The 100 best novels of all time

The Guardian, 2026. A critics list, ranked. See the original list

We use only the titles, authors and places from this list. 100 novels from it are in The Novel Index.

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61
Cover of The Rings of Saturn

The Rings of Saturn

WG Sebald, 1995

  • Critics' Darling

On 1 of the 12 lists it was eligible for

72
Cover of Kindred

Kindred

Octavia E Butler, 1979

  • Critics' Darling

On 1 of the 17 lists it was eligible for

75
Cover of Nervous Conditions

Nervous Conditions

Tsitsi Dangarembga, 1988

  • Critics' Darling

On 1 of the 15 lists it was eligible for

78
Cover of My Ántonia

My Ántonia

Willa Cather, 1918

  • Critics' Darling

On 1 of the 15 lists it was eligible for

91
Cover of The Left Hand of Darkness

The Left Hand of Darkness

Ursula K Le Guin, 1969

  • Critics' Darling

On 1 of the 17 lists it was eligible for

93
Cover of Life and Fate

Life and Fate

Vasily Grossman, 1980

  • Critics' Darling

On 1 of the 11 lists it was eligible for

95

Invisible Cities

Italo Calvino, 1972

  • Critics' Darling

On 1 of the 11 lists it was eligible for

The lists that agree with this one most

ListBooks in common
Readers' top 100 novels (The Guardian, 2026)42
Bokklubben World Library (Norwegian Book Clubs, 2002)32
100 novels everyone should read (The Telegraph, 2009)35
The 100 greatest British novels (BBC Culture, 2015)32
The 100 greatest novels of all time (The Observer, 2003)30