The best books of the 20th century: rating

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

The best books of the 20th century are known to many lovers of good literature. Many of these masterpieces have long been cult. They raise serious issues and give incredible emotions to every reader. All the mentioned works are worthy of the first place in the list, as they are required reading.

Reflections with a touch of satire

Among the best books of the 20th century, The Catcher in the Rye is marked by a quality story about growing up. Author Jerome Selinger's protagonist, Holden Caulfield, has once again been kicked out of an elite private school. This news made him run away in the middle of the night. So he got to New York, where he tried to indulge in the joys of life. He understands that his parents will have to be upset again, and because of such thoughts, the guy fails to feel all the delights of the big city. Holden begins to grow up in the throes of doubt amid memories of a carefree childhood. He cares about the evil world of adults, and the transition between these states is too painful.

Legendary fantasy

In the best books of the 20th century it is impossible not to include the legendary creation of John Tolkien called "The Lord of the Rings". ExactlyThis work is considered the main one in the genre of classical fantasy. No one would have thought that the author would be able to create such a well-developed universe with its own races and a huge number of characters. The author based his books on the mythologies of different peoples, ancient beliefs and his own experience of participating in the First World War. Thus was born the story of the little hobbit Frodo, who, by the will of fate, should become the savior of the world called Middle-earth. To do this, in the company of true friends, he will have to go from the green Shire to the stronghold of evil Mordor, in order to destroy the main artifact there - the Ring of Omnipotence. On the way, a wide variety of adventures await him, while the story is about other interesting characters. The world is on the brink of destruction, and all hope is in a few brave heroes.

Philosophy in simplicity

Francis Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, with its beautiful story, deserves to be included in the list of the best books of the 20th century. The story is told from the perspective of Nick Kerraway, who moved to New York after World War I to work on the stock exchanges. He learns about the mysterious Mr. Jay Gatsby who lives next door. He has a beautiful villa with a huge living space, where the noisiest parties in the entire metropolis are constantly held. Entertainment lovers come here from all over New York, but no one knows about Jay's personality. A wide variety of legends circulate about him, and one day the owner of the villa shows himself to Nick. Before him appears a successful and good-natured man,who also participated in the last war. Only in the course of the story, the philosophy of the work shows a person who has achieved everything, who has not been able to know happiness in life, even though he fully deserved it.

A fairy tale for adults and children

The work of Antoine de Saint-Exupery "The Little Prince" is not in vain considered a world classic and is included in the 100 best books of the 20th century. Anyone can find something for themselves in this story. The plot begins with the fact that the pilot crashes in the desert and meets a boy there. He flew in from the distant planet B-612 and decided to share his story with the pilot. The guy begins to talk about his homeland with three volcanoes and a beautiful Rose, about the fight against baobabs that constantly cut through the surface of the asteroid. One day, he is overwhelmed by sadness due to being limited by his own planet. The prince began to travel. In the universe, he managed to meet the most amazing personalities. He saw a king who considered himself the supreme ruler of all the stars, an enterprising merchant who was looking for an opportunity to buy the most profitable celestial bodies. I even saw a drunkard who continues to take alcohol because he is ashamed of his bad habit. This story can be regarded as a fairy tale, but if you dig deeper, you will open up discussions about the adult world through the eyes of a child.

One of the most popular books

The 100 best books of the 20th century deservedly included the first book about "the boy who lived." The work "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" marked the beginning of the creationa new popular universe that now has millions of fans. The story captivated children and adults with its simplicity, style and attention to detail. It all starts with the fact that an ordinary guy named Harry receives an invitation to study at Hogwarts School of Wizardry. In the world of magic, he is a real legend, because he managed to survive after the deadly spell of the most powerful dark sorcerer. The first year of study brought acquaintance with friends and finding their true home. This epic continued in the current century until the writing of the seventh part. The work captures from the very first minutes, and it is incredibly difficult to tear yourself away from reading it.

Cult sci-fi

The work "451 degrees Fahrenheit" in the ranking of the best books of the 20th century occupies a special place. The author Ray Bradbury managed to perfectly show a totalitarian society, where mass culture is the main one. In the introduction, it is indicated that the temperature in the title of this masterpiece indicates the required degree for burning paper. In such a society, books that make the reader think about something are not allowed. To prevent this from happening, special fire brigades were founded to confiscate such literature and burn it. The narration is conducted on behalf of an employee of such a service. He wonders more and more why they have to make fires from valuable books instead of putting out fires. Through the thoughts of the protagonist and the images of the surrounding people, the author demonstrates the vices of the current world. Individuals who have forgottenabout what it means to be people are found at every turn, and the wife of the protagonist is a vivid example of this. The sci-fi classic is a must-read for everyone.

Depressive prophecy

The ranking of the best books of the 20th century could be topped by George Orwell's 1984, when measured by the quality of the dystopia and prophetic views into the future. The English writer seemed to look through the veil of time in the middle of the last century and managed to show the state of the world now. He does not talk about specific time dates, but creates a powerful atmosphere of total control. The protagonist named Winston Smith works at the Ministry of Truth in order to give people only the “right” material. The figure of Big Brother, who is the ruler of this state, hangs over the entire community. Everyone remembers and knows about him, although few have seen him. Through the eyes of the protagonist, the viewer learns all the methods of government pressure on the people. Everything comes to a paradox when people are forced to believe in a fictional reality, although there is a completely different picture before their eyes. The protagonist decides to join the rebellion because of love, but even she has no place in such a world.

Human strength

Many people know that persistence in achieving certain goals can help overcome any difficulties. It was this idea that became the main one in John Steinbeck's masterpiece The Grapes of Wrath, which entered the top of the best books of the 20th century. The plot tells about the Joad family, which is preparing to go to the west of the country in search of a better life. Their little fortuneforces them to do so, even though no one is willing to abandon a farm in California that no longer generates income. After their departure, even greater troubles awaited them than in their native region. They faced poverty, misery, and the bitterness of ordinary workers in the Hoover Villages. Even this failed to break the iron strength, along with the desire for a better life for the main characters. They overcome any obstacles and set an example for all the people around them. Thanks to this, Steinbeck was able to show that the perseverance of a person can be highly appreciated. The work did not turn into a series of unfortunate events, and this attracts many readers.

Ode to the power of the human spirit

Ernest Hemingway almost revolutionized literature with his novel The Old Man and the Sea. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for this creation, and it deservedly entered the list of the best books of the 20th century. The story is based on the bad luck of an ordinary fisherman Santiago, who for almost three months could not catch anything when he went out to sea. Everyone around him began to shun him, because they considered him too unlucky. Only a faithful friend Manolin continues to go out with him in search of prey in open waters, although his father does not allow the guy to do this. On the 85th day, Santiago was lucky - a huge marlin fell into the bait. From this moment, the struggle of the old man with the animal begins, which does not want to become prey. The protagonist is weighed down by the fate of a man who fights for his existence every day. At the same time, he likes the world around him, his harmony, and he does not want to violate it. His expression abouta person can be destroyed, but not defeated in any way, became winged immediately after the release of the novel.

Love under the pressure of society

Theodore Dreiser had a unique style of writing his masterpieces. It may seem to the reader that there is simply no deep philosophy in the context, but at the end of the story everything changes. The final makes it clear that each part of the work is located where it should be. A striking example of this is "An American Tragedy" - a work that was included in the list of the best foreign books of the 20th century. In the center of the plot is the fate of a guy named Clyde Griffiths. He is in love with a rich girl, and marriage to her will also help him satisfy powerful ambitions. Only at this time, the poor girl Roberta Alden announces to him that she is expecting a child from him. They work together in a factory, and Clyde can't let that fact come out. Under the pretext of boating on the lake, the hero decides to kill her, and from that moment on, his life goes downhill.

Life views of an unusual person

In the list of the best books of the 20th century, Albert Camus' "The Outsider" is one of the most difficult to comprehend. It may seem to many that the plot describes the fate of an evil person, and everything ended logically, but the author laid the subtext deeper. The protagonist is a Frenchman by the name of Meursault, who lives in colonial Algeria. The author does not focus on his personality, but rather shows his actions. First, the text describes the death of the mother, then the murder of a resident in the city by the hands of the central character. The final part of the book is the trial of the guilty. With all his actions, Meursault shows that human life means nothing to him, because even at the funeral of his own mother, he did not shed a single tear. Albert Camus in this book showed his signature style of criticism of intelligent humanism, which attracted the attention of society.

A novel with a difficult story

If we talk about the best books of Russia of the 20th century, the first to be mentioned is the masterpiece "Lolita" by Vladimir Nabokov. The author worked on his work for a long time, and in the middle of the way he burned his creation. It was later published in France by an agency that specialized in adult content. As a result, the narrative produced the effect of a bomb explosion and became a worthy alternative to the American classics. The protagonist Humbert has an unhe althy passion for little girls. He can love only them, for which he hates himself with all his heart. A man is able to think soberly, is not devoid of irony and is far from stupid, but he cannot do anything with his desire. The story tells about his relationship with a twelve-year-old girl, Dolores Haze. The plot is revealed through the main character, his manner of speaking and tragic reflections on his actions with love for the child. This work was included in the list of the best Russian books of the 20th century for innovation and a frank story.

Really wonderful world

If you look for the best books in the history of the 20th century, you will find that they came out at different periods throughout the hundred years. Brave New World by acclaimed writer Aldous Huxley is one of those novels and is considered a 1984-level classic, even though it depicts a very different world. The author talks about a community in London in the 26th century, which is completely focused on consumption. For them, a new era began with the advent of the Ford T., which was the first car produced in a million copies. Henry Ford was elevated to the cult of a deity, and people began to grow in incubators. They are divided into castes at the stage of production, and after that they are endowed with the necessary knowledge. Representatives of the lower categories are artificially made less developed for doing menial work. In such a society lives the main character Lenina Crown, who works as a nurse in the production of people. Views of the world on behalf of this character will make you think more than once about striving for the ideal and the real world of humanity.

One of the strangest novels

If you get together and go through the history of the 20th century in Russia, there are many works that can be called the best books, but none of them can be compared with the masterpiece "The Master and Margarita". Mikhail Bulgakov wrote this novel in pain and even burned the first versions with different titles. Nevertheless, the work was destined to be born and make a splash with its unusual style. The author leads the storyline in the time period of the 20th century and at the same time talks about the fate of Jesus Christ. It all starts with two writers who argued about God. Suddenly, a gray-haired elderly man intervenes in their conversation, who predicts that one of them will be cut off his head. Within a few minutes, he falls onto a track, and a tram runs over his neck. Further events in front of the reader will open such a wide picture that it will be simply impossible to stop reading.

Best detectives

Among the best detective books of the 20th century, readers may especially like the work of Agatha Christie called "Ten Little Indians". The story tells about a gloomy mansion where ten people with a criminal past have gathered. They are tormented not only by conscience, but by the knowledge of imminent death. Every day, according to a count of blackness, they become one less, and no one can convict a killer. This is a classic story about blind justice that borders on revenge. The criminals decided to repent, but their killer is not interested. He decided by a sophisticated method to eliminate them one by one, so that in the allotted hours everyone would feel fear.