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Top 50 English-Language Novels of the 20th Century (MALE Authors)

This list is a composite of four earlier lists compiled by the Modern Library, the Library Journal, Koen Book Distributors, and students of the Radcliffe Publishing Course. It was compiled by Brian Kunde of Stanford University in hope of arriving at a more comprehensive view of what the 20th century's best fiction actually is. The books are listed in order of ranking - i.e., the top rated book is listed first.
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The Great Gatsby (F. Scott Fitzgerald)
The Great Gatsby
1
F. Scott Fitzgerald
1984 (George Orwell)
1984
2
George Orwell
Catch-22 (Joseph Heller)
Catch-22
3
Joseph Heller
The Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck)
The Grapes of Wrath
4
John Steinbeck
Lolita (Vladimir Nabokov)
Lolita
5
Vladimir Nabokov
Ulysses (James Joyce)
Ulysses
6
James Joyce
Animal Farm (George Orwell)
Animal Farm
7
George Orwell
Lord of the Flies
Lord of the Flies
8
The Catcher in the Rye (J.D. Salinger)
The Catcher in the Rye
9
J.D. Salinger
Slaughterhouse-Five (Kurt Vonnegut)
Slaughterhouse-Five
10
Kurt Vonnegut
Brave New World (Aldous Huxley)
Brave New World
11
Aldous Huxley
Invisible Man (Ralph Ellison)
Invisible Man
12
Ralph Ellison
The Sound and the Fury (William Faulkner)
The Sound and the Fury
13
William Faulkner
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (James Joyce)
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
14
James Joyce
The Sun Also Rises (Ernest Hemingway)
The Sun Also Rises
15
Ernest Hemingway
Native Son (Richard Wright)
Native Son
16
Richard Wright
On the Road (Jack Kerouac)
On the Road
17
Jack Kerouac
The Lord of the Rings (J.R.R. Tolkien)
The Lord of the Rings
18
J.R.R. Tolkien
Charlotte's Web (E.B. White)
Charlotte's Web
19
E.B. White
A Farewell to Arms (Ernest Hemingway)
A Farewell to Arms
20
Ernest Hemingway
The Old Man and the Sea (Ernest Hemingway)
The Old Man and the Sea
21
Ernest Hemingway
A Clockwork Orange (Anthony Burgess)
A Clockwork Orange
22
Anthony Burgess
The Call of the Wild (Jack London)
The Call of the Wild
23
Jack London
The World According to Garp (John Irving)
The World According to Garp
24
John Irving
The Hobbit (J.R.R. Tolkien)
The Hobbit
25
J.R.R. Tolkien
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (Ken Kesey)
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
26
Ken Kesey
Fahrenheit 451 (Ray Bradbury)
Fahrenheit 451
27
Ray Bradbury
As I Lay Dying (William Faulkner)
As I Lay Dying
28
William Faulkner
Stranger in a Strange Land (Robert A. Heinlein)
Stranger in a Strange Land
29
Robert A. Heinlein
Tender Is the Night (F. Scott Fitzgerald)
Tender Is the Night
30
F. Scott Fitzgerald
Winnie the Pooh (A.A. Milne)
Winnie the Pooh
31
A.A. Milne
A Passage to India (E. M. Forster)
A Passage to India
32
E. M. Forster
Of Mice and Men (John Steinbeck)
Of Mice and Men
33
John Steinbeck
All the King's Men (Robert Penn Warren)
All the King's Men
34
Robert Penn Warren
Howards End (E.M. Forster)
Howards End
35
E.M. Forster
Sons and Lovers
Sons and Lovers
36
Go Tell It on the Mountain (James Baldwin)
Go Tell It on the Mountain
37
James Baldwin
Lady Chatterley's Lover (D.H. Lawrence)
Lady Chatterley's Lover
38
D.H. Lawrence
Heart of Darkness (Joseph Conrad)
Heart of Darkness
39
Joseph Conrad
I, Claudius (Robert Graves)
I, Claudius
40
Robert Graves
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