Best American Fiction?
The New York Times article on May 11 on the best work of American fiction over the last 25 years sparked my imagination. What would be on your list?
The New York Time Online had an article on May 11, 2006 in which they polled various Literary Names for their take on the best American Fiction over the last 25 years. While we wait for the article to arrive in print (scheduled for their May 21 edition) I though we could discuss the concept, since it sparked my imagination. What would I put on the list? what would you put on the list?
In the article, the great Literary Names who weighed in on the subject voted for the works they thought were the quintessential novel of the last 25 years. Their votes tallied as follows:
With the most votes:
Runners Up (article didn't mention if in order of votes received or not):
Don DeLillo's "Underworld", Cormac McCarthy's "Blood Meridian", John Updike's four "Rabbit Angstrom" novels, Phillip Roth's "American Pastoral"
Honorable Mentions:
John Kennedy Toole's "A Confederacy of Dunces", Marilynne Robinson's "Housekeeping", Mark Helptrin's "Winter's Tale", Don DeLillo "White Noise", Phillip Roth's "The Counterlife", Don DeLillo's "Libra", Raymond Carver's "Where I'm Calling From", Tim O'Brian's "The Things They Carried", Norman Rush's "Mating", Denis Johnson's "Jesus' Son", Philip Roth's "Operation Shylock", "Sabbath's Theater", "The Human Stain", and "The Plot Against America", Cormac McCarthy's "Border Trilogy", Edward P Jones's "The Known World", Richard Ford's "Independence Day"
Was anyone else as surprised to see how many times Don DeLillo and Philip Roth made the list? I know I am. They write fantastic books, but to have so many on the list was interesting. Cormac McCarthy I can see - his lyric fiction is some of the best of this century. "Housekeeping", "A Confederacy of Dunces" and "The Things They Carried" are three of my favorite books in years. Toni Morrison is also one of the century's great writers, but is her book "Beloved" the best in the last 25 years? You decide. Email me your concrete thoughts on any of the above titles and I'll publish them here with you noted as guest writer.
Technorati Tag: American Fiction
