Post · bonfire.cafe

@vicgrinberg@mastodon.social · 11 hours ago

I thought about chatting about the Guardian 100 best novels of all time list https://www.theguardian.com/books/ng-interactive/2026/may/12/the-100-best-novels-of-all-time, because this used to be a fun way to have conversations about books & "classics" in particular (& I very often like "classics").

But instead, I'm annoyed that it's once again so anglo-centric and I don't want to talk about books written in English.

So: tell me about books that should be on this list thay weren't originally written in English!

Mine below ⬇️

#bookstodon #books #buecher

the Guardian

The 100 best novels of all time

The top 100 novels of all time published in English, as voted for by authors, critics and academics worldwide. How many have you read?

#buecher #bookstodon #books

Tatjana Scheffler

@tschfflr@fediscience.org · 3 hours ago

@vicgrinberg I challenge everyone responding to this thread to name at least two books not written by men! 🙄#readWomen

Dr.-Ing. Lea Schönberger

@leaschoenberger@mastodon.social · 1 hour ago

@tschfflr @vicgrinberg Der Liebhaber des Vulkans von Susan Sontag und Crashtest Dummies von Mercedes Spannagel.

Frieke

@Frieke72@mastodon.social · 2 hours ago

@tschfflr Avalon series and Darkover series by Marion (Zimmer) Bradley.
Lula Dean 's Little library of Banned Books by Kirsten Miller.
@vicgrinberg

Truls

@truls46@mastodon.social · 2 hours ago

@tschfflr @vicgrinberg That's easy: four of my five most favorite authors are women 🙂

My problem is, that I can't really point out one single book from a specific author that I prefer over others.

Doris Lessing's "Canopus in Argos" is certainly in that list. Various books from Isabel Allende, but if I had to pick one, it would be "Portrait in Sepia".

From Margret Atwood it would be the MaddAddam Trilogy.

Marco van Burgsteden 🍋

@Marrekoo@urbanists.social · 2 hours ago

@tschfflr @vicgrinberg

The eighth life by Nino Haratischwili.

Wormmaan by Mariken Heitman.

Dr. Victoria Grinberg

@vicgrinberg@mastodon.social · 3 hours ago

@tschfflr yeah, it's "interesting", isn't it? Another bias.

It does make me want to repost my "Women in Translation" thread... https://mastodon.social/@vicgrinberg/112542452028873409

Tatjana Scheffler

@tschfflr@fediscience.org · 3 hours ago

@vicgrinberg It’s so noticeable bc the lists are really trying hard to represent one kind of diversity, and most of them only have male authors. Also, I was riding the bus with two male nerds this week, and when they started excitedly talking about which Lem book they’re currently reading, I just got so bored.

Martin Rundkvist

@mrundkvist@archaeo.social · 3 hours ago

@tschfflr @vicgrinberg
Two of my lifetime favourite novelists are Ursula K. LeGuin and Tove Jansson.

Sewer Pirouette

@Wouter_Pieterse@todon.eu · 9 hours ago

@vicgrinberg

I'ld like to add these 6(/7) and there are plenty to remove. I mean there is no reason to have more than 1 novel per author in the list, not even for my beloved Tolstoj:

Akwaeke Emezi - The death of Vivek Oji

Okwiri Oduor - Things they lost

Haruki Murakami - A wild sheep chase
(+ Yukio Mishima - Natsuko's Adventure )

Saad Z Hossain - Escape From Baghdad!

Omar el Akkad - What Strange Paradise

Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone - This Is How You Lose the Time War

Claudius Link

@realn2s@infosec.exchange · 8 hours ago

@Wouter_Pieterse @vicgrinberg
Thanks for the recommendations
I can second the last one (how to lose a time war, absolutely brilliant)

J Miller

@JMMaok@mastodon.online · 9 hours ago

@vicgrinberg

2666 by Roberto Bolaño and something by Isabella Allende, maybe House of the Spirits, Casa de Los Espíritus.

mengel

@mengel@mathstodon.xyz · 8 hours ago

@JMMaok @vicgrinberg Came here to recommend 2666. Such a fantastic book!

Books from Europe

@booksfromeurope@mastodon.social · 10 hours ago

@vicgrinberg Maybe you can find something interesting here: https://booksfromeurope.vivaldi.net (But it's a list more focused on contemporary writers than all time classics)