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)

THE RUNNERS-UP:
Underworld Don DeLillo(1997)

Blood Meridian Cormac McCarthy (1985)

Rabbit Angstrom: The Four Novels John Updike

American Pastoral Philip Roth (1997)

THE FOLLOWING BOOKS ALSO RECEIVED MULTIPLE VOTES:
A Confederacy of Dunces John Kennedy Toole (1980)

Housekeeping Marilynne Robinson (1980)

Winter's Tale Mark Helprin (1983)

White Noise Don DeLillo (1985)

The Counterlife Philip Roth (1986)

Libra Don DeLillo (1988)

Where I'm Calling From Raymond Carver (1988)

The Things They Carried Tim O'Brien(1990)

Mating Norman Rush (1991)

Jesus' Son Denis Johnson (1992)

Operation Shylock Philip Roth (1993)

Independence Day Richard Ford (1995)

Sabbath's Theater Philip Roth (1995)

Border Trilogy Cormac McCarthy (1999)


The Human Stain Philip Roth (2000)

The Known World Edward P. Jones (2003)

The Plot Against America Philip Roth (2004)

Meh.

I didn't really like Underworld, have never read Phillip Roth, or Cormac, but a good what-what goes out for throwing Tim O'Brien in there --awesome writer.

the only one i've read from the list is White Noise and I thought it was damn good. I'm going to try and get into delillo more this summer.

Reading White Noise right now...good so far, and yeah, well-written. Not too fond of most of the characters thus far, although they are well-developed, but maybe that's part of the point...gotta finish the thing before I decide.

I hate to say it, but I'm not really a Toni Morrison fan. Am I the only onethat's not?

Lots of Philip Roth I see. I gotta read American Pastoral next...although it will have to wait until I finish White Noise and my just purchased last night RAT SCABIES AND THE HOLY GRAIL! A little funtime reading never hurt anyone.

only read two of those.
thought "white noise" was pretty good with an amazing middle.

thoguht "confederacy of dunces" was the worst book i ever read. no exageration.

white noise isn't what that bad michael keaton movie was based on was it?

the preacher - garth ennis

If anything, The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brian should be way above Beloved by Toni Morrisson. I think Morrisson's books are awful. just plain awful. Then again, I don't do a whole lot of reading of books. But, I do think of those two The Things They Carried was much better than The Beloved.

i'll second this.

I've only read Beloved from that list and i don't remember thinking it was anything special.

BUT...But..but..The author is a BLACK WOMAN!!

Yeah maybe it was the fact that i couldn't get the image of Oprah sucking Morrisons dick out of my mind......oh wait.

Blood Meridian Cormac McCarthy (1985)

this has been at goodwill for a dollar for the past month.

toni morrison is the greatest american novelist living today.
end of story.
her use of language is how you say...unfuckable with.
she's the american marquez in terms of tale weaving.
(or vice versa)

this is not because she's a woman. it's because she's a talent. my favorite amercian author is william faulkner and my faorite american novel is huckleberry finn with the studs lonigan trilogy right behind it. i'm really pretty objective on this so hold onto those manhating comments, gentlemen.

don delillo is also brilliant. underworld was good and the the concepts intriguing and fun but there was so much packed in there that i felt that loose ends started flying everywhere.
libra is till my favorite by him.

jesus son is one of my all time favorites and i can't believe that anyone could really dislike this book.

i like richard ford's writing style but not his content so much.

raymond carver is my man and tim o'brien's book is something every american should have to read it.

i have to look into this housekeeping.

Dean Koontz and Robert Ludlum are totally sweet.

They must've forgot about this one.



The ones below are worthy on one level or another.

I get depressed when I see these types of lists with never a mention of Peter Matthiessen.

I don't like reading novels of the last 30 years or so. Maybe I'm just weird.

Second the Michael Chabon book. Really the only book I don't see that I expected to be on there is Infinite Jest.

Agreed. It made me want to be a writer after I read it. That idea kind of faded away soon after though.


Only Philip Roth I've read is Portnoy's Complaint, which I liked though I think it went on a bit too long. But that was written in 67 or something.

Taking this post into account, I am going to buy Studs Lonigan Trilogy and Jesus Son..I haven't read any real fiction in years. I will report back, but I figger Laura's got the goods here.

when i read that something was 25 years ago, i still think that includes the 60's.

Underworld's top notch. Need to read it again.

this inspired a new thread . . .

The first 100 pages or so of Underworld - focused around the baseball game - are as good as anything I've ever read. For the life of me, though, I cannot remember a thing around the rest. Something involving airplanes...

That Chabon novel is excellent. I should read that again. Keep waiting for a proper follow-up.