Le Monde's 100 Books of the Century
This is one of the 288 lists we use to generate our main The Greatest Books list.
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Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie
The novel tells the story of Saleem Sinai, who was born at the exact moment when India gained its independence. As a result, he shares a mystical connection with other children born at the same time, all of whom possess unique, magical abilities. As Saleem grows up, his life mirrors the political and cultural changes happening in his country, from the partition of India and Pakistan, to the Bangladesh War of Independence. The story is a blend of historical fiction and magical realism, exploring themes of identity, fate, and the power of storytelling.
Le Monde, 101 Books
The 100 Books of the Century (French: Les cent livres du siècle) is a list of the one hundred best books of the 20th century, according to a poll conducted in the spring of 1999 by the French retailer Fnac and the Paris newspaper Le Monde.
Starting from a preliminary list of 200 titles created by bookshops and journalists, 17,000 French voted by responding to the question, "Which books have stayed in your memory?" (« Quels livres sont restés dans votre mémoire ? »).
The list of acclaimed titles mixes great novels with poetry and theatre, as well as the comic strip. The first fifty works on the list were the subject of an essay by Frédéric Beigbeder, The Last Inventory Before Liquidation, in which he notably drew attention to its French-centred character.
Added almost 10 years ago.
This list has a weight of 70%. To learn more about what this means please visit the Rankings page.
Here is a list of what is decreasing the importance of this list:
- Voters: not critics, authors, or experts, but the books on the list were curated by critics/experts
- Voters: are mostly from a single country/location
- List: only covers 100 years
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