What are the world's greatest literary works?

Two decades of research have culminated in the latest iteration of The Greatest Literature of All Time list, comprising 999 works from ancient times to today, from all countries and cultures.

I've also crafted comprehensive lists of the greatest novels, novellas, stories, poems and plays—plus the top works in the genres of historical fiction, science fiction, fantasy fiction, and crime and mystery.

Those who have asked for a more concise guide get their wish with the recently added ranked listing, The Top 99 Works of Literature. For those seeking a wider selection to help explore great literature in greater depth, an extensive selection has also been compiled: The Really Long List of Great Literature offers 2,222 entries—more than double our flagship Greatest list.

New! Recently I've also started creating "greatest" lists for specific countries and regions. Covered so far are African, American, British, Canadian, Chinese, French, German, Greek, Irish, Japanese, Latin American, Nordic, Russian, and South Asian literature.

What makes these lists so authoritative? See "Creating the the Greatest Literature of All Time list" about the painstaking process of selecting titles from among the world's most revered literature.

Plus, click links to the more than 600 critiques and other information on authors, books and adaptations of great literature.

And keep reading.

Recent critiques of great books and authors

Disbelief happily suspended

The great thing about Jules Verne's stories of fantastic voyages is that they don't come across as fantastic. At least while we're reading, we believe we could—if we dared—fly across the world in a balloon, fire a rocket at the moon, travel under the seas...or plumb the depths of volcanoes toward the centre of the earth. Some of these trips we know.... A Journey to the Centre of the Earth

Full-blown birth of the Austen novel

In the dichotomy suggested in the title, Jane Austen in her first published work comes down conclusively on the side of sense over sensibility. It's supposed to be a study of two marriageable sisters with the eldest, Elinor, presenting her case for calm common sense in relationships, while the other, Marianne, flaunts her flamboyantly romantic nature.... Sense and Sensibility

Tales from the big Anglo-Irish house

It's to the credit of Castle Rackrent that it's usually taken to be a novel. By its meagre word count, the text constitutes a novella and—shorn of its introduction, footnotes and glossary—it is barely that. It verges on being a long story. But Maria Edgeworth's work reads like an old-style historical novel, perhaps the first such work. It's often cited as the prime example of.... Castle Rackrent

What's so great about the world's best seller?

It's sometimes called "the greatest story ever told". But is it really? Is the New Testament—or more precisely the gospel story within the New Testament—even one of our best stories? Of course, when they make that "greatest" claim, Christians are usually judging their founding story for its religious messages. And why not? Taking the scriptures at face value.... The New Testament

The quiet questioner

Late in life Morley Callaghan was apparently concerned people would remember him for one minor achievement: the little Canadian had knocked down the macho Ernest Hemingway in a boxing match refereed by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Callaghan preferred to be known for his novels. His lasting legacy however is his short stories. Along with the fact he knocked.... Morley Callaghan

Did she or didn't she—and does it matter?

Alias Grace may be Margaret Atwood's best novel. It may not be her most popular (guessing that's The Handmaid's Tale). Nor her most complex or elaborate (probably The Blind Assassin). Nor her most impressive in sheer literary terms (several to choose from). Nor even her most socially significant (ditto). But the 1996 work has got some of all these qualities.... Alias Grace

The endgame that spawned an endless series

When I first finished Ender's Game, before starting the second book in the series, I wondered what all the fuss was about. Oh, I enjoyed Ender's Game all right. It was a real scifi page-turner. But I did not feel good about my enjoyment. Most of the novel concerns the training of a child, Andrew "Ender" Wiggin, to become leader of an expedition against.... Ender's Game

The jealous, vengeful, violent and occasionally loving word of God

What wrecks the Bible as literature is too much God. On the surface this may sound like an ignorant comment, prompting the response, "Well, what did you expect? It's a religious text and isn't religion all about gods?" But if we are indeed looking at The Hebrew Bible or Old Testament as a purported literary classic—the font from which all Western literature.... The Hebrew Bible / The Old Testament

The man who survived the deep

The story of Jonah surviving in the belly of a whale—or a big fish, to be exact—is one of those tales that everyone in the Judeo-Christian or Islamic world has heard, whether or not they are religious. It's one of those stories that come to mind when people refer to great old stories of the Old Testament.... But the tale of "Jonah and the Whale" is different.... The Book of Jonah

The new novelism and the ever-passing now

"Deep down he's really shallow" might have been invented for Tom Wolfe's detractors to throw at him. His work is crammed with references to surface appearances, clothing styles, cultural bric-a-brac and even commercial brand names. The minutiae of modern life not only fill his descriptive paragraphs but dominate the inner lives of his characters. Deep down, people are.... Tom Wolfe

Murder ahead of time

In 1949 "The Hands of Mr. Ottermole" was selected by critics as the best mystery story of all time and thirty-five years later The Mystery Writers of America voted Thomas Burke's effort one of the top four mystery and suspense tales for its Mystery Hall of Fame. The story continues to appear in anthologies as one of the classics of the field. This may perplex.... The Hands of Mr. Ottermole

Entry-level Faulkner

Critics find in William Faulkner's story, "A Rose for Emily", an allegory about the American South living in the past, decades after the Civil War, still holding on to the dreams of a supposed former glory, morbidly embracing its decadence. Something like that. And there is some of this in the story. There's some of it in nearly everything Faulkner wrote.... A Rose for Emily

Full menu of recent critiques >>

NEW! Editor Eric's novel discovery

Life and death on the road at the height of the so-called counterculture—"the music, the politics, the bad drugs, the godawful health food...the hope, the hype, the paranoia and trying to get laid". The indelible, searching characters. What they found—what they didn't. It's the story of My First Five-Year Plan.

The tapes have never been found but the rediscovered transcript eventually reached this editor's hands.

You can be among the first to read the resulting novel here without charge. An e-book format, available through online services, is in the works.

Genres and extras

The greatest crime works of all time

Editor Eric's list of the 222 greatest works of crime, mystery and detective fiction. Evidence from two hundred years of writing has been sifted and countless witnesses (readers, writers and critics) have been questioned to solve the mystery: what are the greatest stories and novels ever published in this still very popular genre?

The greatest SF works of all time

Editor Eric's list of the 222 greatest works of speculative and science fiction—the greatest SF stories and novels published on this planet at least. The earliest, believe it or not, was first printed in 1638 and involved a flight to the moon. The latest of the greatest take us well into the twenty-first century.

The greatest fantasy literature of all time

Editor Eric's list of the 111 greatest works of fantasy, featuring the greatest stories and novels published in this burgeoning genre. The oldest works go back to ancient times and it's had a persistent following through the centuries. But it's really taken off in recent decades.

Movies (and TV series) for great book lovers

Faithful adaptations or completely different art form? A guide to more than 200 films, film series and television productions based on the greatest works of literature reviewed on these pages. From the serious to the silly, from the authentic to the awful.

The Greatest Canadian Literature

The best novels, drama and poetry from writers in the Great White North, plus commentaries on selected books and Canadian authors. Canadian literature started obscurely in the early nineteenth century, but since the mid-twentieth century it's ranked among the best—and most acclaimed—in the world.

Features of note

How works were selected

Wondering what makes this list of great literature the most accurate and most comprehensive? What makes these books the best? Read Editor Eric's account of how the Greatest Literature of All Time list was researched, created, revised and recreated repeatedly over more than twenty years.

What's so great about these books?

Readers and critics can have widely diverging ideas about what makes a certain book good and another one not-so. How can we find agreement on which works are the greatest? What does "greatest" even mean? Can popular genre books be compared with literary masterpieces? How is a Greatest Literature of All Time list even possible?

Science fiction? Scifi? Speculative fiction? SF?

Whatever you call it— what is it? The story of the continuing struggle to define it. How Editor Eric settled on the criterion used for his greatest science fiction list.