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The Great Non-English Language Novels

This list is inspired by The Atlantic's 2024 list of their Great American Novels. I've made numerous lists about great novels, and we can't forget the great non-English novels that have been written. For this list, I'm not abiding by The Atlantic's strict rule that all books are published within the last 100 years and thus have no time limit on their publication. I will make another list that does comply with that rule. So, I have 136 novels, just like The Atlantic's list, but the one rule I imposed on myself is to allow an author only one entry on the list. Enjoy!
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1
Tender Is the Flesh (Agustina Bazterrica)
Tender Is the Flesh
Agustina Bazterrica
2
Frankenstein in Baghdad (Ahmed Saadawi)
Frankenstein in Baghdad
Ahmed Saadawi
3
The Stranger (Albert Camus)
The Stranger
Albert Camus
4
Contempt (Alberto Moravia)
Contempt
Alberto Moravia
5
The Kingdom of This World (Alejo Carpentier)
The Kingdom of This World
Alejo Carpentier
6
One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich (Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn)
One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
7
The Count of Monte Cristo (Alexandre Dumas)
The Count of Monte Cristo
Alexandre Dumas
8
Berlin Alexanderplatz (Alfred Döblin)
Berlin Alexanderplatz
Alfred Döblin
9
The Remainder (Alia Trabucco Zerán)
The Remainder
Alia Trabucco Zerán
10
The Immoralist (Andre Gide)
The Immoralist
Andre Gide
11
Clear Light of Day (Anita Desai)
Clear Light of Day
Anita Desai
12
The Little Prince (Antoine De Saint-Exupéry)
The Little Prince
Antoine De Saint-Exupéry
13
Kitchen (Banana Yoshimoto)
Kitchen
Banana Yoshimoto
14
The Reader (Bernhard Schlink)
The Reader
Bernhard Schlink
15
Pather Panchali [Pather Panchali] (Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay)
Pather Panchali [Pather Panchali]
Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay
16
Doctor Zhivago (Boris Pasternak)
Doctor Zhivago
Boris Pasternak
17
Dream of the Red Chamber (Cao Xueqin)
Dream of the Red Chamber
Cao Xueqin
18
The Death of Artemio Cruz (Carlos Fuentes, Trans. Alfred Macadam)
The Death of Artemio Cruz
Carlos Fuentes, Trans. Alfred Macadam
19
The Shadow of the Wind (Carlos Ruiz Zafón)
The Shadow of the Wind
Carlos Ruiz Zafón
20
Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 (Cho Nam-Joo)
Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982
Cho Nam-Joo
21
The Hour of the Star (Clarice Lispector)
The Hour of the Star
Clarice Lispector
22
Dreaming in Cuban (Cristina Garcia)
Dreaming in Cuban
Cristina Garcia
23
The Tartar Steppe (Dino Buzzati, Trans. Stuart Hood)
The Tartar Steppe
Dino Buzzati, Trans. Stuart Hood
24
Facundo (Domingo Faustino Sarmiento)
Facundo
Domingo Faustino Sarmiento
25
Love in a Fallen City (Eileen Chang)
Love in a Fallen City
Eileen Chang
26
My Brilliant Friend (Elena Ferrante)
My Brilliant Friend
Elena Ferrante
27
Silence (Endo, Shusako)
Silence
Endo, Shusako
28
All Quiet on the Western Front (Erich Maria Remarque)
All Quiet on the Western Front
Erich Maria Remarque
29
Hurricane Season (Fernanda Melchor)
Hurricane Season
Fernanda Melchor
30
The Book of Disquiet (Fernando Pessoa)
The Book of Disquiet
Fernando Pessoa
31
Bonjour Tristesse (Françoise Sagan)
Bonjour Tristesse
Françoise Sagan
32
The Metamorphosis (Franz Kafka)
The Metamorphosis
Franz Kafka
33
Crime and Punishment (Fyodor Dostoevsky)
Crime and Punishment
Fyodor Dostoevsky
34
One Hundred Years of Solitude (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)
One Hundred Years of Solitude
Gabriel Garcia Marquez
35
The Adventures of China Iron (Gabriela Cabezón Cámara)
The Adventures of China Iron
Gabriela Cabezón Cámara
36
Soul Mountain (Gao Xinghian)
Soul Mountain
Gao Xinghian
37
Life: A User's Manual (Georges Perec)
Life: A User's Manual
Georges Perec
38
The Leopard (Giuseppe Tomasi Di Lampedusa)
The Leopard
Giuseppe Tomasi Di Lampedusa
39
Three Trapped Tigers (Guillermo Cabrera Infante, Trans. Suzanne Levine)
Three Trapped Tigers
Guillermo Cabrera Infante, Trans. Suzanne Levine
40
The Tin Drum (Günter Grass)
The Tin Drum
Günter Grass
Page 1 of 4
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