Famous Books and Authors

Of all essays on the importance of reading, probably the most important one that catches the real essence of the habit of reading is that written by Francis Bacon. In his essay ‘of Studies,’ Bacon calls reading an ornament and an important faculty to draw conclusions. Millions of books filled with jewels of wisdom exist in the world with an unimaginably large collection adorning the shelves of Congress Library. For bibliophiles and book lovers, a good title is all they need. In this blog, we will explore some famous books and authors.

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Top 10 Famous Books & Authors

Looking for famous books and authors to read? Here is our list of book recommendations for the Top 10 famous books and authors of all time!

1. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
2. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
3. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
4. Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert
5. Moby Dick by Herman Melville
6. One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
7. 1984 by George Orwell 
8. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
9. The Feast of the Goat by Mario Vargas Llosa
10. In Search of Lost Time by Marcel Proust

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

“What’s the use you learning to do right when it’s troublesome to do right and ain’t no trouble to do wrong, and the wages is just the same?”

One of the most beloved books of all time, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a stark critique of institutionalised racism during the pre-civil war days. Amongst the top famous books and authors you must read, the story traces the journey of a Mississippi boy travelling down the river with a runaway slave and came across various adventures meeting a fighting family, some people posing as royals and many other confusions that make it a fun rollercoaster to jump on!

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

“Rummaging in our souls, we often dig up something that ought to have lain there unnoticed.”

Revered among the great personalities of all time, the Russian born Leo Tolstoy is known for writing masterpieces that are unmatched even centuries after. The book originally written in the Russian language has been translated into English. Spread over 800 pages, the novel has more than five main characters. In the list of famous books and authors, Leo Tolstoy and his book are perhaps on top of the list. The story having a complex plot with diverse themes through the life of a family explores the social condition of Russia in the 19th century. In the backdrop of a story, Tolstoy successfully manages to portray a picture of Russian society. What he considers his first real book is lauded by many writers as the greatest work in literature. 

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

“Let us learn to show our friendship for a man when he is alive and not after he is dead.”

A landmark work by F.Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby is considered amongst the greatest novels ever written! It tells the story of a wealthy man, Jay Gatsby, who plans to woo Daisy, an old lost love, by befriending her cousin. Considered amongst the famous authors and novels of all time, The Great Gatsby follows its protagonist Jay Gatsby’s story who comes from nothing but with perseverance and luck, makes it big only to lose it all to the hands of love.

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1984 by George Orwell 

“Until they become conscious they will never rebel, and until after they have rebelled they cannot become conscious.”

For obvious reasons, the masterpiece by 20th century’s most influential writer is a dystopian novel criticizing the authoritarian regime in Oceania. The story revolves around the main character, Winston Smith, whose stance against the regime is moulded into compliance through incessant efforts at breaking him down by the ‘Thought Police’. The book was banned for a long time until it came to be known as the greatest works in the political writing of the 21st century.  Considered among the greatest writers of all time, George Orwell is known for turning political writing into an art. Orwell’s allegoric novel ‘Animal Farm’ is equally important. If you are looking for famous books and authors, then you should consider giving Orwell a read. 

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

“I am I, and I wish I weren’t.”

Written between the two World Wars, the novel is an important read in dystopian literature. After the world war, society began to become dependent on technology as a remedy to solve problems emerging from wars. Aldous Huxley, through chilling use of metaphors, draws a vivid sketch of the futuristic dystopian society where technological surveillance is run at such a scale that even embryos are not left unaffected. The book marked the beginning of the dystopian literature in English society, followed by more such books by Orwell and Margaret Atwood. 

Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert

“Never touch your idols: the gilding will stick to your fingers.”

While exploring famous books and authors, Madame Bovary’s bold approach to telling a story makes it to the list. The story revolves around the character Charles Bovary and Emma which takes a turn after Emma, who is driven by sensuousness gets disillusioned by her marriage. The book was accused of spreading immorality and was banned for a long time. Exploring the themes like sexuality, love, deceit and tragedy, the debut novel by Gustave Flaubert is counted among the best books of all time. 

One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

“It’s enough for me to be sure that you and I exist at this moment.”

Amongst the most famous books and authors of Latin American literature, Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude traces the story of the Buendia Family, and explores a wide range of themes from solitude to the need for love. It is considered as the most renowned work in Magical Realism and is a masterpiece of narratives as it follows a family through varied generations with its members doing the same mistakes and explores the tale of a village from its beginning till the end.

The Feast of the Goat by Mario Vargas Llosa

“They had forgotten the abuses, the murders, the corruption, the spying, the isolation, the fear: horror had become myth. Everybody had jobs and there wasn’t so much crime.”

Llosa’s creative genius is evident in the book that is skilfully woven to represent the great art of storytelling. Originally written in Spanish, ‘Feast of Goat’ is a historical fiction depicting the last days of Rafael Trujillo’s dictatorship over the Dominican Republic. The writer while experimenting with story writing techniques tells the story of real experiences through fictional characters with shifting points of view. Literary critics are of opinion that the book has dethroned ‘One Hundred Years of Solitude’ written by Gabriel Garcia Marquez as the greatest novel from Latin America. You can purchase this book here.

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In Search of Lost Time by Marcel Proust

“If a little dreaming is dangerous, the cure for it is not to dream less, but to dream more, to dream all the time.”

Perhaps the most detailed fictional work, the book has seven volumes which makes it to the list of famous books and authors. Marcel Proust traces the biography of a fictional character whose life shares a resemblance to that of the writer himself. Swann’s Way,  In the Shadow of Young Girls in Flower, The Guermantes Way, Sodom and Gomorrah, The Prisoner, The Fugitive, Finding Time Again, which are the 7 volumes are a treat to an avid reader. Set in France in the late 19th century, the book is a compilation of childhood recollections of the narrator. 

Other Books to Read

A variety of genres come up while searching for famous books and authors. To bring diversity in your reading bucket list, here is the list of equally important books that you should be looking forward to reading this year:

• Plague by Albert Camus
• Ulysses by James Joyce 
• Waiting for the Barbarians by J.M Coetzee
• Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
• Lolita by Vladimir Naboko
• On the Road by Jack Kerouac
• To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee 
• The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

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List of Famous Books and Authors for Competitive Exams

If you are preparing for any upcoming government exams, you might come across questions on important books and authors in literature. So, here is a complete list of Famous Books and Authors for Competitive Exams:

• The God of Small Things: Arundhati Roy
• Unbreakable: Mary Kom
• Siddhartha: Herman Hesse
• India at Risk: Jaswant Singh
• A Bend in the River: V.S. Naipaul
• Flood of Fire: Amitav Ghosh
• Two Years, Eight Months and Twenty-Eight Nights by Salman Rushdie
• Who Was Shivaji: Govind Pansare
• I Do What I Do: Raghuram Rajan
• Pathways to Greatness: Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam
• War & Peace: Leo Tolstoy
• Beyond 2020: A Vision for Tomorrow’s India by Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam
• Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Jeff Kinney
• And the Mountains Echoed: Khaled Hosseini

Now that you already have a list of famous books and authors, you can start your reading. Serving a countless number of purposes, reading supplements your quest for knowledge and reinforces your understanding of any subject. Pursuing Creative writing courses is a golden opportunity for you to continue with your reading. If you are exploring the options for the same to study abroad, our experts at Leverage Edu can provide personalized guidance right from completing the application process to writing an impeccable SOP so that you kickstart your career in any field!