Favorite Contemporary Novelists

[Florestan]

Contemporary, ie active since the later half of the 20th century up until present. Name as many as you feel like.

My list, in no particular order

Mario Vargas Llosa
Umberto Eco
Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Amin Maalouf
David Lodge
Andrei Makine
Juan Marse
Jose Saramago

[Artem]

Roberto Bolano
W.G. Sebald
László Krasznahorkai
Haruki Murakami
Thomas Bernhard

[Karl Henning]

I'll list both Don DeLillo and T.C. Boyle, although the only DeLillo I've read is White Noise (for whatever reason, I haven't felt impelled to read more) I've probably read some 4-5 novels plus stories by Boyle, my favorites are probably Water Music and World's End, I guess I felt that I had reached my Boyle limit. I got a kick out of David Foster Wallace's The Broom of the System, which I should probably re-read. I'll also list our own Leo Schulte, by whom I've now read some 7 novels in MS. many of which I greatly enjoy re-reading.

[vers la flamme]

My knowledge of contemporary literature (I'll use my own definition and consider only living, working authors) is depressingly limited. There are a few that immediately come to mind: Cormac McCarthy, Kazuo Ishiguro and Haruki Murakami. While they have absolutely nothing in common with one another, they might be the three most popular living writers of so-called literary fiction, and deservedly so. Brilliant writers all. I need to read more living authors... especially younger ones. These three are all boomers or older.

[Karl Henning]

No takers for Dan Brown ...?

[Sergeant Rock]

J.P. Donleavy
Vladimir Nabokov
John Barth
Jerzy Kosinski
Thomas Pynchon
Umberto Eco

[Karl Henning]

J.P. Donleavy
Vladimir Nabokov
John Barth
Jerzy Kosinski
Thomas Pynchon
Umberto Eco

Love The Sot-Weed Factor (which I discovered via a quote in T. C. Boyle

[André Le Nôtre]

Contemporary, ie active since the later half of the 20th century up until present. Name as many as you feel like.

My list, in no particular order

Mario Vargas Llosa
Umberto Eco
Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Amin Maalouf
David Lodge
Andrei Makine
Juan Marse
Jose Saramago

What is the best intro to Eco's work?

[Artem]

Vladimir Nabokov

Would definitely add Nabokov to my list. I think I read all his major published works. His lectures on Russian literature are terrific.

[Mandryka]

I tend not to read much in English any more, partly because I'm keen to improve my French. But it has meant that I've tapped into a group of authors who all seem to come out of the Corrèze for some reason - Pierre Bergounioux, Pierre Michon and Francois Bon - who I like very much.

Andrei -you were talking about Novalis's conception of Romanticism. Well Francois Bon's Sortie de l'Usine and Un Fait Divers or Pierre Michon's Vie de Joseph Roulin and Vies Miniscules and Pierre Bergounioux's Le Toussaint and La Bête Faramineuse all seem to me to absolutely resonate with what Novalis says in those quotes you found.

[Crudblud]

Thomas Pynchon
Don DeLillo
Umberto Eco
Cormac McCarthy
J.G. Ballard

Some others I like but don't feel I've read enough of to include: Saul Bellow, Philip Roth, Gore Vidal, Italo Calvino, William S. Burroughs, John Williams

Some others I respect but don't really enjoy: Paul Auster, Michel Houllebecq, Patrick Chamoiseau, John Barth

I wish I could find more time to read. I'd like to see, at least in translation, more of what goes on in non-Anglophone literature these days.

[Florestan]

What is the best intro to Eco's work?

Either The Name of the Rose or Foucault's Pendulum. Both are intellectual-cum-cultural thrillers; if you are into that genre, they are real page turners.

[Florestan]

I tend not to read much in English any more, partly because I'm keen to improve my French. But it has meant that I've tapped into a group of authors who all seem to come out of the Corrèze for some reason - Pierre Bergounioux, Pierre Michon and Francois Bon - who I like very much.

Andrei -you were talking about Novalis's conception of Romanticism. Well Francois Bon's Sortie de l'Usine and Un Fait Divers or Pierre Michon's Vie de Joseph Roulin and Vies Miniscules and Pierre Bergounioux's Le Toussaint and La Bête Faramineuse all seem to me to absolutely resonate with what Novalis says in those quotes you found.

Thanks for the tip, Howard, I'll certainly investigate them.

[Florestan]

No takers for Dan Brown ...?

The Da Vinci Code is the only book I've ever regretted buying. Imo Dan Brown is a strong contender for the worst writer ever period. 

[Biffo]

Either The Name of the Rose or Foucault's Pendulum. Both are intellectual-cum-cultural thrillers; if you are into that genre, they are real page turners.

I enjoyed both but gave up on The Island of the Day Before about half-way through.

[Florestan]

I enjoyed both but gave up on The Island of the Day Before about half-way through.

Why?

Have you read Baudolino?

I deeply enjoyed each and every Eco book I've read, including his essays. One of the most interesting writers of the late 20C- early 21C.

[Biffo]

Why?

Have you read Baudolino?

I deeply enjoyed each and every Eco book I've read, including his essays. One of the most interesting writers of the late 20C- early 21C.

I avidly read the first two novels but in the The Island etc I just got bogged down in it and gave up. I haven't attempted any more of his works since then - perhaps I should give him another try.

[Florestan]

I avidly read the first two novels but in the The Island etc I just got bogged down in it and gave up. I haven't attempted any more of his works since then - perhaps I should give him another try.

The Island etc is indeed different from the others and the action pace is slower but I found it interesting nevertheless.

I'd say that in the genre of intellectual-cultural thriller he has no rival. Arturo Perez-Reverte's novels are not bad either but most of them ends abruptly and disappointingly, while Dan Brown's attempts are laughably bad.

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

I need to read more living authors... especially younger ones.

Ditto. An article about significant books in the 2000s is below. Mostly USA authors, though.

https://www.vulture.com/article/best-books-21st-century-so-far.html

[Pohjolas Daughter]

Margaret Atwood has been a favorite of mine over the years.  Barbara Kingsolver too.  Will think more about other authors.

By the way, has anyone else here read any of their works?

PD