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The Great English-Language Novels of the Past 100 Years

This list is inspired by The Atlantic's 2024 list of their Great American Novels. I've already published lists in response to that and of what I believe the great English-language novels are, but with no time limit. This list, however, follows The Atlantic's criteria that the books must have been published within the last 100 years. I have 136 novels in this list, just like The Atlantic's list, but the one rule I imposed on myself, which The Atlantic didn't (which is fine - to each their own), is to allow an author only one entry on the list. Enjoy...
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1
1984 (George Orwell)
1984
George Orwell
2
2001: A Space Odyssey (Arthur C. Clarke)
2001: A Space Odyssey
Arthur C. Clarke
3
The Adventures of Augie March (Saul Bellow)
The Adventures of Augie March
Saul Bellow
4
Age of Vice (Deepti Kapoor)
Age of Vice
Deepti Kapoor
5
All the King's Men (Robert Penn Warren)
All the King's Men
Robert Penn Warren
6
All the Light We Cannot See (Anthony Doerr)
All the Light We Cannot See
Anthony Doerr
7
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay (Michael Chabon)
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay
Michael Chabon
8
American Dirt (Jeanine Cummins)
American Dirt
Jeanine Cummins
9
American Gods (Neil Gaiman)
American Gods
Neil Gaiman
10
American Psycho (Bret Easton Ellis, 1991)
American Psycho
Bret Easton Ellis, 1991
11
Americanah (Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie)
Americanah
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
12
Amongst Women (John McGahern)
Amongst Women
John McGahern
13
An American Tragedy (Theodore Dreiser)
An American Tragedy
Theodore Dreiser
14
At Swim-Two-Brids (Flann O'Brien)
At Swim-Two-Brids
Flann O'Brien
15
Atonement (Ian McEwan)
Atonement
Ian McEwan
16
Bastard Out of Carolina (Dorothy Allison)
Bastard Out of Carolina
Dorothy Allison
17
Beloved (Toni Morrison)
Beloved
Toni Morrison
18
A Bend in the River (V. S. Naipaul)
A Bend in the River
V. S. Naipaul
19
The Big Sleep (Raymond Chandler)
The Big Sleep
Raymond Chandler
20
Birdsong (Sebastian Faulks)
Birdsong
Sebastian Faulks
21
Blood Meridian (Cormac McCarthy)
Blood Meridian
Cormac McCarthy
22
The Bonfire of the Vanities (Tom Wolfe)
The Bonfire of the Vanities
Tom Wolfe
23
The Book of Negroes (Lawrence Hill)
The Book of Negroes
Lawrence Hill
24
A Boy's Own Story (Edmund White)
A Boy's Own Story
Edmund White
25
Brave New World (Aldous Huxley)
Brave New World
Aldous Huxley
26
Brideshead Revisited (Evelyn Waugh)
Brideshead Revisited
Evelyn Waugh
27
A Brief History of Seven Killings (Marlon James)
A Brief History of Seven Killings
Marlon James
28
A Canticle for Leibowitz (Walter Miller)
A Canticle for Leibowitz
Walter Miller
29
Catch-22 (Joseph Heller)
Catch-22
Joseph Heller
30
The Catcher in the Rye (J.D. Salinger)
The Catcher in the Rye
J.D. Salinger
31
A Clockwork Orange (Anthony Burgess)
A Clockwork Orange
Anthony Burgess
32
Cloud Atlas (David Mitchell)
Cloud Atlas
David Mitchell
33
Cloudstreet (1991) (Tim Winton)
Cloudstreet (1991)
Tim Winton
34
The Color Purple (Alice Walker)
The Color Purple
Alice Walker
35
The Corrections (Jonathan Franzen)
The Corrections
Jonathan Franzen
36
The Country Girls (Edna O'Brien)
The Country Girls
Edna O'Brien
37
Crash (J.G. Ballard)
Crash
J.G. Ballard
38
Cry, the Beloved Country (Alan Paton)
Cry, the Beloved Country
Alan Paton
39
Days Without End (Sebastian Barry)
Days Without End
Sebastian Barry
40
Demon Copperhead (Barbara Kingsolver)
Demon Copperhead
Barbara Kingsolver
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