At some point in years to come, certain books will stand the test of time and continue to be commonly read, held above other novels as the best this century had to offer. What makes a book a classic? My guess would be the impact it has had and the overall quality of its writing. But it's probably quite subjective!

One book that springs to mind is Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy. It's just unlike anything else I've read, with some beautiful visions of the American landscape contrasted with brutal depictions of the worst humanity has to offer.

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[–] IWW4@lemmy.zip 9 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (2 children)

From 1950 to today?

Wow there are so many that already are:

The Dune books
The Harry Potter books
many Stephen King books
To Kill a Mocking Bird
One flew over the cookoos nest
Watership Down

I think the tougher challenge will be to identify books written in the last 20 years that will be classic.

[–] TunaLobster@lemmy.world 4 points 9 months ago

Lord of the Rings was published in 1954 and would probably make it in that list.

[–] OmegaMouse@pawb.social 4 points 9 months ago

I think you're right about those books! What would your suggestions be for the last 20 years then?