About this list

Telerama, 26 Books

This list explores the favorite books of 125 French-speaking writers, curated by Nathalie Crom and published by Télérama. The selection was based on asking these writers to choose their ten favorite books, not as a scientific survey but to gain insights into the literary influences shaping contemporary French and Francophone writers' identities. The methodology involved compiling these choices into a list that reflects both well-known classics and lesser-known works, without restricting selections by linguistic criteria. The list reveals a preference for modernist authors and novels, highlighting a diversity of over 300 titles, and emphasizing the novel's prominence in the authors' personal canons. The project appears to be conceived as a cultural reflection rather than a statistically rigorous study, and it coincided with the Paris Book Fair, suggesting a context of literary celebration and exploration.

This list was originally published in 2009 and was added to this site almost 12 years ago.