50 Famous Authors and Their All-Time Favorite Books…
1.Philip Caputo: The Oresteia by Aeschylus: Caputo, a Pulitzer Prize winning reporter, recommends this ancient tragedy–the only work of Aeschylus to survive into the present day.
2.Tom Perrotta: Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes: Sometimes considered literature’s first great novel, this story follows a bumbling knight and his squire as they embark on a misadventure and is the favorite of novelist Perotta.
3.Bobbie Ann Mason: Hamlet by William Shakespeare: Author Mason recommends one of Shakespeare’s most well-known tragedies as her favorite read.
4.Andrew Hudgins: The Bible: This author feels the Bible is essential reading for any great writer and is one of his most loved.5.Adam Haslett: King Lear by William Shakespeare: This author feels that Shakespeare’s classic tragedy about a misguided king can’t be missed.
6.Wally Lamb: The Odyssey by Homer: Wally Lamb has written multiple best-selling novels, but when he’s not busy with his own work he has time to read classics like this tale of a man trying to find his way back home.
7.Fred Chappell: The Iliad by Homer: It makes sense that a poet like Chappell would love this classic epic poem. Give a read yourself to hear about the Trojan War.
8.Chitra Divakaruni: The Bhagavad Gita: This author has won numerous honors for her writing but counts this ancient Hindu scripture as one of her greatest sources of inspiration for writing.
9.Andrea Barrett: Paradise Lost by John Milton: If you’ve never read this epic poem about Christianity, give it a try, as author Barrett ranks it as her favorite read of all time.
10. John Irving: Great Expectations by Charles Dickens: The author of best-selling novels like The World According to Garp loved this Dickens classic.
11.Ian Rankin: Ulysses by James Joyce: By no means an easy read, this author felt that Ulysses was still one of the best books he’d ever tackled.
12.Jonathan Franzen: The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky: Check out this favorite to delve into the depths of three brothers wrestling with their father’s death in this Russian classic.
13.Carl Hiassen: Catch-22 by Jospeh Heller: Best known for his novels set in Florida, Hiassen’s favorite will take you a world away with this story set during WWII.
14.Norman Mailer: Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy: Himself an innovator of New Journalism, a style that blended non-fiction and essay, Mailer’s favorite book was this renowned piece of realist, though highly romantic, fiction.
15.Joyce Carol Oates: Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky: This prolific novelist loves this book dealing with the mental and moral anguish of a man plotting to kill a much-reviled pawn broker.
16.Peter Carey: Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert: Flaubert’s tale of a woman feeling trapped by her domestic and middle-class life is a favorite of this Booker Prize winning author.
17.Michael Connelly: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald: Few American works of literature have gotten as much acclaim as The Great Gatsby, so take Connelly’s word for it when he says it’s a great read.
18.Susan Vreeland: The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck: A novel winning both the Pulitzer and the Nobel Prize, Vreeland makes an excellent choice in Steinbeck’s work.
19.George Pelacanos: All the King’s Men by Robert Penn Warren: This author selected a tale of political corruption, told through the character of Willie Stark, as one of his favorites of all time.
20.Claire Messud: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen: If you’re looking for something to read, writer Claire Messud names this Austen novel as her favorite.
21.Allan Gurganus: Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe: Check out this tale of a man stranded on a desert island for high-adventure reading.
22.Barry Hannah: The Stranger by Albert Camus: Mississippi writer Hannah fell in love with this existential classic.
23.Donald Harrington: Lolita by Vladamir Nabokov: This author chose this controversial (even today) novel about a man in love with a young girl as one of his top ten reads.
24.Ken Haruf: The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner: While not always the easiest work to get through, especially in the first chapters, this novelist nonetheless names this book as his favorite.
25.Alice Hoffman: Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte: Writer of numerous novels, Hoffman loves this complex, gothic tale.
26.Ha Jin: War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy: This award-winning Chinese author has a soft spot for Russian literature, choosing this lengthy novel as his favorite.
Well-Known Books and Authors
27.David Foster Wallace: The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis: While it might be an odd match if you’ve ever read any of Wallace’s work, he selected this Christian apologetics novel as his favorite.28.Sherman Alexie: Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison: Author Sherman Alexie is well-known for his work based on his experiences as a Native American and is a big fan of this book that also explores the life of minorities in 20th century America.
29.Michael Chabon: Labyrinths by Jorge Luis Borges: Pulitzer Prize winner Chabon greatly enjoyed this book of short stories from this renowned Latin-American author.
30.George Saunders: Dead Souls by Nikolai Gogol: George Saunders names this book by a Russian author that often doesn’t get enough attention as his favorite, though the final section was never finished.
31.Edwidge Denticat: Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston: Haitian author Denticat’s most beloved book is this controversial novel by Harlem Renaissance writer Zora Neale Hurston.
32.Douglas Coupland: Answered Prayers by Truman Capote: Most people know Capote from his work In Cold Blood, but novelist Coupland felt his great unfinished novel was the one that truly impacted him.
33.Jim Crace: Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe: This British author of nine novels ranked this book about a man come undone in Nigeria as his favorite.
34.Tom Wolfe: L’Assomoir by Emile Zola: Famous journalist Wolfe selected this French classic, in English, translated as The Dram Shop, as his favorite.
35.Jonathan Raban: Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens: While other of Dickens’ works may have more prestige, this novel about inheritance is one of this author’s favorites.
36.David Mitchell: The Duel by Anton Chekov: Out of all of Chekov’s great works, author Mitchell selected this story as his favorite.
37.Robert B. Parker: The Bear by William Faulkner: You might not have heard of this work of Faulkner’s but it’s often regarded as one of the best stories in modern literature–appearing in Faulkner’s novel Go Down, Moses as well as Harper’s Magazine.
38.Karen Joy Fowler: Middlemarch by George Eliot: Fowler is a science-fiction and literary fiction author who found this book by the author George Eliot to be her favorite. If you don’t mind reading online, you can check it out for free.
39.Arthur Golden: I, Claudius by Robert Graves: Go back to ancient Rome with this novel that focuses on the life of the emperor Claudius and is a favorite of this popular author.
40.Jonathan Lethem: The Trial by Franz Kafka: This well-known author put this unfinished story about a man imprisoned and charged with a mysterious crime at the top of his list.
41.Denis McFarland: The Ambassadors by Henry James: Check out this recommendation for a stellar work of dark comedy.
42.Ishmael Reed: The Collected Works of Nathaniel West by Nathaniel West: Known for books that are often satirical or critical himself, Reed chose this collection of satirical works from author and screenwriter West as his favorite.43.Stephen King: The Golden Argosy edited by Van H. Campbell and Charles Grayson: King chose this fiction anthology as his favorite, though he has stated that The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a close second.
44.Margaret Atwood: Doctor Glas by Hjalmar Södberg: This off-the-beaten-path novel tells the story of a physician in 19th century Sweden, and author Atwood has said it made a big impact on her when she read it.
45.Sue Monk Kidd: The Awakening by Kate Chopin: The author of The Secret Life of Bees named this book as her top read.
46.A.M. Homes: The Homecoming by Harold Pinter: Novelist and short story writer Homes fell in love with this two-act play by the Nobel Laureate Pinter.
47.Kathryn Harrison: The Women in the Dunes by Kobo Abe: Novelist Harrison found this allegorical novel to stand out from other literature.
48.Annie Proulx: Wheat That Springeth Green by J.F. Powers: Prize-winning author Proulx feels that this novel was one of the best she’s ever read.49.Alexander McCall Smith: The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark: The author of the beloved series The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency names this story about a teacher playing the ultimate game of favorites as his top book.
50.Anita Shreve: The Transit of Venus by Shirley Hazzard: Check out this book about the lives of two orphaned sisters, a favorite of popular author Shreve
Reading List.
