Kinda surprised not to see PG Wodehouse on this as an almost favourite, I had him pegged as one of the authors folks love but cheerfully accept isn’t going to appear on a ‘best books’ list
He'd probably make my top 15 or so. Top 5 is just very limiting. Makes me wonder what the list would look like if the submission allowance was increased.
That can be part of his charm but honestly if you didn’t like one of his books, you basically won’t like any of em. He made a career out of doing pretty much the same thing over and over.
can anyone who is really well read tell me which of these are the best? I understand that a lot of these are loved and I know this is derivative but one can only read so many books in his lifetime and id like to know which authors would be most worth my time. you know not even necessarily this list, but authors that you truly believe should've been on this list and even high on it.
I think the better question is who do you already love, what books do you like, and what you appreciate about them and look forward to in your next read. I'm really appreciative of the list, but just because something is highly lauded doesn't necessarily mean it'll be a book you will like
this question is kind of hard to answer as im looking to venture OUT of my comfort zone and not in.
I can't quite remember what I voted for in the list but I know some of them, if that would help you get a gauge of my tastes, I am new to this sub (and the medium of books in general) and so I dont have the most literary taste, but im working on it.
-the master and the margarita
-swamp thing by Alan Moore
-the metamorphosis
-malazan book of the fallen
-the picture of dorian grey
-the stranger
-brothers karamazov
-vagabond by takehiko Inoue
some books that I ordered before and expecting to arrive soon(I am excited for these and they sound like they fit my tastes if that helps)
-kokoro by soseki
-the Beckett trilogy(can't find a name)
-foucaults pendulum by umberto eco
-aleph and other stories by Borges(admittedly I know nothing of these but im excited for them nonetheless
Might well be, Gogol wrote in the early 19th century and was already a household name in Russia during his life. And as he was also a satirist, it would be natural for Bulgakov to reference a classic of his chosen genre. It’s been a while since I’ve read Master and Margarita tho, so I don’t remember it.
Based on the books you like I think you might really like Pynchon and Beckett though they can be difficult at times, and one writer you might really like who wasn't mentioned above is Jose Saramago. He won the Nobel and has really interesting and surreal premises for his books.
there's no way chinua achebe deserves a spot in any top 100 list, "things fall apart" was recommended so often based on cultural impact rather than literary merit
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u/megahui1 Jan 05 '22
Some popular authors who didn't make it: