The Greatest Authors of All Time
Ever wondered who the greatest authors of all time are? We've analyzed 759 diverse book lists to create this comprehensive ranking of literary masters. Our algorithm considers several key factors to determine each author's position:
- Book Rankings: Each author's score starts with the sum of their books' rankings from our master list.
- Number of Great Books: Authors are rewarded for having multiple highly-ranked books. The more great books an author has, the higher their overall score.
- Age of Books: Older books receive a small bonus to their score, with the maximum bonus going to books over 100 years old.
This system ensures that authors with multiple enduring works are recognized, while still giving weight to the quality of individual books. The rankings are automatically calculated and updated as new lists are added to our database.
5101. Ailton Krenak
Brazilian indigenous leader, writer, poet and activist of the Krenak people, prominent voice for indigenous rights and environmental protection; author of the book 'Ideias para adiar o fim do mundo' (Ideas to Postpone the End of the World).
5102. André Singer
5103. Julián Fuks
Brazilian novelist and journalist, born in 1981, author of works including the novel "A resistência" (Resistance).
5105. Sérgio Abranches
Brazilian political scientist and writer.
5106. Gary L. Wenk
American neuroscientist and researcher whose work focuses on brain aging, neuroinflammation, and Alzheimer’s disease (publishes using a middle initial).
5107. Anna Lembke
American psychiatrist and addiction medicine specialist; professor at Stanford University School of Medicine and author of the book 'Dopamine Nation'.
5108. Anita Bean
British sports nutritionist and author, best known for writing accessible books on sports and fitness nutrition.
5109. Harry Ammon
5110. Michael Signer
American attorney, author, and politician; former mayor of Charlottesville, Virginia, and author of 'Cry Havoc: Charlottesville and American Democracy Under Siege.'
5111. Frances Burney
English novelist, diarist, and playwright (1752–1840), author of Evelina (1778), Cecilia (1782) and Camilla (1796), renowned for her extensive diaries and letters.
5112. Gareth Hinds
American illustrator and graphic novelist best known for illustrated adaptations of classic literature and drama, including graphic-novel versions of Beowulf, The Odyssey, The Iliad, Romeo and Juliet, and Macbeth.
5113. Samuel Richardson
English printer and novelist, a pioneer of the English novel and the epistolary form; author of Pamela (1740), Clarissa (1748) and Sir Charles Grandison (1753).
5114. Erik Olin Wright
American sociologist and Marxist theorist (University of Wisconsin–Madison) known for his work on class analysis, alternatives to capitalism, and the 'real utopias' project.
5115. Angela Alonso
5116. Carmen Maria Machado
American writer of fiction, nonfiction, and criticism, best known for the short story collection Her Body and Other Parties (2017) and the memoir In the Dream House (2019). Her work frequently explores gender, sexuality, memory, and the intersections of horror and the everyday.
5117. Laurentino Gomes
Brazilian journalist and nonfiction author best known for popular history books about Brazil, including '1808', '1822', and '1889'.
5118. Erico Verissimo
Brazilian novelist and short-story writer (1905–1975), best known for the historical trilogy O Tempo e o Vento; a major figure in 20th-century Brazilian literature.
5119. Bob Dylan
American singer-songwriter, musician, and author (born Robert Allen Zimmerman); a major figure in popular music since the 1960s, known for influential songwriting and awarded the 2016 Nobel Prize in Literature.
5120. Noam Chomsky
American linguist, philosopher, cognitive scientist, historian, and political activist; major figure in modern linguistics and the founder of generative grammar, long-time professor at MIT and prolific author on language and politics.
5121. Franco "Bifo" Berardi
Italian writer, activist and media theorist associated with the Autonomia movement; co-founder of Radio Alice and author of essays on media, labor, and contemporary capitalism (notably on 'semiocapitalism').
5122. Lira Neto
Brazilian journalist, author and biographer, best known for in-depth, multi-volume biographies of Brazilian figures such as Getúlio Vargas.
5123. Sudhir Hazareesingh
Historian specializing in modern French political and intellectual history; author of books and essays on French political thought and figures such as Napoleon.
5124. Roy Maxwell
5125. Mantius Cazaubon
5126. Fernando Morais
Brazilian journalist, author and politician best known for biographies and investigative books such as Olga and Chatô, o Rei do Brasil.
5127. Don Breithaupt
Canadian musician, songwriter, composer and bandleader, best known as the leader of the jazz-pop group Monkey House.
5128. Robert dos Remedios
5129. Isaac Babel
Soviet (born in the Russian Empire) short story writer, playwright and journalist of Jewish origin, best known for the Odessa Tales and Red Cavalry stories; arrested and executed during Stalin's Great Purge.
5130. Leandro Pereira Gonçalves
5131. João Tordo
Contemporary Portuguese novelist and writer of literary fiction.
5132. Abdias do Nascimento
Brazilian Afro-Brazilian actor, playwright, poet, scholar, and politician; prominent anti-racist activist, founder of the Teatro Experimental do Negro, and advocate for Black rights in Brazil and internationally.
5133. Achille Mbembe
Cameroonian philosopher, political theorist, historian, and public intellectual known for work on postcolonialism and the concept of necropolitics; author of On the Postcolony and numerous essays on colonialism, sovereignty, and African politics.
5134. Nigel Cliff
British author, biographer and cultural historian, known for works such as Mr. Foote's Other Leg and The Shakespeare Riots.
5135. Reinaldo José Lopes
Brazilian science journalist and author, known for reporting and writing about science and technology for Brazilian media.
5136. Rodrigo Nunes
5137. Mark Harrison
5139. Rene-Pierre Bardet
5140. Camila Rocha
5141. Benjamín Labatut
Chilean writer known for blending fiction and non-fiction, often exploring science, history, and the limits of knowledge; author of the book 'When We Cease to Understand the World' (English translation of his work).
5142. Elio Gaspari
Brazilian journalist and writer, longtime columnist for Folha de S.Paulo, author of a multi-volume history of Brazil's military dictatorship (the "A Ditadura" series) and other political works.
5143. Salman Rushdie
Indian-born British novelist and essayist (born 1947), best known for Midnight's Children (Booker Prize, 1981) and The Satanic Verses (1988). His work blends magical realism and historical fiction. Subject of a 1989 fatwa that led to years of threats and exile; knighted in 2007.
5144. Edward O. Wilson
American biologist, naturalist and entomologist known for pioneering work on ants, sociobiology, biodiversity and conservation; prolific author and influential figure in 20th-century biology.
5145. Elizabeth Hackett
5146. Campos de Carvalho
5147. Roberto Pompeu de Toledo
Brazilian journalist, historian and writer known for books and essays on the history and urban culture of São Paulo and Brazil.
5148. Ingeborg Bachmann
Austrian poet, novelist and essayist (1926–1973) associated with postwar German-language literature and Gruppe 47; known for exploring identity, language and gender in works such as the novel 'Malina' and the poetry collection 'Die gestundete Zeit.'
5149. David Ludwig
5150. Muniz Sodré
Brazilian sociologist, writer and communications scholar known for work on media, culture and communication theory.