- Paperback: 288 pages
- Publisher: Picador; New edition edition (7 April 2000)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0330376578
- ISBN-13: 978-0330376570
- Product Dimensions: 19.6 x 13 x 2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 263,698 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Amazon.co.uk Review
Bringing together one of the best editors of post-war fiction, Virago founder Carmen Callil, with one of the most exciting Irish novelists of his generation, Colm Toibin, to produce The Modern Library: The 200 Best Novels in English Since 1950, threatens passionate controversy. Thankfully, that is precisely what both Callil and Toibin want, as they make clear in this refreshingly upbeat and enthusiastic book. Crisply dismissing the cultural pessimists, Callil and Toibin's stimulating introduction argues that the novel has never been in better shape, experiencing a remarkable commercial and artistic renaissance.
Picking through the minefield of choosing the 194 best novels published in English since 1950, both authors are honest about their debates and disagreements, offering readers the chance to complete the list by nominating a further six novels which will appear in subsequent editions. What follows are one-page summaries of the novels chosen, ranging from Agatha Christie's A Murder is Announced (1950), to V.S. Pritchett's The Lady From Guatemala (1998). Some of the entries fail to live up to the quality of writing contained in the book's introduction and, of course, there will be controversy over the choices and omissions. Where is Anne Michaels' Fugitive Pieces? Where is Neil Bartlett? Is James Baldwin's Go Tell it to the Mountain really better than Another Country? Does Will Self really deserve to be in the same company as Saul Bellow, Doris Lessing and Salman Rushdie? But this is precisely the sort of debate that The Modern Library encourages and what's wrong with controversy if it gets people reading novels? --Jerry Brotton --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Product Description
This list of 194 books published since 1950 represent titles considered the best by the compilers. There are familiar names - Naipaul, Updike , Bellow and Nabokov - and more surprising ones such as Mario Puzo and Thomas Harris.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
And why not?,
By
This review is from: The Modern Library: 200 Best Novels in English Since 1950 (Hardcover)
A risky idea, executed with aplomb. The reviews are clear and take an interesting stand, and it's an easy book to pick and put down when you're in the mood. Overall, the Modern Library justifies itself best by the list itself, a diverse and worthwhile pile for anyone wanting to gain a broad understanding of what's out there, but wouldn't otherwise know where to start. You would be very well read, and very enriched, if you went through this book diligently. And full marks for including Carl Hiaasen!
4.0 out of 5 stars
Modern Library,
This review is from: The Modern Library: 200 Best Novels in English Since 1950 (Paperback)
I recently read this book on Kindle and have found it very useful for new ideas on authors to read. Many of these books are not available on Kindle so a return to hard copy has been made. The short summaries are useful in giving an indication of whether the book is to go high or low on the list of priorities. The books chosen that I have already read gives me a means of assessing the recommendations. They say that an example of a good book is one you feel you want to pass on and this is such a book.
4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
An intriguing collection!,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Modern Library: 200 Best Novels in English Since 1950 (Paperback)
The Modern Library offers up an extremely interesting and eclectic collection of 194 books. There is a brief but informative page for each book selected, as well useful lists of past winners for several literary prizes. If you're looking to try out some different writers, but don't know where to turn, then this is the book for you.
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