The New York Times decided to “take a first swing at determining the most important, influential books” of the 21st century. 503 novelists, poets, critics, non-fiction writers and others took part in their survey. Top of the pile was Elena Ferrante’s My Brilliant Friend.
Elena Ferrante’s My Brilliant Friend is the best book of the 21st century, according to a ranking compiled by The New York Times Book Review.
The novel is the first of the quartet following the girls/women. Raised in the harsh environment of their neighbourhood, the two girls depend on each other more than anyone else. As they grow older and their lives take different directions, Elena and Lila maintain a deep friendship, each mirroring and influencing the other’s fate. My Brilliant Friend is the captivating opening book of Elena Ferrante’s renowned Neapolitan Novels. This masterfully crafted series presents a raw and unique exploration of female life, competition, and companionship.
Ferrante had two other novels in the top 100: The Days of Abandonment (92) and The Story of the Lost Child (80 – part of the Neapolitan quartet).
New York Times review of My Brilliant Friend
This is what the New York Times said about My Brilliant Friend.
“The first volume of what would become Ferrante’s riveting four-book series of Neapolitan novels introduced readers to two girls growing up in a poor, violent neighbourhood in Naples, Italy: the diligent, dutiful Elena and her charismatic, wilder friend Lila, who despite her fierce intelligence is seemingly constrained by her family’s meagre means.
“From there the book (like the series as a whole) expands as propulsively as the early universe, encompassing ideas about art and politics, class and gender, philosophy and fate, all through a dedicated focus on the conflicted, competitive friendship between Elena and Lila as they grow into complicated adults. It’s impossible to say how closely the series tracks the author’s life — Ferrante writes under a pseudonym — but no matter: My Brilliant Friend is entrenched as one of the premier examples of so-called autofiction, a category that has dominated the literature of the 21st century.
“Reading this uncompromising, unforgettable novel is like riding a bike on gravel: It’s gritty and slippery and nerve-racking, all at the same time.”
Top 10 books of 21st century
Behind Ferrante, in third place, is the late British author Hilary Mantel with Wolf Hall. The sequel to Wolf Hall, Bring up the Bodies, also featured in the top 100. Whilst second place went to The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson.
The top 10 books of the 21st century according to the NY Times survey are:
10. Gilead – Marilynne Robinson
9. Never Let Me Go – Kazuo Ishiguro
7. The Underground Railroad – Colson Whitehead
5. The Corrections – Jonathen Franzen
4. The Known World – Edward P Jones
3. Wolf Hall – Hilary Mantel
2. The Warmth of Other Suns – Isabel Wilkerson
1. My Brilliant Friend – Elena Ferrante
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