Who is the best writer in the world. The most prominent Russian writers

A good book is much more than a way to kill time. Wishing to get acquainted with unusual worlds, mysterious and strong characters and incredible adventures, the reader should get acquainted with the work of the most popular modern writers. Below are the most striking and famous works recent decades- top 10 best modern books!

1. 11/22/63 (Stephen King)

Tops our list of the best modern books scientific fantasy novel Stephen King 11/22/63. The first publication of the work took place in 2011.

The assassination of J.F. Kennedy was one of the strongest tragedies American society. A popular politician was shot right during a huge parade in front of thousands of Americans. Could the president have been saved? Surprisingly, the answer to this question to be found out simple teacher! Jake Epping is an ordinary resident of a small town who works at a school and is not much different from thousands of his fellow citizens. However, by the will of fate, it is he who gets the chance to go through the time portal, which is located in the back of the cafe with his old friend Al. The owner of the device has long wanted to find the killer of Kennedy, but the disease upset all plans, so Jake must replace him! Go back, straight to the 60s, live there for several years, figure out the future executioner and stop him on the day of a terrible tragedy! Will he be able to change the course of history and even go back?

2 American Gods (Neil Gaiman)

American Gods is one of the best modern fantasy books that was written by English writer Neil Gaiman in 2001.

America. Shelter of a huge number of migrants from all over the world. Looking for better share people went to an unknown continent, hoping to get settled there and find long-awaited happiness. However, they did not travel alone: ​​each visiting guest brought with him a piece of his native culture. Gods, beliefs, rituals, customs - this is the true luggage of the settlers! Will different deities be able to get along together and what promises such a neighborhood? Shadows, the main character, who has recently been released from prison, will have to find out. Once free, he finds himself in a series of strange events and mysterious crimes that need to be unraveled.

3. The Wind Runner (Khaled Hosseini)

Closes the top three best book by contemporary American writer Khaled Hosseini. The work was born in 2003.

What is true friendship? Sometimes adults find it very difficult to answer this question. Much easier for kids. Amir and Hasan are two completely different boys who are connected by true friendship. That's just one of them is an aristocrat, and the second is a poor servant! Coming from different social strata, they do not pay attention to the differences that are so important for adults. Playing, joking, sharing secrets and impressions, experiencing failures and knowing sorrow, the boys gradually grow up, and their friendship only becomes stronger. One day, serious changes are coming in the country that will test their strength and scatter friends across different parties. Can childhood friendship survive?

4. A Song of Ice and Fire (George Martin)

A Song of Ice and Fire is one of the most famous and best modern fantasy books. This is a whole series of works, consisting of five already published volumes. There are two more books in the pipeline. The first publication took place in 1996. The book gained particular popularity after the release of the series "Game of Thrones", filmed by HBO based on its motives.

The unique fantasy world is inhabited by far from good fairies and cheerful gnomes. This is a world of several powerful powers that are desperately fighting for their heart's content. Their goal is the throne of Westeros. Their means are weapons, intrigues, murders and rebellions. The palace of Verteros is filled with vile and greedy people who are eager to seize the throne at any cost. There is no place for honesty and nobility anymore. Arranging serious intrigues and organizing coups, the conspirators will do everything to undermine the situation in the kingdom. However, it is not only them that should be feared, because the cunning rulers of neighboring states are also not averse to snatching a "tidbit" during a cruel and blind turmoil! A real war for power is coming, ready to bury the old order forever.

5. The house in which ... (Mariam Petrosyan)

“The House Where…” is an interesting contemporary fantasy novel by the Armenian writer Mariam Petrosyan, published in 2009.

On the edge of the city is a boarding school for abandoned children. This old and gray place seems very inhospitable and gloomy, but everything is not so simple... Once inside, a person can discover a new, unusual world in which there is more kindness and light than on the bright city streets. The pupils of the house are divided into groups, each of which has its own leader. There are no names and surnames here - only bright nicknames. There is a lot of unknown and very little familiar. These are miniature societies with their vices and virtues. Children learn about the world, growing up, changing and trying to find their place in it.

6. Book Thief (Markus Zuzak)

"The Book Thief" - Fascinating modern novel Australian writer, written in 2006.

Liesel Meminger - small german girl, whose childhood fell on a truly monstrous time. In 1939, the Nazi regime reached its peak, destroying the recalcitrant and preparing to enslave the world. Horror, murders, robberies and terror became daily companions of the lives of those who did not suit the new government. After the death of her husband, Frau Meminger moves, trying to find a quieter place for her daughter. But in vain... Looking around, Liesel sees the ongoing chaos through the eyes of an innocent child who does not understand this cruel and strange world adults. Growing up quickly, she has a lot to learn and rethink.

7 Gone Girl (Gillian Flynn)

Gone Girl is one of the best modern thriller books. The work was published in 2012 and became the basis of the film of the same name.

How hard it is to know a person, even if you lived with him long years! An unusual incident turns the fate of the protagonist when his wife suddenly disappears. During a stormy celebration of their wedding anniversary, a woman mysteriously disappears. Arriving police discover blood and signs of a struggle, deciding that the man killed his wife and hid her body. Now the bewildered man is left to solve this incredible puzzle himself. Who knows, maybe the answer will turn out to be even more monstrous than the disappearance itself ...

8 Cloud Atlas (David Mitchell)

The novel "Cloud Atlas" was written in 2004 by an English writer. Its plot is a complex interweaving of stories and destinies that, at first glance, nothing connects. An American lawyer stranded on a tropical island while a ship is being repaired; young English musician forced to trade in music and body to earn a living; a brave Californian journalist fighting against a powerful corporation; a London publisher facing criminals after the release of yet another bestseller; a clone from a Korean anti-utopia and a Hawaiian old man watching the decline of human civilization. All events and characters pass hard way in different times gradually weaving together.

9. When I Was Real (Tom McCarthy)

Tom McCarthy's novel "When I Was Real" continues our top 10 best modern books.

Sudden disaster changed life young man, crossing out his past. He finds himself in a long-term coma, from which he, fortunately, manages to get out. But such a long process did not pass without a trace: now he needs to learn to live anew. Walk, move, work with hands and talk. All past life comes in the form of vague memories, and the hero endlessly wants to return to his former self. Moreover, some large corporation is ready to pay him a lot of money to keep the cause of the incident a secret. How are they related? What happened that day? And how to become completely the same?

10 Anathem (Neil Stevenson)

And completes the top ten modern science fiction book "Anathem", written by American writer Neil Stevenson in 2008.

Arb - distant and mysterious planet similar to the earth. People who worship science live here. Science, which completely replaced religion and managed to split society into two irreconcilable camps. Guardians of Science are monks who were once scientists. They once worked and created for the benefit of progress, but their work led to something terrible. Now the monks live in the monastery, closed off from the outside, secular world. Their life is simple, calm and measured, but every ten years there comes a special date - the day when the two sides can change places. The monks will see the outside world, and secular people will be able to join the monastic life and worldview. Once such a change led to horrific consequences, and now the two sides must unite to prevent the impending disaster!

Reading any book takes time, and often a lot of it. The number of books, one might say, is infinite, but life, alas, is the opposite. So you don't have to read everything. This is where difficulties arise: “What is good and what is bad?”. But, there is one small subtlety that makes it easier to find the answer to this question. Someone has already read any book before you. In the worst case - only the author and in the best - millions and millions. But the number of people who have read a particular book does not always indicate the quality of the book. What’s more, people have different tastes. So, you should choose to start with people whose opinion you can rely on.

Top 100 Writers and Top 100 Books
XIX-XX centuries

That's how it all started. The result is the table below. This is the result of a synthesis of about 20 ratings, opinions of various literary authorities, lists of winners of various awards (including the Nobel Prize). There is nothing from me personally in these ratings (author of this text: Andrey Matveev). The only thing that is mine here is the choice of the period (19-20 century). Of course, these ratings do not mean that all works should be read and the biographies of all writers should be studied from cover to cover. Moreover, this list is based mainly on Anglo-American ratings with a bias, which is natural English literature. However, the result obtained is curious and it seems worth getting acquainted with it.

Andrey Matveev, 2001

Top 100 Writers

Top 100 Books

1. Gabriel José de la Concordia "Gabo" Garcia Marquez(b. March 6, 1927, Aracataca, Colombia) - the famous Colombian prose writer, journalist, publisher and politician; laureate Nobel Prize in Literature 1982. Representative of the literary direction of "magic realism". world fame he brought the novel One Hundred Years of Solitude (Cien años de soledad, 1967).

2. Umberto Eco(b. January 5, 1932, Alessandria, Italy) - Italian scientist-philosopher, medievalist historian, specialist in semiotics, literary critic, writer. Most famous novels- "The Name of the Rose" and "Foucault's Pendulum".

3. Otfried Preusler(b. October 20, 1923) - German children's writer, by nationality - Lusatian (Lusatian Serb). Most famous works: "Little Baba Yaga", "Little Ghost", "Little Water" and "Krabat, or Legends of the Old Mill".

4. Boris Lvovich Vasiliev(born May 21, 1924) is a Soviet and Russian writer. Author of the story "The Dawns Here Are Quiet" (1969), the novel "Not on the Lists" (1974), etc.

5. Ion Druta(b. 09/03/1928) - Moldavian and Russian writer and playwright.

6. Fazil Abdulovich Iskander(03/06/1929, Sukhum, Abkhazia, USSR) - an outstanding Soviet and Russian prose writer and poet of Abkhaz origin.

7. Daniil Aleksandrovich Granin(b. January 1, 1919, Volsk, Saratov province, according to other sources - Volyn, Kursk region) - Russian writer and public figure. Knight of the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called, Hero of Socialist Labor (1989), President of the Society of Friends of the Russian national library; Chairman of the Board of the International Charitable Foundation. D. S. Likhachev.

8. Milan Kundera(b. April 1, 1929) is a modern Czech prose writer, living in France since 1975. He writes in both Czech and French.

9. Thomas Transtromer(b. April 15, 1931 in Stockholm) - the largest Swedish poet of the XX century. Winner of the 2011 Nobel Prize in Literature "for the fact that his brief, translucent images give us a renewed view of reality."

10. Max Gallo(b. January 7, 1932, Nice) - French writer, historian and politician. Member of the French Academy

11. Jorge Mario Pedro Vargas Llosa(b. 03/28/1936) - Peruvian-Spanish prose writer and playwright, publicist, politician, winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2010.

12. Terry Pratchett(b. April 28, 1948) is a popular English writer. The most popular is his cycle of satirical fantasy about Flat world(Eng. Discworld). The total circulation of his books is about 50 million copies.

13. Yuri Vasilievich Bondarev(b. 03/15/1924) - Russian Soviet writer. Author of the novel "Hot Snow", the story "Battalions ask for fire", etc.

14. Stephen Edwin King(b. September 21, 1947, Portland, Maine, USA) is an American writer who works in a variety of genres, including horror, thriller, science fiction, fantasy, mystery, drama.

15. Viktor Olegovich Pelevin(born November 22, 1962, Moscow) is a Russian writer. The most famous works: "The Life of Insects", "Chapaev and Emptiness", "Generation "P""

16. Joanne Rowling(b. July 31, 1965, Yate, Gloucestershire, England) is a British writer, author of a series of Harry Potter novels, translated into more than 65 languages ​​and sold (as of 2008) in more than 400 million copies.

culture

This list contains the names of the greatest writers of all time from different nations, writing in different languages. Those who are at least somehow interested in literature are undoubtedly familiar with them from their wonderful creations.

Today I would like to remember those who have remained on the pages of history as outstanding authors of great works that have been in demand for many years, decades, centuries and even millennia.

1) Latin: Publius Virgil Maro

Other great authors who wrote in the same language: Marcus Tullius Cicero, Gaius Julius Caesar, Publius Ovid Nason, Quintus Horace Flaccus

You must know Virgil by his famous epic work "Aeneid", which is dedicated to the fall of Troy. Virgil is probably the most strict perfectionist in the history of literature. He wrote his poem at an astonishingly slow rate - only 3 lines a day. He did not want to do it faster, to be sure that it was impossible to write these three lines better.

AT Latin subordinate clause, dependent or independent, can be written in any order, with a few exceptions. Thus, the poet has great freedom in determining how his poetry sounds, without changing the meaning in any way. Virgil considered every option at every stage.

Virgil also wrote two more works in Latin - "Bucoliki"(38 BC) and "Georgics"(29 BC). "Georgics"- 4 partly didactic poems about agriculture, including various kinds of advice, for example, not to plant grapes next to olive trees: olive leaves are very flammable, and at the end of a dry summer they can catch fire, like everything around, due to a lightning bolt.

He also praised Aristaeus, the god of beekeeping, because honey was the only source of sugar for the European world until sugar cane was brought to Europe from the Caribbean. Bees were deified, and Virgil explained how to acquire a hive if the farmer does not have one: kill a deer, a wild boar or a bear, rip open their belly and leave them in the forest, praying to the god Aristaeus. In a week he will send a beehive to the carcass of the animal.

Virgil wrote that he would like his poem "Aeneid" burned after his death, as it remained unfinished. However, the emperor of Rome, Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus, refused to do so, thanks to which the poem has survived to this day.

2) Ancient Greek: Homer

Other great authors who wrote in the same language: Plato, Aristotle, Thucydides, Apostle Paul, Euripides, Aristophanes

Homer, perhaps, can be called greatest writer of all times and peoples, but not much is known about him. He was probably a blind man who told stories written down 400 years later. Or in fact, a whole group of writers worked on the poems, who added something about the Trojan War and the Odyssey.

Anyway, "Iliad" and "Odyssey" were written in ancient Greek, a dialect that came to be called Homeric in contrast to the Attic that followed later and which replaced it. "Iliad" describes the last 10 years of the struggle of the Greeks with the Trojans outside the walls of Troy. Achilles is the main character. He is furious that King Agamemnon treats him and his trophies as his own property. Achilles refused to participate in the war, which had already lasted 10 years and in which the Greeks lost thousands of their soldiers in the struggle for Troy.

But after persuasion, Achilles allowed his friend (and possibly lover) Patroclus, who did not want to wait any longer, to join the war. However, Patroclus was defeated and killed by Hector, the leader of the Trojan army. Achilles rushed into battle and forced the Trojan battalions to flee. Without outside help, he killed many enemies, fought with the god of the river Scamander. Achilles ultimately killed Hector, and the poem ends with funeral ceremonies.

"Odyssey"- an unsurpassed adventure masterpiece about the 10-year wanderings of Odysseus, who tried to return home after graduation Trojan War along with their people. The details of the fall of Troy are mentioned very briefly. When Odysseus ventured to the Land of the Dead, where he found Achilles among others.

These are just two works of Homer that have survived and have come down to us, however, whether there were others is not exactly known. However, these works underlie all European literature. The poems are written in dactylic hexameter. Many poems have been written in memory of Homer in the Western tradition.

3) French: Victor Hugo

Other great authors who wrote in the same language: René Descartes, Voltaire, Alexandre Dumas, Molière, François Rabelais, Marcel Proust, Charles Baudelaire

The French have always been fans of long novels, the longest of which is the cycle "In Search of Lost Time" Marcel Proust. However, Victor Hugo is perhaps the most famous author French prose and one of the greatest poets of the 19th century.

His most famous works are "Notre Dame Cathedral"(1831) and "Les Misérables"(1862). The first work even formed the basis famous cartoon "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" studios Walt Disney Pictures However, in Hugo's real novel, everything ended far from being so fabulous.

The hunchback Quasimodo was hopelessly in love with the gypsy Esmeralda, who treated him well. However, Frollo, an evil priest, had his eye on the beauty. Frollo followed her and saw how she almost turned out to be the mistress of Captain Phoebus. As revenge, Frollo handed over the gypsy to justice, accusing the captain of the murder, whom he actually killed himself.

After being tortured, Esmeralda confessed that she allegedly committed a crime and was supposed to be hanged, but at the last moment she was saved by Quasimodo. In the end, Esmeralda was executed anyway, Frollo was thrown from the cathedral, and Quasimodo starved to death, hugging the corpse of his beloved.

"Les Misérables" also not a particularly cheerful novel, at least one of the main characters - Cosette - survives, despite the fact that she had to suffer almost all her life, like all the heroes of the novel. It's a classic story of fanatical law enforcement, but almost no one can help those who really need help the most.

4) Spanish: Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra

Other great authors who wrote in the same language: Jorge Luis Borges

The main work of Cervantes, of course, is famous novel "The Cunning Hidalgo Don Quixote of La Mancha". He also wrote collections of short stories, a romantic novel "Galatea", novel "Persiles and Sihismunda" and some other works.

Don Quixote is a rather hilarious character, even today, whose real name is Alonso Quejana. He had read so much about the warrior knights and their honest ladies that he began to consider himself a knight, traveling through countryside and getting into all sorts of adventures, forcing everyone who meets him on the way to remember him for his recklessness. He made friends with an ordinary farmer Sancho Panza who tries to bring Don Quixote back to reality.

It is known that Don Quixote tried to fight with windmills, saved people who usually did not need his help, and was beaten many times. The second part of the book was published 10 years after the first and is the first work modern literature. The characters all know about the story of Don Quixote, which is told in the first part.

Now everyone he meets is trying to ridicule him and Panso, testing their faith in the spirit of chivalry. He eventually returns to reality when he loses a fight with the Knight of the White Moon, poisons himself at home, falls ill and dies, leaving all the money to his niece on the condition that she does not marry a man who reads reckless tales of chivalry.

5) Dutch: Joost van den Vondel

Other great authors who wrote in the same language: Peter Hooft, Jakob Kats

Vondel is the most prominent Dutch writer who lived in the 17th century. He was a poet and playwright and was representative of the "Golden Age" of Dutch literature. His most famous play is "Geisbrecht of Amsterdam", a historical drama that was performed on New Year's Day at the Amsterdam City Theater between 1438 and 1968.

The play is about Geisbrecht IV, who, according to the play, invaded Amsterdam in 1303 to restore the honor of the family and return the titled nobility. He founded something like the title of baron in these places. Vondel's historical sources were incorrect. In fact, the invasion was carried out by the son of Geisbrecht, Jan, who turned out to be a real hero, overthrowing the tyranny that reigned in Amsterdam. Today, Geisbrecht is a national hero because of this writer's mistake.

Vondel also wrote another masterpiece, an epic poem called "John the Baptist"(1662) about the life of John. This work is the national epic of the Netherlands. Vondel is also the author of the play "Lucifer"(1654), which examines the soul of a biblical character, as well as his character and motives in order to answer the question of why he did what he did. This play inspired the Englishman John Milton to write 13 years later "Paradise Lost".

6) Portuguese: Luis de Camões

Other great authors who wrote in the same language: José Maria Esa de Queiroz, Fernando António Nugueira Pessoa

Camões is considered the greatest poet Portugal. His most famous work is "Lusiades"(1572). The Lusiades were the people who inhabited the Roman region of Lusitania, on the site of which modern Portugal is located. The name comes from the name Lusa (Lusus), he was a friend of the god of wine Bacchus, he is considered the progenitor of the Portuguese people. "Lusiades"- an epic poem consisting of 10 songs.

The poem tells about all the famous Portuguese sea ​​voyages to discover, conquer and colonize new countries and cultures. She is somewhat similar to "Odyssey" Homer, Camões praises Homer and Virgil many times. The work begins with a description of the journey of Vasco da Gama.

This is a historical poem that recreates many battles, the Revolution of 1383-85, the discovery of da Gama, trade with the city of Calcutta, India. The Louisiads were always watched by the Greek gods, although da Gama, being a Catholic, prayed to his own god. At the end, the poem mentions Magellan and speaks of the glorious future of Portuguese navigation.

7) German: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Other great authors who wrote in the same language: Friedrich von Schiller, Arthur Schopenhauer, Heinrich Heine, Franz Kafka

Speaking of German music, one cannot fail to mention Bach, in the same way German literature would not be so complete without Goethe. Many great writers wrote about him or used his ideas in shaping their style. Goethe wrote four novels, a great many poems and documentaries, scientific essays.

Undoubtedly, his most famous work is a book "Suffering young Werther" (1774). Goethe founded the German Romantic movement. Beethoven's 5th symphony completely coincides in mood with Goethe's "Werther".

Novel "The Sorrows of Young Werther" talks about the unsatisfied romanticism of the protagonist, which leads to his suicide. The story is told in the form of letters and made popular epistolary novel at least for the next century and a half.

However, the masterpiece of Goethe's pen is still a poem "Faust" which consists of 2 parts. The first part was published in 1808, the second in 1832, the year of the writer's death. The legend of Faust existed long before Goethe, however dramatic story Goethe left alone famous history about this hero.

Faust is a scientist whose incredible knowledge and wisdom pleased God. God sends Mephistopheles or the Devil to check on Faust. The story of a deal with the devil has often been brought up in literature, but the most famous is perhaps the story of Goethe's Faust. Faust signs an agreement with the Devil, promising his soul in exchange for the Devil to do whatever Faust wishes on Earth.

He becomes young again and falls in love with the girl Gretchen. Gretchen takes a potion from Faust to help her mother's insomnia, but the potion poisons her. This drives Gretchen crazy, she drowns her newborn baby, signing her death warrant. Faust and Mephistopheles break into the prison to rescue her, but Gretchen refuses to go with them. Faust and Mephistopheles go into hiding, and God grants forgiveness to Gretchen while she awaits her execution.

The second part is incredibly difficult to read, as the reader needs to be well versed in Greek mythology. This is a kind of continuation of the story that began in the first part. Faust, with the help of Mephistopheles, becomes incredibly strong and corrupt until the very end of the story. He remembers the pleasure of being a good person and immediately dies. Mephistopheles comes for his soul, but the angels take it for themselves, they stand up for the soul of Faust, who is reborn and ascends to Heaven.

8) Russian: Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin

Other great authors who wrote in the same language: Leo Tolstoy, Anton Chekhov, Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Today Pushkin is remembered as the father of primordially Russian literature, in contrast to that Russian literature, which had a clear connotation Western influence. First of all, Pushkin was a poet, but he wrote in all genres. Drama is considered his masterpiece. "Boris Godunov"(1831) and a poem "Eugene Onegin"(1825-32).

The first work is a play, the second is a novel in poetic form. "Onegin" written exclusively in sonnets, and Pushkin invented new form sonnet, which distinguishes his work from the sonnets of Petrarch, Shakespeare and Edmund Spenser.

The main character of the poem - Eugene Onegin - is the model on which all Russian literary heroes are based. Onegin is treated as a person who does not meet any standards accepted in society. He wanders, gambles, fights duels, he is called a sociopath, although not cruel or evil. This person, rather, does not care about the values ​​and rules that are accepted in society.

Many of Pushkin's poems formed the basis of ballets and operas. They are very difficult to translate into any other language. for the most part because poetry just can't sound the same in another language. This is what distinguishes poetry from prose. Languages ​​often do not match in the possibilities of words. The Inuit language of the Eskimos is known to have 45 different words for snow.

Nonetheless, "Onegin" translated into many languages. Vladimir Nabokov translated the poem into English, but instead of one volume, he got as many as 4. Nabokov retained all the definitions and descriptive details, but completely ignored the music of poetry.

All this is due to the fact that Pushkin had an incredibly unique writing style that allowed him to touch on all aspects of the Russian language, even inventing new syntactic and grammatical forms and words, establishing many rules that almost all Russian writers use even today.

9) Italian: Dante Alighieri

Other great authors who wrote in the same language: none

Name Durante in Latin means "hardy" or "eternal". It was Dante who helped streamline the various Italian dialects of his time into modern Italian. The dialect of Tuscany, where Dante was born in Florence, is the standard for all Italians thanks to "Divine Comedy" (1321), a masterpiece by Dante Alighieri and one of greatest works world literature of all times.

At the time this work was written, the Italian regions each had their own dialect, which were quite different from each other. Today, when you want to learn Italian as a foreign language, you will almost always start with the Florentine version of Tuscany because of its significance in literature.

Dante travels to Hell and Purgatory to learn about the punishments that sinners are serving. There are different punishments for different crimes. Those who are accused of lust are forever driven by the wind, despite their fatigue, because in life the wind of voluptuousness drove them.

Those whom Dante considers heretics are guilty of splitting the church into several branches, among them also the prophet Muhammad. They are sentenced to a split from the neck to the groin, and the punishment is carried out by the devil with a sword. In such a ripped state, they walk in a circle.

AT "Comedy" there are also descriptions of Paradise, which are also unforgettable. Dante uses Ptolemy's concept of paradise that Heaven is made up of 9 concentric spheres, each of which brings the author and Beatrice, his lover and guide, closer to God at the very top.

After meeting with various famous personalities from the Bible, Dante finds himself face to face with the Lord God, depicted as three beautiful circles light, merging into one, from which comes Jesus, the incarnation of God on Earth.

Dante is also the author of other smaller poems and essays. One of the works - "About folk eloquence" speaks of the importance Italian as conversational. He also wrote a poem "New life" with passages in prose in which he defends noble love. No other writer was as fluent in the language as Dante was in Italian.

10) English: William Shakespeare

Other great authors who wrote in the same language: John Milton, Samuel Beckett, Geoffrey Chaucer, Virginia Woolf, Charles Dickens

Voltaire called Shakespeare "that drunken fool", and his works "that huge dunghill". Nevertheless, the influence of Shakespeare on literature is undeniable, and not only English, but also the literature of most other languages ​​of the world. Shakespeare is one of the most translated writers today. complete collection works have been translated into 70 languages, and various plays and poems have been translated into more than 200.

About 60 percent of all popular expressions, quotes and idioms of the English language come from King James Bible(English translation of the Bible), 30 percent from Shakespeare.

According to the rules of Shakespearean time, tragedies at the end demanded the death of at least one main character, but in an ideal tragedy everyone dies: "Hamlet" (1599-1602), "King Lear" (1660), "Othello" (1603), "Romeo and Juliet" (1597).

In contrast to tragedy, there is comedy, in which someone is sure to marry at the end, and in the ideal comedy, all the characters marry and get married: "A dream in a summer night" (1596), "Much ado about nothing" (1599), "Twelfth Night" (1601), "The Merry Wives of Windsor" (1602).

Shakespeare masterfully exacerbated the tension between the characters in an excellent combination with the plot. He knew how, like no one else, organically describe human nature. The real genius of Shakespeare can be called skepticism, which pervades all his works, sonnets, plays and poems. He, as it should be, praises the highest moral principles humanity, but these principles are always expressed in the conditions of an ideal world.

It is impossible to deny the fact that the nature of the approaching or imminent changes in the life of human civilization was the first to be felt by those who were ahead of their time - famous writers.

Writers - liaison between the future and the present

Among the endless multitude of writers of every era are those authors who, in addition to the merits of artistic prose, which are universally recognized, generously give humanity a new vision. It was they who, much more convincingly than scientists, formulated new concepts and ideas and, as a result, created the intellectual and emotional argumentation of the future. They managed to see his challenge in the everyday and everyday, expose unsightly problems, point to ongoing conflicts, helping to realize the coming threats and give new hopes.

Great writers of world literature

This list is not perfect. It contains individual famous writers who can be safely called the greatest writers of all times and peoples.

Pleiad of geniuses of poetry and prose

The 19th century was so rich in talent that it managed to give birth to an outstanding galaxy of prose and poetry geniuses. The most famous writers are N. M. Karamzin, A. S. Griboyedov, A. S. Pushkin, K. F. Ryleev, M. Yu. Lermontov, N. A. Nekrasov, N. V. Gogol, A. A. Fet, I. S. Turgenev, M. E. Saltykov-Shchedrin, G. Chernyshevsky, A. P. Chekhov, F. M. Dostoevsky.

Writers who had a significant impact on English literature

The famous created a great multitude outstanding works, which laid a powerful message, so they have retained their relevance in our days.

• Thomas More, and translator. Author of many translations from ancient Greek and poems, as well as 280 Latin epigrams.
• Jonathan Swift, a brave publicist and brilliant satirist, poet, is known to the general public as the creator of Gulliver's Travels.
• founding father of romantic "sensual" literature in Great Britain. With his three whale novels, he undoubtedly formed a stable foundation for his imperishable world fame.
• the founder of the English realistic novel, a prolific, profound playwright.
• Walter Scott, a comprehensively developed personality, warrior, writer, poet, specialist in advocacy and history, founder historical novel 19th century.

Writers who changed the world

After the horrors of the Second World War, it seemed to everyone that henceforth the world would rest on clear, simple and sound principles. social relations, global politics relied on the modernization of progress and positive trends, faith in education, science. However, from the beginning of the 70s, the idealistic world began to inexorably collapse, and people came to know a different reality. Famous writers and poets, who determine the mindset of the new generation, have taken the brunt of the dramatic changes that have come.

Soul and mind of modernity

Below is a list of those writers who determined the soul and mind of our time.

• Marquez (lawyer). Major works: "The General in His Labyrinth", "Nobody Writes to the Colonel", "One Hundred Years of Solitude", "Born Leaves" and many others.
• Alexander Solzhenitsyn (teacher of physics and mathematics, famous Russian writer). Major works: Cancer Ward, Red Wheel, In the First Circle and the more than provocative Gulag Archipelago. Famous writers often fell into disgrace to the ruling system.
• Toni Morrison (editor). Main works: "Favorite", "Resin Scarecrow", "Jazz", "Love", "Paradise".
• Salman Rushdie (philologist). Main works: "Shame", "Rage", "Midnight's Children", "Shalimar the Clown", "Satanic Verses".
• Milan Kundera (director) Main works: "Ignorance", "Immortality", "Slowness", "Funny Loves" and others.
• Orhan Pamuk (architect). Main works: "Istanbul", "White Fortress", "Other Colors", "New Life", "Snow", "Black Book".
• Michel Houellebecq (environmental engineer). Major works: Platform, Elementary Particles, The Possibility of an Island, Lanzarote.
• JK Rowling (translator). 7 Harry Potter novels.

• Umberto Eco (philologist). Major works: "Baudolino", "The Name of the Rose", "The Island of the Eve", "Foucault's Pendulum".
• Carlos Castaneda (anthropologist). Main works: "The Gift of the Eagle", "The Power of Silence", "Special Reality", "Tales of Power", " inner fire”, “Wheel of Time”, “Second Circle of Power” and others. The category "famous writers" would be deprived without mentioning this outstanding person.