The 100 Best Books of All Time

The 100 Best Books of All Time

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The 100 Best Books of All Time The World Library is a list of the 100 best books, as proposed by one hundred writers from fifty-four different countries, compiled and organized in 2002 by the Norwegian Book Club. This list endeavours to reflect world literature, with books from all countries, cultures, and time periods. Eleven of the books included on the list are written by women, eighty-five are written by men and four have unknown authors. Each writer had to select his or her own list of ten books. The books selected by this process and listed here are not ranked or categorized in any way; the organizers have stated that "they are all on an equal footing," with the exception of Don Quixote which was given the distinction "best literary work ever written." The following list organizes the works alphabetically by author.

List of the 100 Best Books of All Time Title

Author

Year

Country

Language

Things Fall Apart

Achebe, ChinuaChinua Achebe

1958

Nigeria

English

Fairy tales

Andersen, Hans ChristianHans Christian Andersen

1835–37

Denmark

Danish

The Divine Comedy

Alighieri, DanteDante Alighieri

1265–1321

Italy

Italian

Epic of Gilgamesh

Unknown

18th – 17th century BCE

Sumer and Akkadian Empire

Akkadian

Book of Job

Unknown

6th – 4th century BCE

Achaemenid Empire

Hebrew

One Thousand and One Nights

Unknown

700–1500

India/Iran/Iraq/Egypt/Tajikistan Persian

Njál's Saga

Unknown

13th century

Iceland

Old Norse

Pride and Prejudice

Austen, JaneJane Austen

1813

United Kingdom

English

Le Père Goriot

de Balzac, HonoréHonoré de Balzac

1835

France

French

Molloy, Malone Dies, The Unnamable, a trilogy

Beckett, SamuelSamuel Beckett

1951–53

Republic of Ireland

French, English

The Decameron

Boccaccio, GiovanniGiovanni Boccaccio

1349–53

Ravenna

Italian

Ficciones

Borges, Jorge LuisJorge Luis Borges

1944–86

Argentina

Spanish

Wuthering Heights

Brontë, EmilyEmily Brontë

1847

United Kingdom

English

The Stranger

Camus, AlbertAlbert Camus

1942

Algeria, French Empire

French

Poems

Celan, PaulPaul Celan

1952

Romania, France

German

Journey to the End of the Night

Céline, Louis-FerdinandLouis-Ferdinand Céline

1932

France

French

Don Quixote

Cervantes, Miguel deMiguel de Cervantes

1605 (part 1), 1615 (part 2)

Spain

Spanish

The Canterbury Tales

Chaucer, GeoffreyGeoffrey Chaucer

14th century

England

English

Stories

Chekhov, AntonAnton Chekhov

1886

Russia

Russian

Nostromo

Conrad, JosephJoseph Conrad

1904

United Kingdom

English

Great Expectations

Dickens, CharlesCharles Dickens

1861

United Kingdom

English

Jacques the Fatalist

Diderot, DenisDenis Diderot

1796

France

French

The 100 Best Books of All Time

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Berlin Alexanderplatz

Döblin, AlfredAlfred Döblin

1929

Germany

German

Crime and Punishment

Dostoevsky, FyodorFyodor Dostoevsky

1866

Russia

Russian

The Idiot

Dostoevsky, FyodorFyodor Dostoevsky

1869

Russia

Russian

The Possessed

Dostoevsky, FyodorFyodor Dostoevsky

1872

Russia

Russian

The Brothers Karamazov

Dostoevsky, FyodorFyodor Dostoevsky

1880

Russia

Russian

Middlemarch

Eliot, GeorgeGeorge Eliot

1871

United Kingdom

English

Invisible Man

Ellison, RalphRalph Ellison

1952

United States

English

Medea

Euripides

431 BCE

Greece

Greek

Absalom, Absalom!

Faulkner, WilliamWilliam Faulkner

1936

United States

English

The Sound and the Fury

Faulkner, WilliamWilliam Faulkner

1929

United States

English

Madame Bovary

Flaubert, GustaveGustave Flaubert

1857

France

French

Sentimental Education

Flaubert, GustaveGustave Flaubert

1869

France

French

Gypsy Ballads

Lorca, Federico GarcíaFederico García Lorca

1928

Spain

Spanish

One Hundred Years of Solitude

Márquez, Gabriel GarcíaGabriel García Márquez

1967

Colombia

Spanish

Love in the Time of Cholera

Márquez, Gabriel GarcíaGabriel García Márquez

1985

Colombia

Spanish

Faust

Goethe, Johann Wolfgang vonJohann Wolfgang von Goethe

1832

Saxe-Weimar

German

Dead Souls

Gogol, NikolaiNikolai Gogol

1842

Russia

Russian

The Tin Drum

Grass, GünterGünter Grass

1959

Germany

German

The Devil to Pay in the Backlands

Guimarães Rosa, JoãoJoão Guimarães Rosa

1956

Brazil

Portuguese

Hunger

Hamsun, KnutKnut Hamsun

1890

Norway

Norwegian

The Old Man and the Sea

Hemingway, ErnestErnest Hemingway

1952

United States

English

Iliad

Homer

760–710 BC

Greece

Greek

Odyssey

Homer

8th century BCE

Greece

Greek

A Doll's House

Ibsen, HenrikHenrik Ibsen

1879

Norway

Norwegian

Ulysses

Joyce, JamesJames Joyce

1922

Irish Free State

English

Stories

Kafka, FranzFranz Kafka

1924

Austria

German

The Trial

Kafka, FranzFranz Kafka

1925

Austria

German

The Castle

Kafka, FranzFranz Kafka

1926

Austria

German

Shakuntala

Kālidāsa

1st century BCE – 4th century CE

India

Sanskrit

The Sound of the Mountain

Kawabata, YasunariYasunari Kawabata

1954

Japan

Japanese

Zorba the Greek

Kazantzakis, NikosNikos Kazantzakis

1946

Greece

Greek

Sons and Lovers

Lawrence, D. H.D. H. Lawrence

1913

United Kingdom

English

Independent People

Laxness, HalldórHalldór Laxness

1934–35

Iceland

Icelandic

Poems

Leopardi, GiacomoGiacomo Leopardi

1818

Italy

Italian

The Golden Notebook

Lessing, DorisDoris Lessing

1962

United Kingdom

English

The 100 Best Books of All Time

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Pippi Longstocking

Lindgren, AstridAstrid Lindgren

1945

Sweden

Swedish

A Madman's Diary

Xun, LuLu Xun

1918

China

Chinese

Children of Gebelawi

Mahfouz, NaguibNaguib Mahfouz

1959

Egypt

Arabic

Buddenbrooks

Mann, ThomasThomas Mann

1901

Germany

German

The Magic Mountain

Mann, ThomasThomas Mann

1924

Germany

German

Moby-Dick

Melville, HermanHerman Melville

1851

United States

English

Essays

Montaigne, Michel deMichel de Montaigne

1595

France

French

History

Morante, ElsaElsa Morante

1974

Italy

Italian

Beloved

Morrison, ToniToni Morrison

1987

United States

English

The Tale of Genji

Shikibu, MurasakiMurasaki Shikibu

11th century

Japan

Japanese

The Man Without Qualities

Musil, RobertRobert Musil

1930–32

Austria

German

Lolita

Nabokov, VladimirVladimir Nabokov

1955

Russia/United States

English

Nineteen Eighty-Four

Orwell, GeorgeGeorge Orwell

1949

United Kingdom

English

Metamorphoses

Ovid

1st century CE

Roman Empire

Classical Latin

The Book of Disquiet

Pessoa, FernandoFernando Pessoa

1928

Portugal

Portuguese

Tales

Poe, Edgar AllanEdgar Allan Poe

19th century

United States

English

In Search of Lost Time

Proust, MarcelMarcel Proust

1913–27

France

French

The Life of Gargantua and of Rabelais, FrançoisFrançois Rabelais Pantagruel

1532–34

France

French

Pedro Páramo

Rulfo, JuanJuan Rulfo

1955

Mexico

Spanish

Masnavi

Rumi

1258–73

Persia, Persian Empire

Persian

Midnight's Children

Rushdie, SalmanSalman Rushdie

1981

United Kingdom, India

English

Bostan

Saadi

1257

Persia, Persian Empire

Persian

Season of Migration to the North

Salih, TayebTayeb Salih

1966

Sudan

Arabic

Blindness

Saramago, JoséJosé Saramago

1995

Portugal

Portuguese

Hamlet

Shakespeare, WilliamWilliam Shakespeare

1603

England

English

King Lear

Shakespeare, WilliamWilliam Shakespeare

1608

England

English

Othello

Shakespeare, WilliamWilliam Shakespeare

1609

England

English

Oedipus the King

Sophocles

430 BCE

Greece

Greek

The Red and the Black

Stendhal

1830

France

French

Tristram Shandy

Sterne, LaurenceLaurence Sterne

1760

England

English

Confessions of Zeno

Svevo, ItaloItalo Svevo

1923

Italy

Italian

Gulliver's Travels

Swift, JonathanJonathan Swift

1726

Ireland

English

War and Peace

Tolstoy, LeoLeo Tolstoy

1865–1869

Russia

Russian

Anna Karenina

Tolstoy, LeoLeo Tolstoy

1877

Russia

Russian

The Death of Ivan Ilyich

Tolstoy, LeoLeo Tolstoy

1886

Russia

Russian

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Twain, MarkMark Twain

1884

United States

English

The 100 Best Books of All Time

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Ramayana

Valmiki

5th century BCE 4th century BCE

India

Sanskrit

Aeneid

Virgil

29–19 BCE

Roman Empire

Classical Latin

Mahabharata

Vyasa

9th century BCE – 5th century BCE

India

Sanskrit

Leaves of Grass

Whitman, WaltWalt Whitman

1855

United States

English

Mrs Dalloway

Woolf, VirginiaVirginia Woolf

1925

United Kingdom

English

To the Lighthouse

Woolf, VirginiaVirginia Woolf

1927

United Kingdom

English

Memoirs of Hadrian

Yourcenar, MargueriteMarguerite Yourcenar

1951

France

French

List of Authors Surveyed Name

Country

Aitmatov, ChinghizChinghiz Aitmatov

Kyrgyzstan

Altan, AhmetAhmet Altan

Turkey

Appelfeld, AharonAharon Appelfeld

Israel

Auster, PaulPaul Auster

United States

Azúa, Félix deFélix de Azúa

Spain

Barnes, JulianJulian Barnes

United Kingdom

Behbahani, SiminSimin Behbahani

Iran

Bly, RobertRobert Bly

United States

Brink, AndréAndré Brink

South Africa

Brøgger, SuzanneSuzanne Brøgger

Denmark

Byatt, A. S.A. S. Byatt

United Kingdom

Carey, PeterPeter Carey

Australia

Cerda, MarthaMartha Cerda

Mexico

Chang, JungJung Chang

China/United Kingdom

Condé, MaryseMaryse Condé

France

Couto, MiaMia Couto

Mozambique

Crace, JimJim Crace

United Kingdom

Danticat, EdwidgeEdwidge Danticat

Haiti

Dao, BeiBei Dao

China

Djebar, AssiaAssia Djebar

Algeria

Dowlatabadi, MahmoudMahmoud Dowlatabadi

Iran

Echenoz, JeanJean Echenoz

France

Ekman, KerstinKerstin Ekman

Sweden

Englander, NathanNathan Englander

United States

Enzensberger, Hans MagnusHans Magnus Enzensberger Germany Estévez, EmilioEmilio Estévez

Cuba

The 100 Best Books of All Time

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Farah, NuruddinNuruddin Farah

Somalia

Fløgstad, KjartanKjartan Fløgstad

Norway

Fosse, JonJon Fosse

Norway

Frame, JanetJanet Frame

New Zealand

French, MarilynMarilyn French

United States

Fuentes, CarlosCarlos Fuentes

Mexico

Ghazzawi, IzzatIzzat Ghazzawi

Palestine

Ghosh, AmitavAmitav Ghosh

India

Gimferrer, PerePere Gimferrer

Spain

Gordimer, NadineNadine Gordimer

South Africa

Grossman, DavidDavid Grossman

Israel

Guðmundsson, Einar MárEinar Már Guðmundsson

Iceland

Heaney, SeamusSeamus Heaney

Ireland

Hein, ChristophChristoph Hein

Germany

Hemon, AleksandarAleksandar Hemon

Bosnia-Herzegovina

Hoffman, AliceAlice Hoffman

United States

Hove, ChenjeraiChenjerai Hove

Zimbabwe

Ibrahim, SonallahSonallah Ibrahim

Egypt

Irving, JohnJohn Irving

United States

Jersild, P. C.P. C. Jersild

Sweden

Kemal, YasarYasar Kemal

Turkey

Kjærstad, JanJan Kjærstad

Norway

Kundera, MilanMilan Kundera

Czech Republic/France

Lander, LeenaLeena Lander

Finland

le Carré, JohnJohn le Carré

United Kingdom

Lenz, SiegfriedSiegfried Lenz

Germany

Lessing, DorisDoris Lessing

United Kingdom

Lindgren, AstridAstrid Lindgren

Sweden

Luik, ViiviViivi Luik

Estonia

Maalouf, AminAmin Maalouf

Lebanon/France

Magris, ClaudioClaudio Magris

Italy

Mailer, NormanNorman Mailer

United States

Martínez, Tomás EloyTomás Eloy Martínez

Argentina

McCourt, FrankFrank McCourt

Ireland/United States

Mehta, GitaGita Mehta

India

Miranda, AnaAna Miranda

Brazil

Mistry, RohintonRohinton Mistry

India/Canada

Munif, Abdel RahmanAbdel Rahman Munif

Saudi-Arabia

Müller, HertaHerta Müller

Romania

The 100 Best Books of All Time

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Naipaul, V. S.V. S. Naipaul

Trinidad/United Kingdom

Nooteboom, CeesCees Nooteboom

Netherlands

Okri, BenBen Okri

Nigeria/United Kingdom

Pamuk, OrhanOrhan Pamuk

Turkey

Paretsky, SaraSara Paretsky

United States

Phillips, Jayne AnneJayne Anne Phillips

United States

Rasputin, ValentinValentin Rasputin

Russia

Ribeiro, João UbaldoJoão Ubaldo Ribeiro

Brazil

Robbe-Grillet, AlainAlain Robbe-Grillet

France

Rushdie, SalmanSalman Rushdie

India/United Kingdom

Saadawi, Nawal ElNawal El Saadawi

Egypt

al-Shaykh, HananHanan al-Shaykh

Lebanon

Sirees, NihadNihad Sirees

Syria

Sonnevi, GöranGöran Sonnevi

Sweden

Sontag, SusanSusan Sontag

United States

Soyinka, WoleWole Soyinka

Nigeria

Späth, GeroldGerold Späth

Switzerland

Swift, GrahamGraham Swift

United Kingdom

Tabucchi, AntonioAntonio Tabucchi

Italy

al-Tikerly, FouadFouad al-Tikerly

Iraq

Thomas, D. M.D. M. Thomas

United Kingdom

Thorpe, AdamAdam Thorpe

United Kingdom

Thorup, KirstenKirsten Thorup

Denmark

Tkachenko, AleksandrAleksandr Tkachenko

Russia

Toer, Pramoedya AnantaPramoedya Ananta Toer

Indonesia

Tokarczuk, OlgaOlga Tokarczuk

Poland

Tournier, MichelMichel Tournier

France

Toussaint, Jean-PhilippeJean-Philippe Toussaint

Belgium

Uzun, MehmedMehmed Uzun

Turkey

Valkeapää, Nils-AslakNils-Aslak Valkeapää

Sápmi

Vassilikos, VassilisVassilis Vassilikos

Greece

Vera, YvonneYvonne Vera

Zimbabwe

Weldon, FayFay Weldon

United Kingdom

Wolf, ChristaChrista Wolf

Germany

Yehoshua, A. B.A. B. Yehoshua

Israel

Zariâb, SpôjmaïSpôjmaï Zariâb

Afghanistan

The 100 Best Books of All Time

References External links • Official site (http://www.evene.fr/livres/selection/les-100-meilleurs-livres-de-tous-les-temps.php?) (French) • The Guardian (http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2002/may/08/books.booksnews) • Norwegian Book Club's World Library (http://www.bokklubben.no/SamboWeb/side.do?rom=WB) (Norwegian)

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Article Sources and Contributors

Article Sources and Contributors The 100 Best Books of All Time  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=592303513  Contributors: -liaez-, Anthrophilos, BD2412, Bladesmulti, Cdizzle1992, Chickenmonkey, Columbopatton, DerechoReguerraz, Dftylr, Discospinster, EamonnPKeane, Evelyn Waugh, Faizan, Feydey, Flare111, Fraggle81, Gidonb, Gilliam, Glane23, Goethean, Goustien, Gregcaletta, I1990k, Indopug, Inhighspeed, Jamesx12345, JustAGal, Kibiusa, Koresdcine, Lmviterbo, Maine12329, Maltaboy101, Mediator Scientiae, Mogism, NCDane, Orland, Pembers, Permikrishna, Pgilman, Phoenix79, Qwerty Binary, Shearonink, ShelfSkewed, Slavcyo, Srich32977, Stefanomione, Tassedethe, Teasey21, The dark lord trombonator, ThisMakesNoSenseToUs, Thryduulf, Timohuatl, Varlaam, Whitebit, WikiDao, Yintan, Zanyplebeian, 240 anonymous edits

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