What Is the Best Work of American Fiction of the Last 25 Years? - The New York Times


    
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What Is the Best Work of American Fiction of the Last 25 Years?

	
	
	
	
	

	





"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.Credit...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

By The New York Times


	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) 
	Review



THE RUNNERS-UP:
Underworld
Don DeLillo
(1997)
	Review


Blood Meridian
Cormac McCarthy
(1985)
	Review


Rabbit Angstrom: The Four Novels
John Updike
(1995)
	Review: 'Rabbit at Rest'


 (1990)

	Review: 'Rabbit Is Rich'


(1981)

	Review: 'Rabbit Redux'


 (1971)

	Review: 'Rabbit, Run'


(1960)

American Pastoral
Philip Roth
(1997)
	Review


THE FOLLOWING BOOKS ALSO RECEIVED MULTIPLE VOTES:
A Confederacy of Dunces
John Kennedy Toole
(1980)
	Review


Housekeeping
Marilynne Robinson
(1980)
	Review


Winter's Tale
Mark Helprin
(1983)
	Review


White Noise
Don DeLillo
(1985)
	Review


The Counterlife
Philip Roth
(1986)
	Review


Libra
Don DeLillo
(1988)
	Review


Where I'm Calling From
Raymond Carver
(1988)
	Review


The Things They Carried
Tim O'Brien
(1990)
	Review


Mating
Norman Rush
(1991)
	Review


Jesus' Son
Denis Johnson
(1992)
	Review


Operation Shylock
Philip Roth


(1993)
	Review


Independence Day
Richard Ford
(1995)
	Review


Sabbath's Theater
Philip Roth
(1995)
	Review


Border Trilogy
Cormac McCarthy
(1999)
	Review: 'Cities of the Plain'


 (1998)

	Review: 'The Crossing'


 (1994)

	Review: 'All the Pretty Horses'


(1992)

The Human Stain
Philip Roth
(2000)
	Review


The Known World
Edward P. Jones
(2003)
	Review


The Plot Against America
Philip Roth
(2004)
	Review









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