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The Great Non-English Language Novels

This list is inspired by The Atlantic's 2024 list of their Great American Novels. I've made numerous lists about great novels, and we can't forget the great non-English novels that have been written. For this list, I'm not abiding by The Atlantic's strict rule that all books are published within the last 100 years and thus have no time limit on their publication. I will make another list that does comply with that rule. So, I have 136 novels, just like The Atlantic's list, but the one rule I imposed on myself is to allow an author only one entry on the list. Enjoy!
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Tender Is the Flesh (Agustina Bazterrica)
Tender Is the Flesh
1
Agustina Bazterrica
Frankenstein in Baghdad (Ahmed Saadawi)
Frankenstein in Baghdad
2
Ahmed Saadawi
The Stranger (Albert Camus)
The Stranger
3
Albert Camus
Contempt (Alberto Moravia)
Contempt
4
Alberto Moravia
The Kingdom of This World (Alejo Carpentier)
The Kingdom of This World
5
Alejo Carpentier
One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich (Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn)
One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich
6
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
The Count of Monte Cristo (Alexandre Dumas)
The Count of Monte Cristo
7
Alexandre Dumas
Berlin Alexanderplatz (Alfred Döblin)
Berlin Alexanderplatz
8
Alfred Döblin
The Remainder (Alia Trabucco Zerán)
The Remainder
9
Alia Trabucco Zerán
The Immoralist (Andre Gide)
The Immoralist
10
Andre Gide
Clear Light of Day (Anita Desai)
Clear Light of Day
11
Anita Desai
The Little Prince (Antoine De Saint-Exupéry)
The Little Prince
12
Antoine De Saint-Exupéry
Kitchen (Banana Yoshimoto)
Kitchen
13
Banana Yoshimoto
The Reader (Bernhard Schlink)
The Reader
14
Bernhard Schlink
Pather Panchali [Pather Panchali] (Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay)
Pather Panchali [Pather Panchali]
15
Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay
Doctor Zhivago (Boris Pasternak)
Doctor Zhivago
16
Boris Pasternak
Dream of the Red Chamber (Cao Xueqin)
Dream of the Red Chamber
17
Cao Xueqin
The Death of Artemio Cruz (Carlos Fuentes, Trans. Alfred Macadam)
The Death of Artemio Cruz
18
Carlos Fuentes, Trans. Alfred Macadam
The Shadow of the Wind (Carlos Ruiz Zafón)
The Shadow of the Wind
19
Carlos Ruiz Zafón
Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 (Cho Nam-Joo)
Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982
20
Cho Nam-Joo
The Hour of the Star (Clarice Lispector)
The Hour of the Star
21
Clarice Lispector
Dreaming in Cuban (Cristina Garcia)
Dreaming in Cuban
22
Cristina Garcia
The Tartar Steppe (Dino Buzzati, Trans. Stuart Hood)
The Tartar Steppe
23
Dino Buzzati, Trans. Stuart Hood
Facundo (Domingo Faustino Sarmiento)
Facundo
24
Domingo Faustino Sarmiento
Love in a Fallen City (Eileen Chang)
Love in a Fallen City
25
Eileen Chang
My Brilliant Friend (Elena Ferrante)
My Brilliant Friend
26
Elena Ferrante
Silence (Endo, Shusako)
Silence
27
Endo, Shusako
All Quiet on the Western Front (Erich Maria Remarque)
All Quiet on the Western Front
28
Erich Maria Remarque
Hurricane Season (Fernanda Melchor)
Hurricane Season
29
Fernanda Melchor
The Book of Disquiet (Fernando Pessoa)
The Book of Disquiet
30
Fernando Pessoa
Bonjour Tristesse (Françoise Sagan)
Bonjour Tristesse
31
Françoise Sagan
The Metamorphosis (Franz Kafka)
The Metamorphosis
32
Franz Kafka
Crime and Punishment (Fyodor Dostoevsky)
Crime and Punishment
33
Fyodor Dostoevsky
One Hundred Years of Solitude (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)
One Hundred Years of Solitude
34
Gabriel Garcia Marquez
The Adventures of China Iron (Gabriela Cabezón Cámara)
The Adventures of China Iron
35
Gabriela Cabezón Cámara
Soul Mountain (Gao Xinghian)
Soul Mountain
36
Gao Xinghian
Life: A User's Manual (Georges Perec)
Life: A User's Manual
37
Georges Perec
The Leopard (Giuseppe Tomasi Di Lampedusa)
The Leopard
38
Giuseppe Tomasi Di Lampedusa
Three Trapped Tigers (Guillermo Cabrera Infante, Trans. Suzanne Levine)
Three Trapped Tigers
39
Guillermo Cabrera Infante, Trans. Suzanne Levine
The Tin Drum (Günter Grass)
The Tin Drum
40
Günter Grass
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