What Is the Best Work of American Fiction of the Last 25 Years?
May 21, 2006
What Is the Best Work of American Fiction of the Last 25 Years?
By THE NEW YORK TIMES
Early this year, the Book Review's editor, Sam Tanenhaus, sent out a short letter to a couple of hundred prominent writers, critics, editors and other literary sages, asking them to please identify "the single best work of American fiction published in the last 25 years." [Read A. O. Scott's essay. See a list of the judges.] Following are the results.
THE WINNER:
Beloved
Toni Morrison (1987)
Review
THE RUNNERS-UP:
Underworld
Don DeLillo
(1997)
Review
Blood Meridian
Cormac McCarthy
(1985)
Review
Rabbit Angstrom: The Four Novels
John Updike
(1995)
Review: 'Rabbit at Rest'(1990)
Review: 'Rabbit Is Rich'(1981)
Review: 'Rabbit Redux'(1971)
Review: 'Rabbit, Run'(1960)
American Pastoral
Philip Roth
(1997)
Review
THE FOLLOWING BOOKS ALSO RECEIVED MULTIPLE VOTES:
A Confederacy of Dunces
John Kennedy Toole
(1980)
Review
Housekeeping
Marilynne Robinson
(1980)
(This book was not reviewed by The Times.)
Winter's Tale
Mark Helprin
(1983)
Review
White Noise
Don DeLillo
(1985)
Review
The Counterlife
Philip Roth
(1986)
Review
Libra
Don DeLillo
(1988)
Review
Where I'm Calling From
Raymond Carver
(1988)
Review
The Things They Carried
Tim O'Brien
(1990)
Review
Mating
Norman Rush
(1991)
Review
Jesus' Son
Denis Johnson
(1992)
Review
Operation Shylock
Philip Roth
(1993)
Review
Independence Day
Richard Ford
(1995)
Review
Sabbath's Theater
Philip Roth
(1995)
Review
Border Trilogy
Cormac McCarthy
(1999)
Review: 'Cities of the Plain'(1998)
Review: 'The Crossing'(1994)
Review: 'All the Pretty Horses'(1992)
The Human Stain
Philip Roth
(2000)
Review
The Known World
Edward P. Jones
(2003)
Review
The Plot Against America
Philip Roth
(2004)
Review
What Is the Best Work of American Fiction of the Last 25 Years?
By THE NEW YORK TIMES
Early this year, the Book Review's editor, Sam Tanenhaus, sent out a short letter to a couple of hundred prominent writers, critics, editors and other literary sages, asking them to please identify "the single best work of American fiction published in the last 25 years." [Read A. O. Scott's essay. See a list of the judges.] Following are the results.
THE WINNER:
Beloved
Toni Morrison (1987)
Review
THE RUNNERS-UP:
Underworld
Don DeLillo
(1997)
Review
Blood Meridian
Cormac McCarthy
(1985)
Review
Rabbit Angstrom: The Four Novels
John Updike
(1995)
Review: 'Rabbit at Rest'(1990)
Review: 'Rabbit Is Rich'(1981)
Review: 'Rabbit Redux'(1971)
Review: 'Rabbit, Run'(1960)
American Pastoral
Philip Roth
(1997)
Review
THE FOLLOWING BOOKS ALSO RECEIVED MULTIPLE VOTES:
A Confederacy of Dunces
John Kennedy Toole
(1980)
Review
Housekeeping
Marilynne Robinson
(1980)
(This book was not reviewed by The Times.)
Winter's Tale
Mark Helprin
(1983)
Review
White Noise
Don DeLillo
(1985)
Review
The Counterlife
Philip Roth
(1986)
Review
Libra
Don DeLillo
(1988)
Review
Where I'm Calling From
Raymond Carver
(1988)
Review
The Things They Carried
Tim O'Brien
(1990)
Review
Mating
Norman Rush
(1991)
Review
Jesus' Son
Denis Johnson
(1992)
Review
Operation Shylock
Philip Roth
(1993)
Review
Independence Day
Richard Ford
(1995)
Review
Sabbath's Theater
Philip Roth
(1995)
Review
Border Trilogy
Cormac McCarthy
(1999)
Review: 'Cities of the Plain'(1998)
Review: 'The Crossing'(1994)
Review: 'All the Pretty Horses'(1992)
The Human Stain
Philip Roth
(2000)
Review
The Known World
Edward P. Jones
(2003)
Review
The Plot Against America
Philip Roth
(2004)
Review
posted by Jim at 9:54 PM
3 Comments:
From A. O. Scott in The New York Times: 'They are - the top five, in any case, in ascending order - "American Pastoral," with 7 votes; Cormac McCarthy's "Blood Meridian" and Updike's four-in-one "Rabbit Angstrom," tied with 8 votes each; "Don DeLillo's "Underworld," with 11; and, solidly ahead of the rest, Toni Morrison's "Beloved," with 15.'
More from Scott: 'Over the past 15 years, Roth's production has been so steady, so various and (mostly) so excellent that his vote has been, inevitably, split. If we had asked for the single best writer of fiction over the past 25 years, he would have won, with seven different books racking up a total of 21 votes. Within these numbers is an interesting schism. The loose trilogy of which "American Pastoral" is the first installment - "I Married a Communist" and "The Human Stain" are its companions - accounts for 11 votes, while 8 are divided among "Sabbath's Theater," "The Counterlife" and "Operation Shylock," and another 2 go to "The Plot Against America."'
And yet more from Scott: 'In sifting through the responses, I was surprised at how few of the highly praised, boldly ambitious books by younger writers - by which I mean writers under 50 - were mentioned. One vote each for "The Corrections" and "The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay," none for "Infinite Jest" or "The Fortress of Solitude," a single vote for Richard Powers, none for William T. Vollmann, and so on.'
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