Contemporary American Authors rate the Best Books of the Past 25 years

Not Afraid · 05-23-2006, 01:38 PM

Quote:

Toni Morrison's 1987 work Beloved is the best American novel of the past quarter-century. That's according to a vote of writers and critics who were invited to weigh in with their choices by The New York Times Book Review. The 124 literary lights who responded to the Times invitation gave multiple mentions to five Philip Roth novels -- especially American Pastoral. Cormac McCarthy has four books on the list: Blood Meridian plus his Border Trilogy. John Updike also has four: each of the novels in his Rabbit Angstrom series, which began with 1960's Rabbit, Run, but stretches into the 1990s.

The 'New York Times' List

The New York Times asks authors to weigh in on the Best Work of American Fiction of the Last 25 Years.

WINNER

Beloved
Toni Morrison

RUNNERS-UP:

Underworld
Don DeLillo

Blood Meridian
Cormac McCarthy

Rabbit Angstrom: The Four Novels
John Updike
Rabbit at Rest
Rabbit Is Rich
Rabbit Redux
Rabbit, Run

American Pastoral
Philip Roth

ALSO RECEIVING MULTIPLE VOTES

A Confederacy of Dunces
John Kennedy Toole

Housekeeping
Marilynne Robinson

Winter's Tale
Mark Helprin

White Noise
Don DeLillo

The Counterlife
Philip Roth

Libra
Don DeLillo

Where I'm Calling From
Raymond Carver

The Things They Carried
Tim O'Brien

Mating
Norman Rush

Jesus' Son
Denis Johnson

Operation Shylock
Philip Roth

Independence Day
Richard Ford

Sabbath's Theater
Philip Roth

Border Trilogy
Cormac McCarthy
'Cities of the Plain'
'The Crossing'
'All the Pretty Horses'

The Human Stain
Philip Roth

The Known World
Edward P. Jones

The Plot Against America
Philip Roth

Prudence · 05-23-2006, 01:46 PM

Am I the only person on the planet who didn't like "Beloved"?

Gemini Cricket · 05-23-2006, 01:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Prudence

Am I the only person on the planet who didn't like "Beloved"?

Nope.
:raises hand:

wendybeth · 05-23-2006, 02:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Prudence

Am I the only person on the planet who didn't like "Beloved"?

Nope. But then, we're not black and thereofore lack the understanding of the black experience, or so I was told.

American fiction has sort of sucked these past few decades.

Eliza Hodgkins 1812 · 05-23-2006, 02:27 PM

I liked Beloved but I LOVED Song of Solomon, which I think is a superior work.

I actually think there is a rather large selection of wonderful Contemporary American writers. so I'll have to respectfully disagree with Wendybeth.

I highly recommend Ray Bradbury, Kelly Link, Aimee Bender, Paul Auster, Audrey Niffennegger, Craig Clevenger, Chuck Palahniuk, Shirley Jackson...just to name a few.

Not Afraid · 05-23-2006, 02:37 PM

I also don't see my beloved TC Boyle on the list.

Prudence · 05-23-2006, 03:56 PM

I thought "Beloved" was too self-consciously trying to be "literature." Annoyed me greatly.

Ray Bradbury is amazing. Just amazing. One of my newest favorite contemporary American authors is Tananarive Due. Although I've only read one work of hers so far, so I don't know if that really counts. No James Tiptree, Jr., on the list either, although I think her best work was before their cut-off anyhow so I'm not surprised.

In general, though, I've not been a huge American lit fan.

€uroMeinke · 05-23-2006, 03:58 PM

I've read Winter's Tale and own a copy of Confederacy of Dunces - I guess I don't read the right stuff

Eliza Hodgkins 1812 · 05-23-2006, 04:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by €uroMeinke

I've read Winter's Tale and own a copy of Confederacy of Dunces - I guess I don't read the right stuff

A Confederacy of Dunces is well worth the read. I was pretty blown away by it.

Ghoulish Delight · 05-23-2006, 04:28 PM

The NPR report noted that the top 5 authors were all born in the 30s. The 30s happen to be one of only two decades (the 1810s being the other) in which no US President was born. The guy who conducted the survey admitted he was just speculating, but didn't consider these 2 facts coincidence. With people born in the 30s coming of age in the 50s, an era marked by its lack of public expression, he surmises that the kind of ambition that would normally lead to political aspirations in a lot of people instead was turned inward, producing people who expressed themselves in the much more private forum of writing.

05-23-2006, 01:46 PM	#2
Prudence Beelzeboobs, Esq. Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Gavel - I haz it Posts: 6,287	Am I the only person on the planet who didn't like "Beloved"? __________________ traguna macoities tracorum satis de
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05-23-2006, 02:27 PM	#5
Eliza Hodgkins 1812 Sputnik Sweetheart Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Long Beach Posts: 2,685	I liked Beloved but I LOVED Song of Solomon, which I think is a superior work. I actually think there is a rather large selection of wonderful Contemporary American writers. so I'll have to respectfully disagree with Wendybeth. I highly recommend Ray Bradbury, Kelly Link, Aimee Bender, Paul Auster, Audrey Niffennegger, Craig Clevenger, Chuck Palahniuk, Shirley Jackson...just to name a few.
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05-23-2006, 02:37 PM	#6
Not Afraid HI! Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 17,108	I also don't see my beloved TC Boyle on the list.
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05-23-2006, 03:56 PM	#7
Prudence Beelzeboobs, Esq. Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Gavel - I haz it Posts: 6,287	I thought "Beloved" was too self-consciously trying to be "literature." Annoyed me greatly. Ray Bradbury is amazing. Just amazing. One of my newest favorite contemporary American authors is Tananarive Due. Although I've only read one work of hers so far, so I don't know if that really counts. No James Tiptree, Jr., on the list either, although I think her best work was before their cut-off anyhow so I'm not surprised. In general, though, I've not been a huge American lit fan. __________________ traguna macoities tracorum satis de
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05-23-2006, 03:58 PM	#8
€uroMeinke L'Hédoniste Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: A.S.C.O.T. Posts: 8,671	I've read Winter's Tale and own a copy of Confederacy of Dunces - I guess I don't read the right stuff __________________ I would believe only in a God that knows how to Dance. Friedrich Nietzsche
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05-23-2006, 04:28 PM	#10
Ghoulish Delight I Floop the Pig Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Alternative Swankstyle Posts: 19,348	The NPR report noted that the top 5 authors were all born in the 30s. The 30s happen to be one of only two decades (the 1810s being the other) in which no US President was born. The guy who conducted the survey admitted he was just speculating, but didn't consider these 2 facts coincidence. With people born in the 30s coming of age in the 50s, an era marked by its lack of public expression, he surmises that the kind of ambition that would normally lead to political aspirations in a lot of people instead was turned inward, producing people who expressed themselves in the much more private forum of writing. __________________ 'He who receives an idea from me, receives instruction himself without lessening mine; as he who lights his taper at mine, receives light without darkening me.' -TJ
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