swap_horiz Julian Barnes Alternatives

1

Roberto Bolaño

Chilean author regarded as the most significant Latin American literary voice of his generation, famous for his epic 199...

Contemporary Dark Literary Latin American

9.0 Excellent

2

Kazuo Ishiguro

British novelist born in Japan who won the 2017 Nobel Prize in Literature for works like The Remains of the Day.

Contemporary Memory Literary Nobel

8.9 Great

3

Alice Munro

Canadian short story writer widely considered a master of the form, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 201...

Contemporary Canadian Literary Short Story

8.9 Great

4

J.M. Coetzee

South African and Australian novelist who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2003, recognized for intellectually rigor...

Contemporary Literary South African Postcolonial

8.8 Great

5

Elena Ferrante

Anonymous Italian novelist internationally famous for her acclaimed Neapolitan Novels series, beginning with *My Brillia...

Italian Contemporary Literary Feminist

8.8 Great

6

Salman Rushdie

British Indian novelist whose magical realist work Midnight's Children won the Booker Prize and sparked global literary...

Contemporary Magical Realism Literary Postmodern

8.6 Great

7

José Saramago

Portuguese novelist who won the 1998 Nobel Prize in Literature, known for his dystopian novel Blindness and unique prose...

Contemporary Literary Portuguese Nobel

8.6 Great

8

Neil Gaiman

English author of speculative fiction whose highly imaginative works include the 2001 fantasy novel *American Gods* and...

Fantasy Contemporary Mythological Dark

8.6 Great

9

Hilary Mantel

English historical novelist who won the Booker Prize twice for her Thomas Cromwell trilogy, starting with Wolf Hall.

Contemporary Booker Historical British

8.5 Great

10

Umberto Eco

Italian novelist and semiotician whose debut historical mystery The Name of the Rose became an international literary se...

Italian Contemporary Historical Literary

8.5 Great

11

Graham Greene

English novelist renowned for exploring moral and religious themes in acclaimed works such as *The Power and the Glory*...

20TH Century British Thriller Literary

8.5 Great

12

Arundhati Roy

Indian author and political activist who won the Booker Prize for her 1997 debut novel *The God of Small Things*, a stor...

Contemporary Indian Booker Political

8.2 Great

13

David Mitchell

English author noted for his sprawling, structurally complex novels with interwoven narratives, such as the 2004 book *C...

Contemporary Experimental British Literary

8.2 Great

14

Michael Ondaatje

Sri Lankan-born Canadian poet and novelist who won the Booker Prize for his 1992 novel *The English Patient*, which was...

Contemporary Booker Historical Literary

8.1 Great

15

Ian McEwan

British novelist celebrated for his psychological depth, notably in the Booker Prize-winning World War II novel Atonemen...

Contemporary Psychological 20TH Century British

7.9 Good

16

Martin Amis

British novelist prominent in the late 20th century, known for his sharp satire and the influential novel Money.

Contemporary British Literary Satirical

7.8 Good

17

Zadie Smith

English novelist recognized for her vibrant multicultural themes, debuting with the widely acclaimed White Teeth in 2000...

Contemporary Multicultural 21ST Century British

7.8 Good

18

Peter Carey

Australian novelist renowned for his imaginative fiction, and one of only four writers to win the Booker Prize twice, ac...

Contemporary Australian Booker Historical

7.8 Good

19

Paul Auster

American author famous for his existential, postmodern detective fiction, notably his 1987 *The New York Trilogy*.

American Contemporary Psychological Literary

7.8 Good

20

Nick Hornby

English novelist and essayist known for his popular, music- and sports-themed fiction, notably the 1995 book *High Fidel...

Contemporary Comedy British Literary

7.5 Good