After Wolfe's death, 'William Faulkner' said that he was his generation's best writer; Faulkner listed himself as second. Wolfe's influence extends to the writings of famous Beat writer Jack Kerouac and author Philip Roth, among others. He remains one of the most important writers in modern American literature.
After publishing a short story called "I Have a Thing to Tell You" in The New Republic chronicling discriminatory incidents against Jewish citizens in Germany that Wolfe witnessed while traveling, Wolfe's books were banned by the German government and he was banned from traveling there.
In his 1930 Nobel Prize for Literature acceptance speech, Sinclair Lewis said of Wolfe, "He may have a chance to be the greatest American writer.... In fact I don't see why he should not be one of the greatest world writers." Lewis was the first American to win the Nobel for literature,
Aline's sets and costumes for plays by Lillian Hellman, Elmer Rice, James Thurber. and others won numerous awards. She was the first woman to win a Tony Award for set design. Aline also was behind the founding of the Costume Museum, which later became part of the Museum of Modern Art.