For those of you who have been trying, day after day, week after week, to pin down who the greatest living American novelist is - the answer is Philip Roth.

A "panel of 30 literati" - the likes of Salman Rushdie, Nell Freudenberger, Gary Shteyngart and James Franco - were asked the question by New York magazine's Vulture site "to assess [Roth's] oeuvre" ahead of his 80th birthday next month.

Yes, Roth is the greatest living American novelist, said 77 percent of the illustrious panel, the Guardian reported.

The other 23 percent - ie the other 6.9 people - thought not, although Don DeLillo was the only other writer mentioned as a possibility, and some respondents declined to nominate anyone.

They were later asked if Roth is a misogynist. Yes, said 17 percent. No, said 30 percent, Umm, said a non-mathematical 52 percent.

43 percent said that his greatest subject was himself.

97 percent said that he deserves to win the Nobel Prize.

'Sabbath's Theater' was rated as his best book, receiving 24 percent votes.