100 Best Novels in English Since 1900

This is one of the 759 lists we use to generate our main The Greatest Books list.

About this list

Counterpunch, 98 Books

Jeffrey St. Clair and Alexander Cockburn's favorite novels since 1900.

This list was originally published in 2014 and was added to this site almost 12 years ago.

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Cover of 'Ulysses' by James Joyce
Ulysses

James Joyce

Cover of 'Absalom, Absalom!' by William Faulkner
Absalom, Absalom!

William Faulkner

Cover of 'Gravity's Rainbow' by Thomas Pynchon
Gravity's Rainbow

Thomas Pynchon

Cover of 'Native Son' by Richard Wright
Native Son

Richard Wright

Cover of 'Orlando' by Virginia Woolf
Orlando

Virginia Woolf

Cover of 'Rainbow' by D.H. Lawrence
Rainbow

D.H. Lawrence

Cover of 'Under Western Eyes' by Joseph Conrad
Under Western Eyes

Joseph Conrad

Cover of 'Invisible Man' by Ralph Ellison
Invisible Man

Ralph Ellison

Cover of 'The Violent Bear It Away' by Flannery O'Connor
The Violent Bear It Away

Flannery O'Connor

Cover of 'Tropic of Cancer' by Henry Miller
Tropic of Cancer

Henry Miller

Cover of 'The Sun Also Rises' by Ernest Hemingway
The Sun Also Rises

Ernest Hemingway

Cover of 'Wide Sargasso Sea' by Jean Rhys
Wide Sargasso Sea

Jean Rhys

Cover of 'The Code of the Woosters' by P. G. Wodehouse
The Code of the Woosters

P. G. Wodehouse

Cover of 'Tender Is the Night' by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Tender Is the Night

F. Scott Fitzgerald

Cover of 'Giovanni's Room' by James Baldwin
Giovanni's Room

James Baldwin

Cover of 'The Talented Mr. Ripley' by Patricia Highsmith
The Talented Mr. Ripley

Patricia Highsmith

Cover of 'At Swim Two-Birds' by Flann O'Brien
At Swim Two-Birds

Flann O'Brien

Cover of 'On the Road' by Jack Kerouac
On the Road

Jack Kerouac

Cover of 'JR' by William Gaddis
JR

William Gaddis

Cover of 'Pale Fire' by Vladimir Nabokov
Pale Fire

Vladimir Nabokov

Cover of 'The End of the Affair' by Graham Greene
The End of the Affair

Graham Greene

Cover of 'Red Harvest' by Dashiell Hammett
Red Harvest

Dashiell Hammett

Cover of 'Mumbo Jumbo' by Ishmael Reed
Mumbo Jumbo

Ishmael Reed

Cover of 'A Lost Lady' by Willa Cather
A Lost Lady

Willa Cather

Cover of 'The Hound of the Baskervilles' by Arthur Conan Doyle
The Hound of the Baskervilles

Arthur Conan Doyle

Cover of 'Far Tortuga' by Peter Matthiessen
Far Tortuga

Peter Matthiessen

Cover of 'The Iron Heel' by Jack London
The Iron Heel

Jack London

Cover of 'Jazz' by Toni Morrison
Jazz

Toni Morrison

Cover of 'The Grapes of Wrath' by John Steinbeck
The Grapes of Wrath

John Steinbeck

Cover of 'Their Eyes Were Watching God' by Zora Neale Hurston
Their Eyes Were Watching God

Zora Neale Hurston

Cover of 'Nothing Like the Sun' by Anthony Burgess
Nothing Like the Sun

Anthony Burgess

Cover of 'Riddle of the Sands' by Erskine Childers
Riddle of the Sands

Erskine Childers

Cover of 'The Thinking Reed' by Rebecca West
The Thinking Reed

Rebecca West

Cover of 'Catch-22' by Joseph Heller
Catch-22

Joseph Heller

Cover of 'Beat the Devil' by Claud Cockburn
Beat the Devil

Claud Cockburn

Cover of 'The Indian Lawyer' by James Welch
The Indian Lawyer

James Welch

Cover of 'The White Hotel' by D. M. Thomas
The White Hotel

D. M. Thomas

Cover of 'Neuromancer' by William Gibson
Neuromancer

William Gibson

Cover of 'The Ordeal of Gilbert Pinfold' by Evelyn Waugh
The Ordeal of Gilbert Pinfold

Evelyn Waugh

Cover of 'Light Years' by James Salter
Light Years

James Salter

Cover of 'The Almanac of the Dead' by Leslie Marmon Silko
The Almanac of the Dead

Leslie Marmon Silko

Cover of 'The Death of the Heart' by Elizabeth Bowen
The Death of the Heart

Elizabeth Bowen

Cover of 'The Monkey Wrench Gang' by Edward Abbey
The Monkey Wrench Gang

Edward Abbey

Cover of 'The Slaves of Solitude' by Patrick Hamilton
The Slaves of Solitude

Patrick Hamilton

Cover of 'The Left Hand Of Darkness' by Ursula K. Le Guin
The Left Hand Of Darkness

Ursula K. Le Guin

Cover of 'Novel on Yellow Paper' by Stevie Smith
Novel on Yellow Paper

Stevie Smith

Cover of 'A Feast of Snakes' by Harry Crews
A Feast of Snakes

Harry Crews

Cover of 'Vida' by Marge Piercy
Vida

Marge Piercy

Cover of 'The Man in the High Castle' by Philip K. Dick
The Man in the High Castle

Philip K. Dick

Cover of 'Naked Lunch' by William S. Burroughs
Naked Lunch

William S. Burroughs

Cover of 'A Place of Greater Safety' by Hilary Mantel
A Place of Greater Safety

Hilary Mantel

Cover of 'Voss' by Patrick White
Voss

Patrick White

Cover of 'Dog Soldiers' by Robert Stone
Dog Soldiers

Robert Stone

Cover of 'Animal Dreams' by Barbara Kingsolver
Animal Dreams

Barbara Kingsolver

Cover of 'Cat's Cradle' by Kurt Vonnegut
Cat's Cradle

Kurt Vonnegut

Cover of 'Sometimes a Great Notion' by Ken Kesey
Sometimes a Great Notion

Ken Kesey

Cover of 'The Mask of Dimitrios' by Eric Ambler
The Mask of Dimitrios

Eric Ambler

Cover of 'The Known World' by Edward P. Jones
The Known World

Edward P. Jones

Cover of 'Written on the Body' by Jeanette Winterson
Written on the Body

Jeanette Winterson

Cover of 'Disgrace' by J. M. Coetzee
Disgrace

J. M. Coetzee

Cover of 'Call It Sleep' by Henry Roth
Call It Sleep

Henry Roth

Cover of 'July's People' by Nadine Gordimer
July's People

Nadine Gordimer

Cover of 'The Big Sleep' by Raymond Chandler
The Big Sleep

Raymond Chandler

Cover of 'The Black Prince' by Iris Murdoch
The Black Prince

Iris Murdoch

Cover of 'Julian' by Gore Vidal
Julian

Gore Vidal

Cover of 'The Killer Inside Me' by Jim Thompson
The Killer Inside Me

Jim Thompson

Cover of 'An American Dream' by Norman Mailer
An American Dream

Norman Mailer

Cover of 'If He Hollers Let Him Go' by Chester Himes
If He Hollers Let Him Go

Chester Himes

Cover of 'The Secret History' by Donna Tartt
The Secret History

Donna Tartt

Cover of 'Flaubert's Parrot' by Julian Barnes
Flaubert's Parrot

Julian Barnes

Cover of 'Matterhorn' by Karl Marlantes
Matterhorn

Karl Marlantes

Cover of 'The Last Good Kiss' by James Crumley
The Last Good Kiss

James Crumley

Cover of 'Salvage the Bones' by Jesmyn Ward
Salvage the Bones

Jesmyn Ward

Cover of 'Underworld' by Don DeLillo
Underworld

Don DeLillo

Cover of 'The Radiant Way' by Margaret Drabble
The Radiant Way

Margaret Drabble

Cover of 'Regeneration' by Pat Barker
Regeneration

Pat Barker

Cover of 'Snow Crash' by Neal Stephenson
Snow Crash

Neal Stephenson

Cover of 'Ray' by Barry Hannah
Ray

Barry Hannah

Cover of 'Tripmaster Monkey' by Maxine Hong Kingston
Tripmaster Monkey

Maxine Hong Kingston

Cover of 'The Golden Gate' by Vikram Seth
The Golden Gate

Vikram Seth

Cover of 'Lucky Jim' by Kingsley Amis
Lucky Jim

Kingsley Amis

Cover of 'The Day of the Locust' by Nathanael West
The Day of the Locust

Nathanael West

Cover of 'Gateway' by Frederik Pohl
Gateway

Frederik Pohl

Cover of 'Machine Dreams' by Jayne Anne Phillips
Machine Dreams

Jayne Anne Phillips

Cover of 'Two Serious Ladies' by Jane Bowles
Two Serious Ladies

Jane Bowles

Cover of 'Mr. American' by George MacDonald Fraser
Mr. American

George MacDonald Fraser

Cover of 'Zuleika Dobson' by Max Beerbohm
Zuleika Dobson

Max Beerbohm

Cover of 'The Dogs of March' by Ernest Hebert
The Dogs of March

Ernest Hebert

Cover of 'The Deceivers' by John Masters
The Deceivers

John Masters

Cover of 'The King Must Die' by Mary Renault
The King Must Die

Mary Renault

Cover of 'Sleeping Beauty' by Ross Macdonald
Sleeping Beauty

Ross Macdonald

Cover of 'Tree of Smoke' by Denis Johnson
Tree of Smoke

Denis Johnson

Cover of 'The House Of Splendid Isolation' by Edna O'Brien
The House Of Splendid Isolation

Edna O'Brien

Cover of 'Lucy' by Jamaica Kincaid
Lucy

Jamaica Kincaid

Cover of 'Affliction' by Russell Banks
Affliction

Russell Banks

Cover of 'Gaudy Night' by Dorothy L. Sayers
Gaudy Night

Dorothy L. Sayers

Cover of 'Flicker' by Theodore Roszak
Flicker

Theodore Roszak

Cover of 'Greenmantle' by John Buchan
Greenmantle

John Buchan