The Greatest Books of All Time on Solitude

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This list represents a comprehensive and trusted collection of the greatest books. Developed through a specialized algorithm, it brings together 759 'best of' book lists to form a definitive guide to the world's most acclaimed books. For those interested in how these books are chosen, additional details can be found on the rankings page.

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Rank Book Authors Year Country Language Actions
5 One Hundred Years of Solitude Gabriel García Márquez 1967 Colombian Spanish
108 Walden Henry David Thoreau 1854 American English
200 The Book of Disquiet Fernando Pessoa 1982 Portuguese Portuguese
373 The Duino Elegies Rainer Maria Rilke 1923 German German
593 Complete Poems of Giacomo Leopardi Giacomo Leopardi 1831 Italian Italian
809 Poems by Machado Antonio Machado 1907 Spanish Spanish
860 The Solitudes Luis de Góngora 1613 Spanish Spanish
1100 Collected Poems Of Edward Thomas Edward Thomas 1920 British English
1171 Residence on Earth Pablo Neruda 1933 Chilean Spanish
1224 The Snow Leopard Peter Matthiessen 1978 American English
1436 Letters to a Young Poet Rainer Maria Rilke 1929 Austrian German
1557 Pilgrim at Tinker Creek Annie Dillard 1974 American English
1668 Solitude Caterina Albert 1905 Spanish Catalan
1780 Poems of Pablo Neruda Pablo Neruda 1970 Chilean Spanish
1999 The Poetry of Luis Cernuda Luis Cernuda 1901 Spanish Spanish
2105 Desert Solitaire Edward Abbey 1968 American English
2161 The Poetical Works Of William Wordsworth William Wordsworth 1807 British English
2371 The Man Who Planted Trees Jean Giono 1953 French French
2572 A Longing For The Light Vicente Aleixandre 1979 Spanish Spanish
2668 Sailing Alone Around the World Joshua Slocum 1900 Canadian English
2678 H Is For Hawk Helen MacDonald 2014 British English
2780 Mist Miguel de Unamuno 1914 Spanish English
2880 Septology Jon Fosse 2019 Norwegian Norwegian
3053 The Invention of Solitude Paul Auster 1982 American English
3323 Reveries of a Solitary Walker Jean-Jacques Rousseau 1782 French French
3382 Poems Miguel de Unamuno 1907 Spanish Spanish
3389 La Realidad Y El Deseo Luis Cernuda 1936 Spanish Spanish
3531 An Unnecessary Woman Rabih Alameddine 2013 Lebanese English
3637 The Collected Songs of Cold Mountain Han Shan 600 Chinese Classical chinese
3637 Childe Harold's Pilgrimage Lord Byron 1812 British English
3808 Hotel du Lac Anita Brookner 1984 British English
3809 The Writing Life Annie Dillard 1989 American English
3939 Landscapes With Absent Figures Philippe Jacottet 1970 French French
4280 Poem Of The Mountain Marina Tsvetayeva 1924 Russian Russian
4281 Air Of Solitude Gustave Roud 1945 Swiss French
4451 Gift From The Sea Anne Morrow Lindbergh 1955 American English
4480 The Private Papers Of Henry Ryecroft George Gissing 1903 British English
4789 Travels with a Donkey in the Cévennes Robert Louis Stevenson 1879 British English
4798 Nature Ralph Waldo Emerson 1836 American English
5390 The Poems of Emily Bronte Emily Brontë 1846 British English
5464 In The Solitude Of Cotton Fields Bernard-Marie Koltès 1986 French French
5818 René François-Auguste-René de Chateaubriand 1802 French French
5860 Selected Poetry Rainer Maria Rilke 1902 German German
5860 Twenty Love Poems And A Song Of Despair Pablo Neruda 1924 Chilean Spanish
5910 Poems Of Fernando Pessoa Fernando Pessoa 1942 Portuguese Portuguese
5906 Thomas The Obscure Maurice Blanchot 1941 French French
5947 The Afternoon of a Writer Peter Handke 1987 Austrian German
5952 Collected Stories Gabriel García Márquez 1996 Colombian Spanish
6002 Le Bavard Louis-René Des Forêts 1946 French French
6002 Mes Heures Perdues Félix Arvers 1833 French French
6002 The Life Of Rancé François-Auguste-René de Chateaubriand 1844 French French
6122 Inland Gerald Murnane 1988 Australian English
6340 Reise Durch Die Nacht Friederike Mayröcker 1986 Austrian German
6443 The Long Way Bernard Moitessier 1971 French French
7001 Collected Poems Jack Gilbert 2012 American English
7215 Poems Of Fray Luis De León Fray Luis de León 1582 Spanish Spanish
7215 Poetic Meditations Alphonse de Lamartine 1820 French French
7215 Poems Of Alfred De Vigny Alfred de Vigny 1837 French French
7215 Poems Of Stefan George Stefan George 1897 German German
7215 Poems Of Frederick Goddard Tuckerman Frederick Goddard Tuckerman 1860 American English
7215 Poems Of Henry David Thoreau Henry David Thoreau 1895 American English
7215 Selected Poems Giuseppe Ungaretti 1942 Italian Italian
7215 The Keeper Of Sheep Fernando Pessoa 1925 Portuguese Portuguese
7215 Exile And Other Poems Saint-John Perse 1942 French French
7215 Poems Of Max Jacob Max Jacob 1917 French French
7215 Collected Poems Walter de la Mare 1920 British English
7215 A Mind At Peace Ahmet Hamdi Tanpınar 1949 Turkish Turkish
7215 Tamarisk Row Gerald Murnane 1974 Australian English
7215 The Empty Book Josefina Vicens 1958 Mexican English
7605 Writing Marguerite Duras 1993 French French
7711 The Snow Of The Admiral Alvaro Mutis 1986 Colombian Spanish
7860 The Plains Gerald Murnane 1982 Australian English
8008 Poems Of Philippe Jacottet Philippe Jacottet 1953 French French
8098 Selected Poems Tomas Tranströmer 1981 Swedish Swedish
8340 The Poems Of Li Po Li Po -750 Chinese Classical chinese
8353 Libertinagem Manuel Bandeira 1930 Brazilian Portuguese
8439 Diaries 1959 1971 Alejandra Pizarnik 2003 Argentinian Spanish
8468 Poems Of Anne Hébert Anne Hébert 1960 Canadian French
8520 Ring Of Bright Water Gavin Maxwell 1960 British English
8520 The Outermost House Henry Beston 1928 American English
8734 Poems Of Sophia De Mello Breyner Sophia de Mello Breyner 1964 Portuguese Portuguese
8734 Poems Of Mark Strand Mark Strand 1964 American English
9056 Pond Claire-Louise Bennett 2015 Irish English
9289 Poems Of J. V. Foix J. V. Foix 1970 Catalan Catalan
9545 The Owl's Insomnia Rafael Alberti 1972 Spanish Spanish
9545 Selected Poems Lars Gustafsson 1972 Swedish Swedish
9832 Poems Of Pierre Reverdy Pierre Reverdy 1975 French French
9832 Fully Empowered Pablo Neruda 1975 Chilean Spanish
9941 Joseph Marie-Hélène Lafon 2014 French French
10036 Poems Of Eugénio De Andrade Eugénio de Andrade 1977 Portuguese Portuguese
10168 The Solace of Open Spaces Gretel Ehrlich 1985 American English
10219 Doctor Pasavento Enrique Vila-Matas 2005 Spanish Spanish
10258 Slow Homecoming Peter Handke 1979 Austrian German
10406 Selected Longer Poems A. R. Ammons 1980 American English
11022 Poems Of Charles Simic Charles Simic 1985 American English
11360 La Vie Rêvée Antonia Pozzi Italian Italian
11360 My Love Ishikawa Takuboku Japanese Japanese
11360 The Pencil Territory Robert Walser Swiss Unknown
11387 Always Astonished Fernando Pessoa 1988 Portuguese Portuguese
11530 Poems of Matsuo Bashō Matsuo Bashō 1601 Japanese Japanese
11544 Selected Poems of Gabriela Mistral Gabriela Mistral 1922 Chilean Spanish
11579 A Country Year Sue Hubbell 1986 American English
11650 Above The River James Wright 1990 American English
11650 Mammoth Eva Baltasar 2022 Catalan Catalan
11811 The Riverhouse Stories Andrea Carlisle 1987 American English
12383 Dark Harbor Mark Strand 1993 American English
13332 North Pole Landscape Painting Wumingshi 1943 Chinese Unknown
13359 Break Of Day Colette 1928 French French
13359 Voyage Around My Room Xavier de Maistre 1794 French French
13359 The Spice Box Of Earth Leonard Cohen 1961 Canadian English
13599 Raboliot Maurice Genevoix 1925 French French
13599 The Priest Beatrix Beck 1952 French French
13599 The Fruits Of Winter Bernard Clavel 1968 French French
13599 The Roving Shadows Pascal Quignard 2002 French English
14232 Journal Of A Solitude May Sarton 1973 American English
14787 The Three Hundred Tang Poems China 1763 Chinese Chinese
14830 Listen To The Warm Rod McKuen 1967 American English
14857 Alone Richard Byrd 1938 American English
14983 Grizzly Years Doug Peacock 1990 American English
14983 Sailing Alone Around The Room Billy Collins 2001 American English