fleming, in a bow tie, is shown next to a collection of his James Bond books, including "Live and Let Die" and "Goldfinger."

21.Nathaniel Hawthorne’s sister says he burnedFanshaweand disowned it.

22.Henry James calledWashington Square"poorish."

Anthony Burgess next to the cover of his book "A Clockwork Orange." He wears a coat over a sweater and collared shirt

Octavia E. Butler reads a book next to the cover art of her novel "Survivor," depicting a tree with yellow fruit

Annie Proulx at the National Book Awards next to a movie poster for "Brokeback Mountain," showing two cowboys

Book cover for "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott, alongside a black and white photo of Louisa May Alcott wearing a ruffled dress, seated and writing

Agatha Christie looking thoughtful next to a "Death on the Nile" book cover featuring a ship, smoke, and a gun

Peter Benchley holds a book while standing next to a poster of his novel "Jaws" featuring a shark and a swimmer with the text "It's never safe to go back in the water."

Book cover "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass" by Lewis Carroll features a drawing of the Mad Hatter; photo of Lewis Carroll on the right

Julie Andrews smiling in her Mary Poppins costume next to a book cover of "Mary Poppins" by P.L. Travers with Mary Poppins holding an umbrella

Left: Person looking at the camera with a pencil in their mouth. Right: Text reads "The Last Dangerous Visions" with circular patterns

Stephen King on the left in a suit and tie; the book cover for "Rage" by Richard Bachman on the right, depicting a man sitting in thought

Black-and-white image of J.G. Ballard relaxing beside the cover of his book "The Wind from Nowhere," depicting an abstract scene and text summarizing its premise

Left: Alan Moore with a long beard and long hair, wearing a black shirt. Right: Cover of the "Watchmen" comic by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons

Left: Kurt Vonnegut smiling. Right: Cover of his novel "Slapstick" featuring a clown face with the words "HI HO" above the eyes

On the left side, a portrait of Karl Ove Knausgaard. On the right, the cover of his book "My Struggle: Book 1" with a close-up of his face

Jeanette Winterson smiling, next to the cover of her book "Boating for Beginners," which shows a house on a boat with a figure and a horse

Leo Tolstoy stands with a solemn expression next to a book cover of "War and Peace" by Leo Tolstoy, translated by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky

Nathaniel Hawthorne depicted in a portrait next to the cover of his book "Fanshawe," featuring a gothic-style building with a dramatic sky

On the left, a historic photograph of Edgar Allan Poe. On the right, the painting "Washington Square" featuring trees and buildings in an urban setting

Cover of "The Anarchist Cookbook" by William Powell, with an introduction by Peter Bergman