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I agree that it's the best of the Big 3, and Harribobs is always a challenge. The composition is astonishing when you think how much thematic material has been squeezed into a symmetric 13x13 grid. I have all but two of the 13 names - well, I have all 13, but two of them (nos. 8 and 11) are leading me into very blind alleys, despite my having all the necessary letters. It would help to know their forenames as there are a few to choose from.

Marilynne + Lew

Can anyone help with the parsing of these three clues? I have the answers but I'm still missing a couple of names and one extra letter so they might be in these ....

5a - Greek character keeps a hearse in hospital (7) S????AN

The answer has a 3 letter "hospital" as the 1st, 6th and 7th letters but I just cannot see how P??T comes from the rest.

37a - Greene, Kafka, regularly smoke (4) R??K

Assuming the answer ends in K then it looks like alternate letters of "Greene" but why K from Kafka?

41 - Charges Oberon and Titania? (4) F??S

My answer is a word meaning "charges" as in 'costs' but haven't the slightest idea why?

Brendan,
37a. uses the second K from Kafka.
41a. The word you have for charges is also in Chambers with an accent over the second letter.
I haven't got to the other one yet.

Hi Bren,
5a part (character) in san; [keeps a hearse] extra
37a gReEnE kAfKa, A extra
41 double definition, fee & fée (Chambers)

Thanks guys,

5a - I'd convinced myself "character" was part of the definition. - doh!

37a - I'm an A short so was pretty sure it came from this but I thought without the A it's kfKa so K is the 3rd letter but to continue the pattern it should be the 2nd but I do get it.

41a - Just didn't scroll down far enough ..... again!! 🤬

I've got a full grid (apart from 44ac), 13 names and two words of the extra letter message (one more word or two?) but I can't quite see how to proceed. I assume 'working titles' indicates jumbled forms of key works. Are these 'blocks' in regular format or different shapes? Same word length or different? Nudge welcome to set me on my way!

Thanxx drxx. While being aware of the titles neither author, alas, was in my brain.

For 44a you need a 5 letter author (first name Walter) who loses his last letter +d all aound r.

aspria ...the works are all rectangle shapes ...sometimes just 1 column, sometimes 2. The 1st one is by the extra in 5a and is 4,4 (jumbled)