The Most Important Books of the Last Twenty Years

"The end of December is a time when we are bombarded with end-of-year lists—so much so that they start to blur together. But what about the books that stay with us for years? In an effort to come up with a more enduring, definitive list, I reached out to some of my favorite contemporary writers and asked them to name the most important books published over the last two decades."

Article by Michele Filgate

CONTRIBUTORS
Ann Patchett · Azar Nafisi · Ben Fountain · Colson Whitehead · Colum McCann · Curtis Sittenfeld · Eileen Myles · Geoff Dyer · Jane Smiley · Jesmyn Ward · Jess Walter · Jo Ann Beard · Jonathan Franzen · Jonathan Lethem · Kaitlyn Greenidge · Lauren Groff · Leslie Jamison · Maggie Nelson · Paul Harding · Peter Straub · Patti Smith · Porochista Khakpour · Rebecca Solnit · Rick Moody · Roxane Gay · Sarah Waters · Stewart O'Nan · Ruth Ozeki · Victor LaValle

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1

2666

2666

2

A Big Enough Lie (Eric Bennett)

A Big Enough Lie (Eric Bennett)

3

A Fine Balance

A Fine Balance

4

A Little Life (Hanya Yanagihara)

A Little Life (Hanya Yanagihara)

5

A Madman Dreams of Turing Machines (Janna Levin)

A Madman Dreams of Turing Machines (Janna Levin)

6

A Visit From the Goon Squad

A Visit From the Goon Squad

7

Against Identity (Leon Wieseltier)

Against Identity (Leon Wieseltier)

8

All Souls' Rising (Madison Smartt Bell)

All Souls' Rising (Madison Smartt Bell)

9

Americanah (Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie)

Americanah (Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie)

10

Behind the Beautiful Forevers

Behind the Beautiful Forevers

11

Before You Suffocate Your Own Fool Self

Before You Suffocate Your Own Fool Self

12

Beneath the Roses (Gregory Crewdson)

Beneath the Roses (Gregory Crewdson)

13

Between the World and Me (Ta-Nehisi Coates)

Between the World and Me (Ta-Nehisi Coates)

14

Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk

Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk

15

Birds of America

Birds of America

16

Blue Nights

Blue Nights

17

Brick Lane

Brick Lane

18

Brief Wonderous Life of Oscar Wao

Brief Wonderous Life of Oscar Wao

19

Brother, I'm Dying (Edwidge Danticat)

Brother, I'm Dying (Edwidge Danticat)

20

Building Stories

Building Stories

21

Capital in the 21st Century (Thomas Piketty)

Capital in the 21st Century (Thomas Piketty)

22

Citizen (Claudia Rankine)

Citizen (Claudia Rankine)

23

Cloud Atlas (David Mitchell)

Cloud Atlas (David Mitchell)

24

Collected Stories (Lorrie More)

Collected Stories (Lorrie More)

25

Command and Control

Command and Control

26

The Conference of the Birds (Peter Sís)

The Conference of the Birds (Peter Sís)

27

Counternarratives (John Keene)

Counternarratives (John Keene)

28

Debt: The First 5000 Years (David Graeber)

Debt: The First 5000 Years (David Graeber)

29

Decreation: Poetry, Essays, Opera (Anne Carson)

Decreation: Poetry, Essays, Opera (Anne Carson)

30

Disgrace (J. M. Coetzee)

Disgrace (J. M. Coetzee)

31

Drown, Junot Diaz

Drown, Junot Diaz

32

Eaarth: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet (Bill McKibbin)

Eaarth: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet (Bill McKibbin)

33

Falling Out of Time (David Grossman)

Falling Out of Time (David Grossman)

34

Fight Club (Chuck Palahniuk)

Fight Club (Chuck Palahniuk)

35

For the Relief of Unbearable Urges (Nathan Englander)

For the Relief of Unbearable Urges (Nathan Englander)

36

Gilead (Marilynne Robinson)

Gilead (Marilynne Robinson)

37

Global Crisis (Geoffrey Parker)

Global Crisis (Geoffrey Parker)

38

Half of a Yellow Sun (Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie)

Half of a Yellow Sun (Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie)

39

Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage (Alice Munro)

Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage (Alice Munro)

40

Head off & Split

Head off & Split

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