Publisher's Synopsis
'This is a brilliant and extremely useful guide, approachable on every level. Boyd Tonkin opens up infinite worlds of the imagination.'
Ian McEwan
An extraordinary selection of classics ranging from the well known authors such as Proust, Dostoyevsky, Sartre, Cervantes, Nabokov, Marquez, Kundera etc, to name just a handful, to lesser known, but no less deserving, authors writing in languages from every corner of the earth. The selection is made by Boyd Tonkin, who is uniquely placed to choose these 100 titles. Not only was he Literary Editor of The Independent newspaper but he started the prestigious Independent Foreign Fiction Prize which ran from 1990 until 2015 before becoming part of the Man Booker awards.
For each selection he has written a commentary on the plot and theme of the work concerned, as well as writing about the merits of the particular translation(s) into the English language.
The works are arranged in date order of publication, and are not ranked in any other way. The result is a rich tapestry of the best fiction from around the world that will surely accelerate the recent trend towards a more outward looking approach to what we read. It is both a work of reference but as importantly a book that can read from cover to cover with huge enjoyment.
