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The Daily Mail, 95 Books

The Daily Mail's response to the BBC's list of 100 novels that 'shaped our world' is sharply critical, pointing out significant omissions and questioning the selection's focus on political correctness over literary merit. The critique highlights the absence of literary giants such as Rudyard Kipling, Thomas Hardy, and Salman Rushdie's "The Satanic Verses," suggesting the list leans towards appealing to younger audiences at the expense of timeless classics. It also criticizes the BBC's thematic categories, like 'Identity' and 'Politics, Power and Protest,' for potentially diluting the complex essence of literature.

The article calls out specific inclusions and exclusions as misjudgments, arguing for a list that better represents enduring works that have truly impacted generations of readers. In an alternative approach, the Daily Mail invites its writers to share their personal, impactful reads, emphasizing the subjective nature of literary value and the lasting significance of books that resonate on a deeply personal level. This serves as a reminder of the power of literature to influence individually and collectively, beyond contemporary trends.

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This list was originally published in 2019 and was added to this site over 2 years ago.