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Book Riot's 50 Must-Read Novels About Writers

"Given how much of their lives they spend at a desk, staring down a blank page, it is perhaps a surprise that authors write about anything else. Yet when writers do feature writers as characters, they're playing a risky game: if they get it right, they lend the work a feel of authenticity; if they get it wrong, they can stand accused of navel gazing. Here are 50 novels about writers that belong in the former camp." NOTE: Apparently there was an error in the Book Riot's list as there were only 49 books on it.
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London Fields (Martin Amis)
London Fields
1
Martin Amis
Farewell to the Sea (Reinaldo Arenas)
Farewell to the Sea
2
Reinaldo Arenas
4321 (Paul Auster)
4321
3
Paul Auster
Amulet (Robert Bolanos)
Amulet
4
Robert Bolanos
Any Human Heart
Any Human Heart
5
The Death of Virgil (Hermann Broch)
The Death of Virgil
6
Hermann Broch
Possession (Byatt)
Possession
7
Byatt
The Plague (Albert Camus)
The Plague
8
Albert Camus
Breakfast at Tiffany's (Truman Capote)
Breakfast at Tiffany's
9
Truman Capote
Wonder Boys (Michael Chabon)
Wonder Boys
10
Michael Chabon
Mao II (Don Delillo)
Mao II
11
Don Delillo
In Custody (Anita Desai)
In Custody
12
Anita Desai
Notes From the Underground (Fyodor Dostoyevsky)
Notes From the Underground
13
Fyodor Dostoyevsky
The Museum of Eterna's Novel
The Museum of Eterna's Novel
14
The Beautiful and Damned (F. Scott Fitzgerald)
The Beautiful and Damned
15
F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Blue Flower (Penelope Fitzgerald)
The Blue Flower
16
Penelope Fitzgerald
Blackberry Wine (Joanne Harris)
Blackberry Wine
17
Joanne Harris
Portrait of an Artist, as an Old Man
Portrait of an Artist, as an Old Man
18
Marrying Buddha (Wei Hui)
Marrying Buddha
19
Wei Hui
The World According to Garp (John Irving)
The World According to Garp
20
John Irving
Ben Singkol (F.Sionil Jose)
Ben Singkol
21
F.Sionil Jose
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (James Joyce)
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
22
James Joyce
Misery (Stephen King)
Misery
23
Stephen King
The Golden Notebook (Doris Lessing)
The Golden Notebook
24
Doris Lessing
Swimming Home (Deborah Levy)
Swimming Home
25
Deborah Levy
Taipei
Taipei
26
Samarkand (Amin Maalouf)
Samarkand
27
Amin Maalouf
Death in Venice (Thomas Mann)
Death in Venice
28
Thomas Mann
Cakes and Ale - Or, the Skeleton in the Cupboard
Cakes and Ale - Or, the Skeleton in the Cupboard
29
1Q84 (Haruki Murakami)
1Q84
30
Haruki Murakami
The Sea, the Sea (Irish Murdoch)
The Sea, the Sea
31
Irish Murdoch
Under the Net (Iris Murdoch)
Under the Net
32
Iris Murdoch
Pale Fire (Vladimir Nabokov)
Pale Fire
33
Vladimir Nabokov
Americanah (Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie)
Americanah
34
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
At Swim-Two-Birds (Flann O'Brien)
At Swim-Two-Birds
35
Flann O'Brien
Keep the Aspidistra Flying (George Orwell)
Keep the Aspidistra Flying
36
George Orwell
Snow (Orhan Pamuk)
Snow
37
Orhan Pamuk
Bell Jar (Sylvia Plath)
Bell Jar
38
Sylvia Plath
The Ghost Writer
The Ghost Writer
39
Everything Is Illuminated (Ukraine)
Everything Is Illuminated (Ukraine)
40
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