100 Best Novels Written in Spanish in the Past 25 Years

This is one of the 743 lists we use to generate our main The Greatest Books list.

About this list

Semana Magazine, 99 Books

Colombian magazine Semana published a list of the best Spanish language novels of the last 25 years. The list, complied by 80 writers, literary critics and journalists named the 100 best novels written in Spanish.

This list was originally published in 2007 and was added to this site almost 2 years ago.

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Rank Book Authors Year Country Language Actions
168 Love in the Time of Cholera Gabriel García Márquez 1985 Colombian Spanish
700 The Feast of the Goat Mario Vargas Llosa 2000 Peruvian Spanish
354 The Savage Detectives Roberto Bolaño 1998 Chilean Spanish
232 2666 Roberto Bolaño 2004 Chilean Spanish
6969 News From The Empire Fernando del Paso 1987 Mexican Spanish
451 A Heart So White Javier Marias 1992 Spanish Spanish
2352 Bartleby & Co Enrique Vila-Matas 2000 Spanish Spanish
2077 Santa Evita Tomás Eloy Martínez 1995 Argentinian Spanish
4647 Tomorrow In The Battle Think On Me Javier Marias 1994 Spanish Spanish
4617 The Abyss Fernando Vallejo 2001 Colombian Spanish
3315 Our Lady of the Assassins Fernando Vallejo 1994 Colombian Spanish
1394 Soldiers of Salamis Javier Cercas 2001 Spanish Spanish
2885 Distant Star Roberto Bolaño 1996 Chilean Spanish
6686 Landscapes After the Battle Juan Goytisolo 1982 Spanish Spanish
2397 The City Of Marvels Eduardo Mendoza 1986 Spanish Spanish
3272 The Polish Rider Antonio Muñoz Molina 1991 Spanish Spanish
9927 El Testigo Juan Villoro 2004 Mexican Spanish
6642 Beauty Salon Mario Bellatin 1994 Mexican Spanish
8161 Cuando Ya No Importe Juan Carlos Onetti 1993 Uruguayan Spanish
6782 La Tejedora De Coronas Germán Espinosa 1982 Colombian Spanish
9803 The Way To Paradise Mario Vargas Llosa 2003 Peruvian Spanish
7638 Tropical Night Falling Manuel Puig 1988 Argentinian Spanish
10200 Doctor Pasavento Enrique Vila-Matas 2005 Spanish Spanish
6903 Herrumbrosas Lanzas Juan Benet 1983 Spanish Spanish
3270 The Adventures and Misadventures of Maqroll Alvaro Mutis 1993 Colombian Spanish
7596 Winter In Lisbon Antonio Muñoz Molina 1987 Spanish Spanish
10051 Verdes Valles, Colinas Rojas Ramiro Pinilla 2004 Spanish Spanish
8611 Lovesick Ángeles Mastretta 1996 Mexican Spanish
8620 Donde Las Mujeres Álvaro Pombo 1996 Spanish Spanish
9893 The Past Alan Pauls 2003 Argentinian Spanish
10337 El Rastro Jorge Gómez Jiménez 2005 Venezuelan Unknown
8047 Santo Oficio De La Memoria Mempo Giardinelli 1991 Argentinian Spanish
2656 The Years with Laura Diaz Carlos Fuentes 1999 Mexican Spanish
8809 Plenilunio Antonio Muñoz Molina 1997 Spanish Spanish
2488 All Souls Javier Marias 1989 Spanish Spanish
8566 Cartas Cruzadas Darío Jaramillo 1995 Colombian Spanish
10886 La Casa Del Padre Justo Navarro 2015 Spanish Spanish
7987 La Visita En El Tiempo Arturo Uslar Pietri 1990 Venezuelan Spanish
7182 The Storm Tomás González 1985 Colombian Spanish
6390 La Grande Juan José Saer 2012 Argentinian Spanish
8883 The Art Of Flight Sergio Pitol 1997 Mexican Spanish
10423 The Speed Of Light Javier Cercas 2005 Spanish Spanish
2883 Olvidado Rey Gudú Ana María Matute 1996 Spanish Spanish
8181 Against The Inquisition Marco Aguinis 1991 Argentine Spanish
4711 The Old Man Who Read Love Stories Luis Sepúlveda 1989 Chilean Spanish
8939 Money To Burn Ricardo Piglia 1997 Argentinian Spanish
7685 El vuelo de la reina Tomás Eloy Martínez 1986 Argentinian Spanish
10037 Diablo Guardián Xavier Velasco 2003 Mexican Spanish
8537 Igur Neblí Miquel de Palol 1994 Spanish Unknown
7696 The Snow Of The Admiral Alvaro Mutis 1986 Colombian Spanish
8298 Vigilia Del Almirante Augusto Roa Bastos 1992 Paraguayan Spanish
8408 Un Campeón Desparejo Adolfo Bioy Casares 1993 Argentinian Spanish
7105 Malvinas Requiem Fogwill 1983 Argentine Spanish
10256 La Burla Del Tiempo Mauricio Electorat 2004 Chilean Spanish
9712 Una Novela China César Aira 2001 Argentinian Spanish
10263 El Inútil De La Familia Jorge Edwards 2004 Chilean Spanish
7128 E. Luminata Diamela Eltit 1983 Chilean Spanish
10270 La Otra Mano De Lepanto Carmen Boullosa 2004 Mexican Spanish
8151 In A State Of Memory Tununa Mercado 1990 Argentinian Spanish
10076 Twenty Years And A Day Jorge Semprún 2003 Spanish Spanish
8157 Ladrón De Lunas Isaac Montero 1990 Spanish Spanish
8700 La Cuadratura Del Círculo Álvaro Pombo 1995 Spanish Spanish
8585 No Me Esperen En Abril Alfredo Bryce Echenique 1994 Peruvian Spanish
8589 Hot Moon Mempo Giardinelli 1994 Argentinian Unknown
8482 Shadows Osvaldo Soriano 1993 Argentine Unknown
7924 The Fourth World Diamela Eltit 1988 Chilean Spanish
9909 The Eagle's Throne Carlos Fuentes 2002 Mexican Spanish
8176 Temblor Rosa Montero 1990 Spanish Spanish
8712 The History of Silence Pedro Zarraluki 1995 Spanish Spanish
8179 Ghosts César Aira 1990 Argentinian Spanish
10101 Angosta Héctor Abad Faciolince 2003 Colombian Spanish
9029 Death as a Side Effect Ana María Shua 1997 Argentinian Spanish
7684 La Orilla Oscura José María Merino 1985 Spanish Spanish
7013 La Vida Exagerada De Martín Romaña Alfredo Bryce Echenique 1981 Peruvian Spanish
7589 Sin Remedio Antonio Caballero 1984 Colombian Spanish
10109 El Tiempo De Las Mujeres Ignacio Martínez de Pisón 2003 Spanish Spanish
10352 Al Morir Don Quijote Andrés Trapiello 2004 Spanish Spanish
2317 The Sixty Five Years Of Washington Juan José Saer 1983 Argentine Spanish
8276 Crónica De Un Iniciado Abelardo Castillo 1991 Argentinian Spanish
9212 El Traductor Salvador Benesdra 1998 Argentinian Spanish
10983 Birthday César Aira 2019 Argentinian Spanish
10984 La Sexta Lámpara Pablo de Santis 2008 Argentinian Spanish
8500 Shanghai Nights Juan Marsé 1993 Spanish Unknown
6391 The Fencing Master Arturo Pérez-Reverte 1988 Spanish Spanish
8892 Carreteras Secundarias Ignacio Martínez de Pisón 1996 Spanish Spanish
9347 Rosario Tijeras Jorge Franco 1999 Colombian Spanish
1808 The Shadow of the Wind Carlos Ruiz Zafon 2001 Spanish Spanish
10986 Camino de Perdición Luis Mateo Díez 2007 Spanish Spanish
7172 A Funny Dirty Little War Osvaldo Soriano 1983 Argentinian Spanish
10356 Memories Of My Melancholy Whores Gabriel García Márquez 2004 Colombian Spanish
10987 Desolation Island Adolfo García Ortega 2014 Spanish Unknown
4670 Of Love And Other Demons Gabriel García Márquez 1994 Colombian Spanish
8369 Ella Cantaba Boleros Guillermo Cabrera Infante 1992 Cuban Spanish
2107 The Luminous Novel Mario Levrero 2005 Uruguayan Spanish
8280 La Guerra De Galio Héctor Aguilar Camín 1991 Mexican Spanish
6131 Tear This Heart Out Ángeles Mastreta 1985 Mexican Spanish
7609 Arturo, La Estrella Más Brillante Reinaldo Arenas 1984 Cuban Unknown
9352 The African Shore Rodrigo Rey Rosa 1999 Guatemalan Spanish
8613 Custody Of The Eyes Diamela Eltit 1994 Chilean Spanish