100 Best Novels Written in Spanish in the Past 25 Years

This is one of the 759 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 about 2 years ago.

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Rank Book Authors Year Country Language Actions
166 Love in the Time of Cholera Gabriel García Márquez 1985 Colombian Spanish
701 The Feast of the Goat Mario Vargas Llosa 2000 Peruvian Spanish
355 The Savage Detectives Roberto Bolaño 1998 Chilean Spanish
232 2666 Roberto Bolaño 2004 Chilean Spanish
6978 News From The Empire Fernando del Paso 1987 Mexican Spanish
452 A Heart So White Javier Marias 1992 Spanish Spanish
2361 Bartleby & Co Enrique Vila-Matas 2000 Spanish Spanish
2083 Santa Evita Tomás Eloy Martínez 1995 Argentinian Spanish
4655 Tomorrow In The Battle Think On Me Javier Marias 1994 Spanish Spanish
4625 The Abyss Fernando Vallejo 2001 Colombian Spanish
3320 Our Lady of the Assassins Fernando Vallejo 1994 Colombian Spanish
1394 Soldiers of Salamis Javier Cercas 2001 Spanish Spanish
2892 Distant Star Roberto Bolaño 1996 Chilean Spanish
6698 Landscapes After the Battle Juan Goytisolo 1982 Spanish Spanish
2405 The City Of Marvels Eduardo Mendoza 1986 Spanish Spanish
3277 The Polish Rider Antonio Muñoz Molina 1991 Spanish Spanish
9947 El Testigo Juan Villoro 2004 Mexican Spanish
6654 Beauty Salon Mario Bellatin 1994 Mexican Spanish
8177 Cuando Ya No Importe Juan Carlos Onetti 1993 Uruguayan Spanish
6792 La Tejedora De Coronas Germán Espinosa 1982 Colombian Spanish
9820 The Way To Paradise Mario Vargas Llosa 2003 Peruvian Spanish
7654 Tropical Night Falling Manuel Puig 1988 Argentinian Spanish
10225 Doctor Pasavento Enrique Vila-Matas 2005 Spanish Spanish
6912 Herrumbrosas Lanzas Juan Benet 1983 Spanish Spanish
3275 The Adventures and Misadventures of Maqroll Alvaro Mutis 1993 Colombian Spanish
7611 Winter In Lisbon Antonio Muñoz Molina 1987 Spanish Spanish
10071 Verdes Valles, Colinas Rojas Ramiro Pinilla 2004 Spanish Spanish
8627 Lovesick Ángeles Mastretta 1996 Mexican Spanish
8636 Donde Las Mujeres Álvaro Pombo 1996 Spanish Spanish
9912 The Past Alan Pauls 2003 Argentinian Spanish
10362 El Rastro Jorge Gómez Jiménez 2005 Venezuelan Unknown
8062 Santo Oficio De La Memoria Mempo Giardinelli 1991 Argentinian Spanish
2661 The Years with Laura Diaz Carlos Fuentes 1999 Mexican Spanish
8826 Plenilunio Antonio Muñoz Molina 1997 Spanish Spanish
2494 All Souls Javier Marias 1989 Spanish Spanish
8582 Cartas Cruzadas Darío Jaramillo 1995 Colombian Spanish
10916 La Casa Del Padre Justo Navarro 2015 Spanish Spanish
8002 La Visita En El Tiempo Arturo Uslar Pietri 1990 Venezuelan Spanish
7196 The Storm Tomás González 1985 Colombian Spanish
6400 La Grande Juan José Saer 2012 Argentinian Spanish
8900 The Art Of Flight Sergio Pitol 1997 Mexican Spanish
10450 The Speed Of Light Javier Cercas 2005 Spanish Spanish
2890 Olvidado Rey Gudú Ana María Matute 1996 Spanish Spanish
8197 Against The Inquisition Marco Aguinis 1991 Argentine Spanish
4720 The Old Man Who Read Love Stories Luis Sepúlveda 1989 Chilean Spanish
8955 Money To Burn Ricardo Piglia 1997 Argentinian Spanish
7700 El vuelo de la reina Tomás Eloy Martínez 1986 Argentinian Spanish
10057 Diablo Guardián Xavier Velasco 2003 Mexican Spanish
8553 Igur Neblí Miquel de Palol 1994 Spanish Unknown
7713 The Snow Of The Admiral Alvaro Mutis 1986 Colombian Spanish
8314 Vigilia Del Almirante Augusto Roa Bastos 1992 Paraguayan Spanish
8426 Un Campeón Desparejo Adolfo Bioy Casares 1993 Argentinian Spanish
7116 Malvinas Requiem Fogwill 1983 Argentine Spanish
10280 La Burla Del Tiempo Mauricio Electorat 2004 Chilean Spanish
9731 Una Novela China César Aira 2001 Argentinian Spanish
10287 El Inútil De La Familia Jorge Edwards 2004 Chilean Spanish
7140 E. Luminata Diamela Eltit 1983 Chilean Spanish
10294 La Otra Mano De Lepanto Carmen Boullosa 2004 Mexican Spanish
8167 In A State Of Memory Tununa Mercado 1990 Argentinian Spanish
10096 Twenty Years And A Day Jorge Semprún 2003 Spanish Spanish
8173 Ladrón De Lunas Isaac Montero 1990 Spanish Spanish
8717 La Cuadratura Del Círculo Álvaro Pombo 1995 Spanish Spanish
8601 No Me Esperen En Abril Alfredo Bryce Echenique 1994 Peruvian Spanish
8605 Hot Moon Mempo Giardinelli 1994 Argentinian Unknown
8501 Shadows Osvaldo Soriano 1993 Argentine Unknown
7940 The Fourth World Diamela Eltit 1988 Chilean Spanish
9929 The Eagle's Throne Carlos Fuentes 2002 Mexican Spanish
8192 Temblor Rosa Montero 1990 Spanish Spanish
8729 The History of Silence Pedro Zarraluki 1995 Spanish Spanish
8195 Ghosts César Aira 1990 Argentinian Spanish
10121 Angosta Héctor Abad Faciolince 2003 Colombian Spanish
9047 Death as a Side Effect Ana María Shua 1997 Argentinian Spanish
7699 La Orilla Oscura José María Merino 1985 Spanish Spanish
7023 La Vida Exagerada De Martín Romaña Alfredo Bryce Echenique 1981 Peruvian Spanish
7604 Sin Remedio Antonio Caballero 1984 Colombian Spanish
10129 El Tiempo De Las Mujeres Ignacio Martínez de Pisón 2003 Spanish Spanish
10377 Al Morir Don Quijote Andrés Trapiello 2004 Spanish Spanish
2325 The Sixty Five Years Of Washington Juan José Saer 1983 Argentine Spanish
8292 Crónica De Un Iniciado Abelardo Castillo 1991 Argentinian Spanish
9231 El Traductor Salvador Benesdra 1998 Argentinian Spanish
11014 Birthday César Aira 2019 Argentinian Spanish
11015 La Sexta Lámpara Pablo de Santis 2008 Argentinian Spanish
8518 Shanghai Nights Juan Marsé 1993 Spanish Unknown
6401 The Fencing Master Arturo Pérez-Reverte 1988 Spanish Spanish
8909 Carreteras Secundarias Ignacio Martínez de Pisón 1996 Spanish Spanish
9367 Rosario Tijeras Jorge Franco 1999 Colombian Spanish
1809 The Shadow of the Wind Carlos Ruiz Zafon 2001 Spanish Spanish
11017 Camino de Perdición Luis Mateo Díez 2007 Spanish Spanish
7186 A Funny Dirty Little War Osvaldo Soriano 1983 Argentinian Spanish
10382 Memories Of My Melancholy Whores Gabriel García Márquez 2004 Colombian Spanish
11018 Desolation Island Adolfo García Ortega 2014 Spanish Unknown
4679 Of Love And Other Demons Gabriel García Márquez 1994 Colombian Spanish
8386 Ella Cantaba Boleros Guillermo Cabrera Infante 1992 Cuban Spanish
2114 The Luminous Novel Mario Levrero 2005 Uruguayan Spanish
8296 La Guerra De Galio Héctor Aguilar Camín 1991 Mexican Spanish
6140 Tear This Heart Out Ángeles Mastreta 1985 Mexican Spanish
7624 Arturo, La Estrella Más Brillante Reinaldo Arenas 1984 Cuban Unknown
9373 The African Shore Rodrigo Rey Rosa 1999 Guatemalan Spanish
8629 Custody Of The Eyes Diamela Eltit 1994 Chilean Spanish