I suppose when I say ‘modern’ I mean anything from the mid 20th century to the present day.
At some point in years to come, certain books will stand the test of time and continue to be commonly read, held above other novels as the best this century had to offer. What makes a book a classic? My guess would be the impact it has had and the overall quality of its writing. But it’s probably quite subjective!
One book that springs to mind is Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy. It’s just unlike anything else I’ve read, with some beautiful visions of the American landscape contrasted with brutal depictions of the worst humanity has to offer.
From 1950 to today?
Wow there are so many that already are:
- The Dune books
- The Harry Potter books
- many Stephen King books
- To Kill a Mocking Bird
- One flew over the cookoos nest
- Watership Down
I think the tougher challenge will be to identify books written in the last 20 years that will be classic.
I think you’re right about those books! What would your suggestions be for the last 20 years then?
Lord of the Rings was published in 1954 and would probably make it in that list.
If America could ever get it’s head out of it’s ass about race, James Baldwin will sit in the pantheon of great American writers next to Twain, Steinbeck, and Hemingway.
Is there a particular book you’d recommend by him? I’ve come across Giovanni’s Room before but never got round to reading it.
- Catch-22
- Gravity’s Rainbow
- Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
- The Handmade’s Tale
- Infinite Jest
- Name of the Rose
- One Hundred Years of Solitude
I’ve read (and loved) all but 2 of these. Time to read those two I think!
“How to find edible plants and fungi in a post-apocalyptic wasteland”, “What to expect when you’re expecting nuclear mutants”, “To Serve Man”.
From the past 10 years, in reverse order (from my Goodreads)
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The Passenger + Stella Maris by Cormac McCarthy
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Ducks by Kate Beaton
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The Dawn of Everything by David Graeber and David Wengrow
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Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro
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On Tyrrany by Timothy Snyder
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Born a Crime by Trevor Noah
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Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
Edit: a few more from the past 50 years.
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The Complete Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson
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Two Thousand Seasons by Ayi Kwei Armah
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The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy
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The Shock Doctrine by Naomi Klein
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Post War by Tony Judt
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A People’s History of the United States by Howard Zinn
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Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson
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Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
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Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey
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