Greatest Prose Works of the 20th Century
This is one of the 735 lists we use to generate our main The Greatest Books list.
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Ulysses by James Joyce
Set in Dublin, the novel follows a day in the life of Leopold Bloom, an advertising salesman, as he navigates the city. The narrative, heavily influenced by Homer's Odyssey, explores themes of identity, heroism, and the complexities of everyday life. It is renowned for its stream-of-consciousness style and complex structure, making it a challenging but rewarding read.
The Greatest Book of All TimePurchase from Bookshop.org or Amazon -
The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka
The book tells the story of a man who wakes up one morning to find himself transformed into a giant insect. His transformation causes him to lose his job and become ostracized from his family, who are horrified and repulsed by his new form. As he grapples with his new reality, he becomes increasingly isolated and starts to lose his sense of humanity. The book explores themes of alienation, guilt, and identity, and is a profound examination of the human condition.
The 66th Greatest Book of All TimePurchase from Bookshop.org or Amazon -
Petersburg by Andrei Bely
A Novel in Eight Chapters with a Prologue and an Epilogue
"Petersburg" is a symbolist novel set in the heart of Russia during the 1905 Revolution. It follows the story of a young man who is given the task of assassinating his own father, a high-ranking government official, by a radical political group. The narrative is a complex mix of politics, family drama, and philosophical introspection, all set against the backdrop of a city in turmoil. The novel is renowned for its vivid and poetic descriptions of the city itself, making Petersburg as much a character in the story as the people who inhabit it.
The 728th Greatest Book of All TimePurchase from Bookshop.org or Amazon -
In Search of Lost Time by Marcel Proust
In Search of Lost Time is a monumental seven-volume novel about memory, desire, society, art, and the passage of time. Told through the narrator’s reflections on childhood, love, jealousy, social life, and artistic awakening, the work moves through France from the late nineteenth century into the early twentieth century, including the world of bourgeois families, aristocratic salons, the Dreyfus Affair, and World War I. It is especially famous for its treatment of involuntary memory, most notably the madeleine episode, and for its searching exploration of how time reshapes identity, love, and experience.
The 2nd Greatest Book of All TimePurchase from Bookshop.org or Amazon
Vladimir Nabokov, 4 Books
Author Vladimir Nabokov's selection of the Top 4 greatest prose works of the 20th century.
This list was originally published in 1965 and was added to this site over 11 years ago.
This list has a weight of 5%. To learn more about what this means please visit the Rankings page.
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- Voters: Voter Count
- List: only covers mostly "Western Canon" books
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- Number of Voters:
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- Voter Count Unknown:
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- Voter Names Unknown:
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- High Quality Source:
- No
- Location Specific:
- No
- Category Specific:
- No