Famous Russian writers of the 20th century. One of the strangest novels
33 best books according to users of Goodreads - the most authoritative online portal for book lovers. Yesterday, Book Day was celebrated all over the world. Therefore, we invite you to pay attention to the list, which includes the best works published in the twentieth century. We remember some of the books presented from school, while others are not so well known in Russia, but will undoubtedly bring a lot of aesthetic pleasure. The overall user rating of the Goodreads portal includes 4,560 books and takes into account the votes of more than 30,000 users and regular readers of the site. Among them are eminent critics, publicists and modern writers who have earned the right to publication. In honor of this symbolic date, we suggest that you familiarize yourself with the list of reading preferences abroad and remember the best quotes from your favorite books.
To Kill a Mockingbird
Author of the book: Harper Lee “Courage is when you know in advance that you have lost, and yet you get down to business and, despite everything in the world, go to the end. You win very rarely, but sometimes you still win.”1984
Author of the book: George Orwell "Just because you are in the minority - and even in the singular - does not mean that you are mad" Lord of the Rings
Author of the book: John Ronald Reuel Tolkien "Many of the living deserve to die. And others perish, although they deserve a long life. Can you reward them? So do not rush to hand out death sentences. Even the wisest cannot foresee everything." Catcher in the rye
Author of the book: Jerome David Salinger “If a beautiful girl comes to a date, who will be upset that she is late? Nobody!” The Great Gatsby
Author of the book: Francis Scott Fitzgerald “If you suddenly want to judge someone, remember that not all people in the world have the advantages that you had.” Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
Author of the book: JK Rowling “Truth is the most beautiful, but at the same time the most dangerous thing. And therefore it must be approached with great caution.” Anne Frank's Diary
Author of the book: Anne Frank “You recognize a person only after a real quarrel. Only then does he show his true character” A little prince
Author of the book: Antoine de Saint-Exupery "It is much more difficult to judge yourself than others. If you can judge yourself correctly, then you are truly wise" The Grapes of Wrath
Author of the book: John Steinbeck "Anyone can despair. But to control yourself, you need to be human" 451 degrees Fahrenheit
Author of the book: Ray Bradbury "There are crimes worse than burning books. For example, not reading them" One Hundred Years of Solitude
Author of the book: Gabriel García Márquez “A prosperous old age is the ability to come to terms with your loneliness” O brave new world
Author of the book: Aldous Huxley “In its natural form, happiness always looks pathetic next to the flowery embellishments of unhappiness. And, of course, stability is much less colorful than instability. And contentment is completely devoid of the romance of battles with evil fate, there is no colorful struggle with temptation, no halo disastrous doubts and passions. Happiness is devoid of grandiose effects." Gone With the Wind
Author of the book: Margaret Mitchell "A man cannot move forward if his soul is corroded by the pain of memories" Lord of the Flies
Author of the book: William Golding “If a face changes completely depending on whether it is illuminated from above or from below, what is the face worth? And what is everything worth then?” Slaughterhouse-Five or the Children's Crusade
Author of the book: Kurt Vonnegut "One of the most important consequences of war is that people eventually become disillusioned with heroism." Lolita
Author of the book: Vladimir Nabokov “Lolita, the light of my life, the fire of my loins. My sin, my soul. Lo-li-ta: the tip of the tongue takes three steps down the sky, so that on the third it will bump against the teeth. Lo. Li .Ta" Over the cuckoo's nest
Author of the book: Ken Kesey “You are never truly strong until you learn to see the funny side of everything.” The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Author of the book: Douglas Adams “This planet has - or rather, had - one problem: most of the people living on it did nothing but suffer, because they did not find happiness in life. Many solutions were born, but almost all of them came down to the redistribution of small green pieces of paper - which in itself is very strange, since some people, even small green pieces of paper, did not experience any suffering, because they were not looking for happiness" A crack in time
Author of the book: Madeleine Langl “One thing I know for sure is that you don’t have to understand what’s what to understand what’s going on.” The Handmaid's Tale
Author of the book: Margaret Atwood "No one dies from lack of sex. They die from lack of love" Memoirs of a Geisha
Author of the book: Arthur Golden “Sometimes we get into trouble only because we imagine the world as we picture it in our imagination, and not as it really is.” Outsider
Author of the book: Albert Camus “And then I saw a string of faces opposite. They were all looking at me, and I realized that these were the jury. But I could not distinguish them, they were somehow the same. It seemed to me that I had entered a tram, in front of me There are passengers sitting in a row - faceless strangers - and everyone is staring at me and trying to spot something to laugh at." The Chronicles of Narnia
Author of the book: Clive Staples Lewis “What kind of person you are and where you look from depends on what you see and hear!” Charlotte's Web
Book Author: Alvin Brooks White "If this is what we call freedom, I'd rather stay in the barn!" A tree grows in Brooklyn
Author of the book: Betty Smith "The ability to forgive is a great gift. Moreover, it costs nothing." Ender `s game
Author of the book: Orson Scott Card “With real understanding, which allows you to defeat the enemy, comes love for him. Apparently, it is impossible to get to know someone, to delve into his desires and faith, without loving how he loves himself. And in this very moment of love ... - You win" Night
Author of the book: Elie Wiesel "I blessed God for creating dirt in His endless and wonderful world" The Old Man and the Sea
Author of the book: Ernest Hemingway “Man is not made to suffer defeat. Man can be destroyed, but he cannot be defeated.” Atlas Shrugged
Author of the book: Ayn Rand "In my opinion, there is only one form of human failure - the loss of purpose" Generous tree
Author of the book: Shel Silverstein "And the Apple Tree Was Happy" Ship Hill
Author of the book: Richard Adams “Animals do not behave like people. They fight when they have to fight, and they kill when they have to kill. But they will never turn all their natural resourcefulness and sharpness into just inventing a new way to cripple life another living being. They never lose their sense of self-worth and animality." Under a glass cover
Author of the book: Sylvia Plath “From somewhere far away I will see a person who seems perfect to me, but as soon as he comes closer, I will begin to discover one flaw in him after another and in the end I will decide that he is no good at all.” Prayer for Owen Meany
Author of the book: John Irving “When a loved one dies unexpectedly, you don’t lose him right away. It happens gradually, step by step, over a long time - so the letters stop coming, then the familiar smell evaporates from the pillows, and then from the wardrobe and boxes. Gradually you accumulate in your consciousness some disappearing parts of this person; and then the day comes when you notice: something special has disappeared, and you have a nagging feeling that this person is no more and will never be; , and it turns out that something else has disappeared..." The Goodreads website was founded in 2006. The purpose of creating the site is to enable people to find and use books that they need and are interested in. Since the portal's existence, 395 million books have been placed in its catalogs and more than 20,000 book clubs have been created. At a time when Russia was solemnly celebrating the beginning of a new, 20th century, writers whose work reached its peak in the 19th century—L. Tolstoy, Chekhov, Korolenko—still continued their activities. The voice of Tolstoy the publicist sounded throughout the world, inspiring people with disgust for violence, lies, injustice and calling for love, mercy, and brotherhood. In 1903, at the age of 75, the writer created one of his best stories, “After the Ball,” and a year later he completed work on the story “Hadji Murat.” At the beginning of the 20th century, Chekhov wrote his famous plays, which are still popular today, “Three Sisters” and “The Cherry Orchard.” Korolenko is working on “The History of My Contemporary”, on articles and memoirs.
But the poets and prose writers of new generations who were destined to connect their fate with the 20th century are becoming more and more noticeable - M. Gorky, L. Andreev, I. Bunin, A. Kuprin. A. Blok, A. N. Tolstoy, later - V. Mayakovsky, S. Yesenin, M. Tsvetaeva. M. Sholokhov comes to literature. K. Paustovsky, M. Bulgakov, A. Platonov, N. Zabolotsky, A. Tvardovsky, and finally - A. Solzhenitsyn, V. Rasputin and others.
The 20th century is a time of greatest tragedies and achievements in the history of Russia and mankind. It is not for nothing that Blok, in his poem “Retribution,” prophetically predicted that “black, earthly blood” promises “unprecedented revolts” and “unheard-of changes.”
And, indeed, less than four years after these lines were written, the First World War broke out, and three years later, two revolutions broke out - the February and October 1917 revolutions, which radically changed the life of the country: the great and tragic seventieth anniversary of Soviet power began. 24 years after the revolution, an unprecedented war in the world began with Nazi Germany. How many dead literature has mourned, how many broken lives it has depicted! The people achieved victory, but at what cost! You will read (or re-read) Sholokhov’s story “The Fate of a Man.” His hero lost everything during the war and found some semblance of happiness only in an adopted boy. Everything significant that has been created in the literature about the Great Patriotic War bears reflections of the heroic and - we repeat - the tragic era.
The fates of writers of the 20th century were not easy. The martyrology, which was once compiled by A. I. Herzen, was continued in the twentieth century. At the age of forty, essentially broken by hardships and suffering, Blok died. Unable to find a place for himself in contemporary reality, Yesenin committed suicide at the age of thirty. Due to personal troubles, 37-year-old Mayakovsky shot himself. Unable to bear the difficulties of the war years and loneliness, M. Tsvetaeva, who had previously been in exile for many years, hanged herself at the age of 49. Bunin, Kuprin and many other writers were forced to leave their native country during the Civil War. Kuprin returned to the Soviet Union in 1937, shortly before his death, and Bunin died in a foreign land. A. I. Solzhenitsyn spent several years as a prisoner in the Gulag, and upon his release, he was soon deported outside the country.
But we would make an irreparable mistake if we presented all the literature of the 20th century in such gloomy tones. Even those writers who came into conflict with the authorities and Soviet reality did not give in to despair. From the literature of the 19th century, Russian literature of the 20th century took the baton of high ideals, morality, and humanism. This is easy to see by reading the stories and story “Childhood” by M. Gorky, the works of A. Kuprin, I. Bunin and other writers. “But still... still there are lights ahead!..” exclaimed Korolenko. “The clouds won’t hide the sun, no, they won’t!” - Gorky seemed to echo him. “Erase random features, / And you will see - the world is beautiful!” - these words belong to Blok, who created more than one sad, even pessimistic poem. Literature called on readers not to give up, to overcome the incredible trials that befell them. Bunin, who was in exile, highly appreciated Tvardovsky's war poem "Vasily Terkin", the hero of which is a resilient Russian soldier. Writers such as Mayakovsky, Sholokhov, Paustovsky, Tvardovsky, each in their own way participated in the transformations unfolding in the country, trying to instill in readers faith in the future with their artistic words and increase their vital activity.
Both in the pre-war and during the war years, and in our days, Russian literature has done and is doing a lot to ensure that justice, purity of feelings and relationships triumph in the country, so that everything that is denoted by the short and succinct word “evil” goes into the irrevocable past. - political tyranny, rudeness of the balls (Bulgakov's "Heart of a Dog"), veneration of rank, reaching the loss of human appearance, to self-abasement (Mayakovsky's satire), selfishness, self-interest, acquisitiveness (Thaddeus from Solzhenitsyn's story "Matrenin's Dvor"). The deep respect of the reader was earned by such heroes of literature of the 20th century as Andrei Sokolov from Sholokhov’s story “The Fate of a Man”, a young teacher from V. Rasputin’s story “French Lessons”, Matryona from A. Solzhenitsyn’s story “Matrenin’s Dvor” and others.
Russian writers of the 20th century continue and develop the realistic traditions of their predecessors. At the same time, many of them write in a romantic manner: K. Paustovsky. M. Prishvin, K). Kazakov.
And what a variety of genres distinguishes Russian literature of the 20th century! Here are novels (Gorky, Sholokhov), and poems (Tvardovsky), short stories and tales - realistic (Bunin, Kuprin, Shukshin, Kazakov), satirical (Bulgakov), fantastic (Green); here are dramatic works (Marshak), and cycles of novels and short stories (V. Astafiev), and tales (Bazhov), and rich lyrics.
Russian writers of the 20th century enriched the visual and expressive possibilities of literature with musicality, songlike verse (Blok, Yesenin), colloquial and oratorical verse (Mayakovsky), compressed, as if compressed to the limit, speech (Tsvetaeva), melted in the crucible of talent with folk speech (Sholokhov, Astafiev, Tvardovsky. Solzhenitsyn).
A list of the best books of the 20th century according to users of Goodreads, the most authoritative online portal for book lovers. The rating was compiled for April 23 - Book Day.
1. To Kill a Mockingbird
Author of the book: Harper Lee“Courage is when you know in advance that you have lost, and yet you get down to business and, despite everything in the world, go to the end. You win very rarely, but sometimes you do win.”
2. 1984
Author of the book: George Orwell“Just because you’re in the minority—even in the singular—doesn’t mean you’re crazy.”
3. Lord of the Rings
Author of the book: John Ronald Reuel Tolkien“Many of the living deserve to die. And others die, although they deserve a long life. Can you reward them? So don't rush to hand out death sentences. Even the wisest cannot foresee everything.”
4. Catcher in the Rye
Author of the book: Jerome David Salinger“If a girl comes on a date and looks beautiful, who will be upset that she is late? Nobody!".
5. The Great Gatsby
Author of the book: Francis Scott Fitzgerald“If you suddenly want to judge someone, remember that not all people in the world have the advantages that you had.”
6. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
Author of the book: JK Rowling“Truth is the most beautiful, but at the same time the most dangerous thing. Therefore, it must be approached with great caution.”
7. The Diary of Anne Frank
Author of the book: Anne Frank“You only recognize a person after a real quarrel. Only then does he show his true character.”
8. The Little Prince
Author of the book: Antoine de Saint-Exupéry“It is much more difficult to judge yourself than others. If you can judge yourself correctly, then you are truly wise.”
9. The Grapes of Wrath
Author of the book: John Steinbeck“Anyone can despair. But to control yourself, you need to be human.”
10. 451 degrees Fahrenheit
Author of the book: Ray Bradbury“There are worse crimes than burning books. For example, don’t read them.”
11. One Hundred Years of Solitude
Author of the book: Gabriel García Márquez“A prosperous old age is the ability to come to terms with your loneliness.”
12. Brave New World
Author of the book: Aldous Huxley“In its natural form, happiness always looks miserable next to the flowery embellishments of unhappiness. And, of course, stability is much less colorful than instability. And contentment is completely devoid of the romance of battles with evil fate, there is no colorful struggle with temptation, there is no aura of disastrous doubts and passions. Happiness has no grandiose effects.”
13. Gone with the Wind
Author of the book: Margaret Mitchell“A person cannot move forward if his soul is corroded by the pain of memories.”
14. Lord of the Flies
Author of the book: William Golding“If the face changes completely depending on whether it is illuminated from above or below, what is the face worth? And what is everything worth then?”
15. Slaughterhouse-Five, or the Children's Crusade
Author of the book: Kurt Vonnegut“One of the great consequences of war is that people end up giving up on heroism.”
16. Lolita
Author of the book: Vladimir Nabokov“Lolita, the light of my life, the fire of my loins. My sin, my soul. Lo-li-ta: the tip of the tongue takes three steps down the palate, only to hit the teeth on the third. Lo. Lee. Ta."
17. Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Author of the book: Ken Kesey“You won’t be truly strong until you learn to see the funny side of everything.”
18. Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Author of the book: Douglas Adams“This planet has - or rather, had - one problem: most of the people living on it did nothing but suffer, because they did not find happiness in life. Many solutions were born, but almost all of them boiled down to the redistribution of small green pieces of paper - which in itself is very strange, since some, who, and the little green pieces of paper did not experience any suffering, because they were not looking for happiness.”
19. A Crack in Time
Author of the book: Madeleine Langl“One thing I know for sure is that you don’t have to understand what’s what to understand what’s going on.”
20. The Handmaid's Tale
Author of the book: Margaret Atwood“No one dies from lack of sex. They die from lack of love.”
21. Memoirs of a Geisha
Author of the book: Arthur Golden“Sometimes we get into trouble just because we imagine the world as we picture it in our imagination, and not as it really is.”
22. Outsider
Author of the book: Albert Camus“And then I saw a line of faces opposite. They all looked at me, and I realized that these were the jury. But I couldn’t tell them apart, they were somehow the same. It seemed to me that I had entered a tram, passengers were sitting in a row in front of me - faceless strangers - and everyone was staring at me and trying to spot something to laugh at.”
23. Chronicles of Narnia
Author of the book: Clive Staples Lewis“What kind of person you are and where you look from depends on what you see and hear!”
24. Charlotte's Web
Book Author: Alvin Brooks White“If this is what we call freedom, then I’d rather stay in the barn!”
25. A tree grows in Brooklyn
Author of the book: Betty Smith“The ability to forgive is a great gift. Moreover, it costs nothing.”
26. Ender's Game
Author of the book: Orson Scott Card“With true understanding to defeat the enemy comes love for him. Apparently, it is impossible to get to know someone, to delve into their desires and faith, without loving them as they love themselves. And at this very moment of love...
“You are winning.”
27. Night
Author of the book: Elie Wiesel“I blessed God for creating dirt in His endless and wonderful world.”
28. The Old Man and the Sea
Author of the book: Ernest Hemingway“Man was not created to suffer defeat. Man can be destroyed, but he cannot be defeated.”
29. Atlas Shrugged
Author of the book: Ayn Rand“In my opinion, there is only one form of human downfall: the loss of purpose.”
30. Generous tree
Author of the book: Shel Silverstein“And the apple tree was happy.”
31. Ship Hill
Author of the book: Richard Adams“Animals don’t behave like people. They fight when they have to fight, and they kill when they have to kill. But they will never use all their natural resourcefulness and ingenuity only to invent a new way to cripple the life of another living creature. They never lose their sense of self-worth and animality.”
32. The Bell Jar
Author of the book: Sylvia Plath“From somewhere far away I will see a person who seems perfect to me, but as soon as he comes closer, I will begin to discover one flaw in him after another, and in the end I will decide that he is no good at all.”
33. Prayer for Owen Meany
Author of the book: John Irving“When a loved one dies unexpectedly, you don’t lose them right away. This happens gradually, step by step, over a long period of time - so the letters stop coming - then the familiar smell has disappeared from the pillows, and then from the wardrobe and drawers. Gradually you accumulate in your consciousness some disappearing parts of this person; and then the day comes when you notice that something special has disappeared, and you are overcome by a nagging feeling that this person is no longer there and will never be; and then another day comes, and it turns out that something else has disappeared...”
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vk.com/docs
Several periods can be distinguished in Russian literature of the 20th century. The first two decades were called the “Silver Age”: this was an era of rapid development of literary trends, the emergence of a whole galaxy of brilliant Masters of Words. The literature of this period exposed the deep contradictions that arose in the society of that time. Writers were no longer satisfied with the classical canons; the search for new forms and new ideas began. Universal, philosophical themes about the meaning of existence, morality, and spirituality come to the fore. More and more religious themes began to appear.
Three main literary trends were clearly identified: realism, modernism and the Russian avant-garde. The principles of romanticism are also being revived, this is especially clearly represented in the works of V. Korolenko and A. Green.
In the 1930s, a “great turning point” emerged: thousands of members of the intelligentsia were subjected to repression, and the existence of severe censorship slowed down the development of literary processes.
With the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, a new direction appeared in Russian literature - military. Initially, genres close to journalism were popular - features, essays, reports. Later, monumental paintings would appear that captured all the horrors of war and the fight against fascism. These are works by L. Andreev, F. Abramov, V. Astafiev, Yu. Bondarev, V. Bykov.
The second half of the 20th century is characterized by diversity and inconsistency. This is largely due to the fact that the development of literature was largely determined by the ruling structures. That is why there is such unevenness: now ideological dominance, now complete emancipation, now the commanding cry of censorship, now relaxation.
Russian writers of the 20th century
M. Gorky- one of the most significant writers and thinkers of the beginning of the century. Recognized as the founder of such a literary movement as socialist realism. His works became a “school of excellence” for writers of the new era. And Gorky’s work had a huge influence on the development of world culture. His novels and stories were translated into many languages and became a bridge connecting the Russian revolution and world culture.
Selected works:
L.N.Andreev. The work of this writer is one of the first “swallows” of emigrant Russian literature. Andreev’s work harmoniously fits into the concept of critical realism, which exposed the tragedy of social injustice. But, having joined the ranks of the white emigration, Andreev was forgotten for a long time. Although the significance of his work had a great influence on the development of the concept of realistic art.
Selected work:
A.I. Kuprin. The name of this greatest writer is undeservedly ranked lower than the names of L. Tolstoy or M. Gorky. At the same time, Kuprin’s work is a vivid example of original art, truly Russian, intelligent art. The main themes in his works: love, features of Russian capitalism, problems of the Russian army. Following Pushkin and Dostoevsky, A. Kuprin pays great attention to the theme of the “little man”. The writer also wrote many stories specifically for children.
Selected works:
K.G.Paustovsky- an amazing writer who managed to remain original, to remain true to himself. There is no revolutionary pathos, loud slogans or socialist ideas in his works. Paustovsky's main merit is that all his stories and novels seem to be standards of landscape, lyrical prose.
Selected works:
M.A. Sholokhov- a great Russian writer whose contribution to the development of world literature can hardly be overestimated. Sholokhov, following L. Tolstoy, creates amazing monumental canvases of Russian life at the most critical moments in history. Sholokhov also went down in the history of Russian literature as a singer of his native land - using the example of the life of the Don region, the writer was able to show the full depth of historical processes.
Selected works:
A.T. Tvardovsky- the brightest representative of the literature of the Soviet era, the literature of socialist realism. His work raised the most pressing problems: collectivization, repression, excesses of the idea of socialism. As the editor-in-chief of the New World magazine, A. Tvardovsky revealed to the world the names of many “forbidden” writers. It was in his light hand that A. Solzhenitsyn began to be published.
A. Tvardovsky himself remained in the history of literature as the author of the most lyrical drama about the war - the poem "Vasily Terkin".
Selected work:
B.L.Pasternak is one of the few Russian writers to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature for his novel Doctor Zhivago. Also known as a poet and translator.
Selected work:
M.A. Bulgakov... In world literature, perhaps, there is no more discussed writer than M. A. Bulgakov. The brilliant prose writer and playwright left many mysteries for future generations. His work harmoniously intertwined the ideas of humanism and religion, ruthless satire and compassion for man, the tragedy of the Russian intelligentsia and unbridled patriotism.
Selected works:
V.P. Astafiev- Russian writer in whose work the main themes were two: war and the Russian village. Moreover, all his stories and novels are realism in its most vivid embodiment.
Selected work:
- one of the most massive figures in Russian Soviet literature, and, perhaps, the most famous Turkic-language writer. His works depict various periods of Soviet history. But Aitmatov’s main merit is that he, like no one else, was able to colorfully and vividly embody the beauty of his native land on the pages.
Selected work:
With the collapse of the USSR, Russian literature entered a completely new stage of its development. Strict censorship and ideological orientation have become a thing of the past. The newfound freedom of speech became the starting point for the emergence of a whole galaxy of writers of a new generation and new directions: postmodernism, magical realism, avant-garde and others.
The best books of the 20th century are known to many lovers of good literature. Many of these masterpieces have long become cult favorites. They raise serious issues and give incredible emotions to every reader. All of the works mentioned are worthy of first place on 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 noted for its quality story about a person growing up. Author Jerome Selinger's main character, Holden Caulfield, has once again been kicked out of an elite private school. This news forced him to flee 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 he will have to upset his parents again, and because of such thoughts, the guy is unable to experience all the delights of the big city. Holden begins to grow up in the throes of doubt amid memories of a carefree childhood. He is preoccupied with 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 work of John Tolkien called “The Lord of the Rings”. This work is considered the main one in the genre of classic fantasy. No one could 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 participation in the First World War. Thus was born the story of the little hobbit Frodo, who, by the will of fate, must become the savior of the world called Middle-earth. To do this, he will have to, in the company of his faithful friends, go from the green Shire to the stronghold of evil Mordor, in order to destroy the main artifact there - the One Ring. A wide variety of adventures await him along the way, and the story is told about other interesting characters. The world is on the brink of destruction, and all hope lies in a few brave heroes.
Philosophy in simplicity
Francis Scott Fitzgerald's work, The Great Gatsby, deserves to be included in the list of the best books of the 20th century with its beautiful story. The story is told from the perspective of Nick Carraway, 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 loudest parties in the entire metropolis are constantly held. Entertainment lovers from different parts of New York come here, but no one knows about Jay’s identity. There are all kinds of legends 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 was never able to know happiness in life, even though he fully deserved it.
Fairy tale for adults and children
One of the most popular books
The 100 best books of the 20th century deservedly include the first book about the “boy who lived.” The work "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" marked the beginning of the creation of a new popular universe, which 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 true legend, because he managed to survive the deadly spell of the most powerful dark sorcerer. The first year of study brought meeting friends and finding my true home. This epic continued in the present century until the seventh part was written. The work captivates you from the very first minutes, and it is incredibly difficult to tear yourself away from reading it.
Cult science fiction
The work “Fahrenheit 451” occupies a special place in the 20th century. Author Ray Bradbury managed to perfectly show a totalitarian society where mass culture is the main one. The introduction states that the temperature in the title of this masterpiece refers to the required degree for burning paper. In such a society, the presence of books that force the reader to think about something is not allowed. To prevent this from happening, special fire brigades were founded that confiscate such literature and burn it. The story is told on behalf of an employee of such a service. He increasingly wonders why they have to start fires from valuable books instead of putting out fires. Through the thoughts of the main character and images of the people around him, the author demonstrates the vices of the current world. Individuals who have forgotten what it means to be human can be found at every turn, and the main character’s wife is a prime example of this. A science fiction classic that is a must-read for everyone.
Depressive prophecy
The 20th century could be topped by George Orwell's 1984, if judged by its dystopian quality and prophetic outlook on 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 main character, named Winston Smith, works in the Ministry of Truth in order to provide people with only the “correct” material. The figure of Big Brother, who is the ruler of this state, looms over the entire community. Everyone remembers and knows about him, although few have seen him. Through the eyes of the main character, the viewer learns all the methods of power pressure on the people. Everything comes to a paradox when people are forced to believe in a fictional reality, although before their eyes there is a completely different picture. The main character decides to join the uprising because of love, but even that has no place in such a world.
Human power
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 was included in the top best books of the 20th century. The plot tells about the Joad family preparing to go to the west of the country in search of a better life. Their small fortune forces them to do this, although no one wants to give up their California farm, which no longer generates income. After leaving, even greater troubles awaited them than in their native region. They encountered poverty, misery, and the bitterness of ordinary workers in the “Hoover Townships.” Even this failed to break the iron strength along with the desire for a better life of the main characters. They overcome any obstacles and set an example for all those around them. Thanks to this, Steinbeck was able to show that human perseverance can be highly valued. The work has not turned into a demonstration of a series of unfortunate events, and this attracts many readers.
Ode to the power of the human spirit
With his novel “The Old Man and the Sea” he almost made a revolution in literature. 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 was unable to catch anything when going out to sea. Everyone around him began to shun him, because they considered him too unlucky. Only his 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 was caught on the bait. From this moment on, the old man’s struggle with the animal begins, which does not want to become prey. The main character is burdened by the fate of a man who fights for his existence every day. At the same time, he likes the world around him, its harmony, and he does not want to violate it. His expression that a person can be destroyed, but cannot be defeated, became popular immediately after the release of the novel.
Love under social pressure
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 ending makes it clear that every 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. The plot centers on the fate of a guy named Clyde Griffiths. He is in love with a rich girl, and marriage with her will also help him satisfy his 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 at the factory, and Clyde cannot allow this fact to be made public. Under the pretext of boating on the lake, the hero decides to kill her and from that moment his life goes downhill.
Life views of an unusual person
On the list of the best books of the 20th century, Albert Camus's The Stranger is one of the most difficult to understand. It may seem to many that the plot describes the fate of an evil man, and everything ended logically, but the author laid a deeper subtext. The main character, a Frenchman named Meursault, 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 at 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 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 history
If we talk about the best books in Russia of the 20th century, then the first to mention is the masterpiece “Lolita” by Vladimir Nabokov. The author worked on his work for a long time, and halfway through he burned his creation. Later it was published in France, and it was taken over by an agency that specialized in materials for adults. As a result, the story had the effect of a bomb explosion and became a worthy alternative to the American classics. The main character Humbert has an unhealthy passion for little girls. He can only love 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 of 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 its innovation and frank history.
Truly a wonderful world
If you look for the best books on the history of the 20th century, you will find that they were published in different periods throughout the hundred years. The novel “Brave New World” by the famous writer Aldous Huxley is included in this number and is considered a classic on the level of “1984”, although it demonstrates a completely different world. The author talks about a community in 26th century London that is entirely 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 be raised in incubators. At the production stage, they are divided into castes, and after that they are endowed with the necessary knowledge. Representatives of the lower categories are artificially made less developed to perform menial work. In such a society lives the main character Lenina Crown, who works as a nurse in a human factory. Views of the world from the perspective of this character will more than once make you think about the desire for an 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, many works can be called the best books, but none of them compares with the masterpiece “The Master and Margarita”. Mikhail Bulgakov wrote this novel in agony and even burned the first versions with different names. Nevertheless, the work was destined to appear and create a sensation 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 and predicts that one of them will have his head cut off. Within a few minutes he falls onto the track and a tram runs over his neck. Further events will reveal such a broad picture to the reader that it will be simply impossible to stop reading.
The 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 of 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 the rhyme about the little blacks, there is one less of them, and no one can expose the killer. This is a classic story of blind justice that borders on revenge. The criminals decided to repent, but their killer is not interested. Using a sophisticated method, he decided to eliminate them one by one, so that in the allotted hours everyone would feel fear.