The Greatest Literature of All Time

What's the greatest literature of all time?

Select any period or type of literature, at left, to browse Editor Eric's list of the one thousand greatest-ever novels, stories, plays, poetry, and other works of creative literature. See links to available commentaries on authors and works.

COMMENTARIES

Selected Works
Commentaries on books in the greatest literature of all time.

Selected Authors
Biographies and commentaries on writers of great literature.

Translations
Finding the right translation of great works into English.

Movies for Book Lovers
Commentaries on films, TV and video based on the greatest literature.

Toronto Reads
Eric's reviews of recent literature from or about the world's most diverse city.

LATEST COMMENTARIES ON BOOKS AND AUTHORS

Middlemarch
missing graphic At the middle of the world
What's incredible about Middlemarch, George Eliot's masterwork, is how engrossing it is. I mean, this is a novel that deals with issues of art, education reform, scholarly research, medical science and provincial British politics of the early nineteenth century. Oh, yes, and male-female.... more

George Eliot
missing graphic The worlds of George and Marian
Calling her a great female writer—even the greatest—may be an insult to George Eliot. Eliot distanced her own work from that of other writers of her sex, deriding "silly novels by lady novelists", purportedly even criticizing the celebrated Jane Austen for dealing with.... more

James M. Cain
missing graphic After the fall
For a time, I thought of James M. Cain as an also-ran of American writing. On the third or fourth pillar below the greats in the literary pantheon. In the less exalted gallery of crime writers, he would come well after the holy trinity of Hammett, Chandler, and Macdonald.... more

The Odyssey
The original crowd pleaser
This one has it all. The Odyssey is not only a great romantic, adventure epic, but it's terribly realistic in its depiction of human nature and a brilliantly crafted narrative. Authors today could learn from how Homer lays out his plot and plays the characters off against each other for maximum.... more

F. Scott Fitzgerald
missing graphic Butterfly who became self-conscious
Before Francis Scott Fitzgerald died at age 44, he thought he was a failure. His obituaries described him as an obscure writer who never fulfilled his early promise. The second printing of The Great Gatsby sat unsold fifteen years after the book's publication. Twenty-odd years later.... more

The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress
Writing may be an even harsher mistress
The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress has much—maybe too much—to appeal to followers of all Robert Heinlein's diverse interests. For science fiction fans, with an emphasis on science, it suggests interesting ideas for how a colony on earth's moon may be set up and how communication and.... more

< See full list of Recent Commentaries >

OTHER MATERIAL

Contenders
Prospective additions to the list of the greatest literature of all time, as suggested by readers and critics.

Greatest Short Stories
List of the all-time greatest short works of fiction from around the world.

Greatest Canadian Literature
Eric's picks for the all-time greatest works from the land of the red, white and red.

Greatest Science Fiction of All Time
Eric's picks for the nearly two hundred greatest-ever works of the science fiction genre.

Other Greatest Lit Stuff
Editor Eric's frequently asked questions, how to pick a translation, Shakespeare's detractors, and more.

Contenders SF
Readers' recommendations for additions to the list of the greatest science fiction of all time.

Literary Links
Other great literature resources.

Play
Hamlet

Story
The Killers

Author
Willa Cather

Novel
A Tale of Two Cities