What Is the Best Work of American Fiction of the Last 25 Years?
From left: Sara Krulwich/The New York Times; Derek Shapton/The Associated Press; Sara Krulwich/The New York Times; The Associated Press; Don Hogan Charles/The New York Times
"Beloved," by Toni Morrison, center, was chosen as the best American fiction of the last 25 years. Runners-up were, from left: Philip Roth, Cormac McCarthy, John Updike and Don DeLillo.
By THE NEW YORK TIMES
Published: May 21, 2006
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
(1995)
(1990)
(1981)
(1971)
(1960)
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)
Where I'm Calling From
Raymond Carver
(1988)
The Things They Carried
Tim O'Brien
(1990)
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)
(1998)
(1994)
(1992)
The Human Stain
Philip Roth
(2000)
The Known World
Edward P. Jones
(2003)
The Plot Against America
Philip Roth
(2004)
