Modern

c. 1900–present

The twentieth century and beyond. Experimentation, fragmentation, and new voices reshaping the canon.

43 works31 authors19 genres

autobiographydiarydystopian novelfantasy novelhistorical novelhistory playhorror novelliterary criticismlyric poetrymemoirmemoir/craftmemoir/psychologynonfictionnovelnovellasatirical novellascience fiction novelthrillertrue crime

The Complete Poems

Ben Jonson·1925

lyric poetrymoderate

5.5/10 influence4.0/10 popularity

The Trial

Franz Kafka·1925

8.5/10 influence7.5/10 popularity

Seven Pillars of Wisdom

T.E. Lawrence·1926

memoirchallenging

5.0/10 influence5.5/10 popularity

The Story of My Experiments with Truth

Mahatma Gandhi·1927

autobiographyaccessible

6.0/10 influence6.0/10 popularity

Brave New World

Aldous Huxley·1932

dystopian novelaccessible

7.5/10 influence9.0/10 popularity

Of Mice and Men

John Steinbeck·1937

novellaaccessible

5.5/10 influence8.5/10 popularity

The Hobbit, or There and Back Again

J.R.R. Tolkien·1937

fantasy novelaccessible

6.5/10 influence9.5/10 popularity

The Grapes of Wrath

John Steinbeck·1939

7.0/10 influence8.5/10 popularity

Animal Farm

George Orwell·1945

satirical novellaaccessible

7.5/10 influence9.5/10 popularity

Autobiography of a Yogi

Paramahansa Yogananda·1946

autobiographyaccessible

5.0/10 influence7.0/10 popularity

Man's Search for Meaning

Viktor E. Frankl·1946

memoir/psychologyaccessible

5.5/10 influence9.0/10 popularity

The Diary of a Young Girl

Anne Frank·1947

diaryaccessible

6.5/10 influence9.5/10 popularity

1984

George Orwell·1948

dystopian novelaccessible

9.0/10 influence10.0/10 popularity

The Catcher in the Rye

J.D. Salinger·1951

novelaccessible

7.5/10 influence9.5/10 popularity

Fahrenheit 451

Ray Bradbury·1953

dystopian novelaccessible

6.5/10 influence9.0/10 popularity

The Fellowship of the Ring

J.R.R. Tolkien·1954

fantasy novelmoderate

7.5/10 influence10.0/10 popularity

Night

Elie Wiesel·1956

memoiraccessible

6.5/10 influence9.0/10 popularity

Flowers for Algernon

Daniel Keyes·1966

science fiction novelaccessible

5.5/10 influence8.5/10 popularity

In Cold Blood

Truman Capote·1966

true crimeaccessible

7.0/10 influence8.0/10 popularity

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

Maya Angelou·1969

autobiographyaccessible

6.0/10 influence8.5/10 popularity

Selected Poems

John Dryden·1973

lyric poetrymoderate

5.5/10 influence3.5/10 popularity

Carrie

Stephen King·1974

horror novelaccessible

5.5/10 influence8.5/10 popularity

Shōgun

James Clavell·1975

historical novelmoderate

5.0/10 influence8.0/10 popularity

’Salem’s Lot

Stephen King·1975

horror novelaccessible

5.0/10 influence7.5/10 popularity

The Shining

Stephen King·1977

horror novelaccessible

6.0/10 influence9.5/10 popularity

The Stand

Stephen King·1978

horror novelmoderate

6.0/10 influence9.0/10 popularity

Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid

Douglas R. Hofstadter·1979

nonfictionchallenging

5.5/10 influence7.0/10 popularity

The Dead Zone

Stephen King·1979

thrilleraccessible

5.0/10 influence7.0/10 popularity

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Douglas Adams·1979

science fiction novelaccessible

5.5/10 influence9.5/10 popularity

The Restaurant at the End of the Universe

Douglas Adams·1980

science fiction novelaccessible

5.0/10 influence8.0/10 popularity

King John

William Shakespeare·1981

history playmoderate

4.5/10 influence3.0/10 popularity

Pet Sematary

Stephen King·1983

horror novelaccessible

5.0/10 influence8.5/10 popularity

"Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!"

Richard P. Feynman·1985

memoiraccessible

5.0/10 influence8.0/10 popularity

Blood Meridian, or, the Evening Redness in the West

Cormac McCarthy·1985

novelchallenging

6.0/10 influence7.0/10 popularity

Misery

Stephen King·1987

horror novelaccessible

5.0/10 influence8.5/10 popularity

The Alchemist

Paulo Coelho·1988

novelaccessible

5.0/10 influence10.0/10 popularity

The Green Mile

Stephen King·1996

horror novelaccessible

5.0/10 influence8.5/10 popularity

Angela's Ashes

Frank McCourt·1996

memoiraccessible

5.0/10 influence8.0/10 popularity

Shakespeare: The Invention of the Human

Harold Bloom·1998

literary criticismchallenging

5.0/10 influence5.5/10 popularity

On Writing

Stephen King·2000

memoir/craftaccessible

5.0/10 influence9.0/10 popularity

The Kite Runner

Khaled Hosseini·2003

novelaccessible

4.5/10 influence9.0/10 popularity

Point to Point Navigation

Gore Vidal·2006

memoiraccessible

4.0/10 influence4.0/10 popularity

Born to Run

Christopher McDougall·2009

nonfictionaccessible

4.0/10 influence8.0/10 popularity

Romantic & 19th Century