21 Must-Read Books for a Lifetime
There are countless books worth reading, and in general, the more you read, the better. However, the ones we want to discuss today are fundamental—books that everyone should dive into at least once.
These are literary masterpieces, filled with emotions and stories that have enchanted generations of readers and become part of the fabric of society.
From Madame Bovary to Anna Karenina, via Dorian Gray and Holden Caulfield: their adventures have left a mark on humanity.
Immersing oneself in the struggles of a dissatisfied 19th-century wife, a 1950s teenager expelled from school, or a mid-20th-century clown who can no longer make people laugh—this is the magic that only literature makes possible. It allows us to live multiple lives, moving back and forth through time.
Here, then, are the 21 books to read in a lifetime, listed chronologically. Happy reading and bon voyage!
1. Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert (1857)
One of the first realist novels, astonishingly modern for its time. Emma Bovary, dissatisfied with her husband and sterile life, seeks thrills in the arms of lovers, with tragic consequences.
2. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy (1877)
Like Madame Bovary, this novel centers on a woman who seeks solace outside her marriage. Tolstoy’s masterpiece is an ode to love and passion, exploring the tragic conflict between personal choices and societal norms.
3. The Pleasure by Gabriele D’Annunzio (1889)
Andrea Sperelli, a Roman dandy, indulges in beauty and hedonism, suffering heartbreak and self-destruction in his quest for fulfillment.
4. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde (1890)
Inspired by Goethe’s Faust, Wilde’s novel follows Dorian, who trades his soul to retain his youth. His secret portrait bears the marks of his debauchery.
5. Zeno’s Conscience by Italo Svevo (1923)
An introspective dive into the life of Zeno Cosini, a neurotic and flawed man who is impossible not to love.
6. The Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann (1924)
Set in a Swiss sanatorium, this novel explores the transformation of a young man during a lengthy stay.
7. The Trial by Franz Kafka (1925)
A bank clerk’s life spirals into chaos after he’s arrested without explanation. Kafka’s surreal classic is a study of existential anxiety and bureaucratic absurdity.
8. One, No One, and One Hundred Thousand by Luigi Pirandello (1926)
A man’s obsession with how others perceive him triggers a quest to dismantle his own identity.
9. In Search of Lost Time by Marcel Proust (1927)
A monumental seven-volume exploration of memory, time, and identity, sparked by the taste of a madeleine.
10. Nausea by Jean-Paul Sartre (1938)
A man’s existential crisis reveals the absurdity of existence in Sartre’s groundbreaking philosophical novel.
11. 1984 by George Orwell (1948)
A dystopian vision of totalitarianism, surveillance, and control, centered on the chilling figure of Big Brother.
12. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger (1951)
Holden Caulfield narrates his troubled teenage years in this classic tale of alienation and rebellion.
13. Lord of the Flies by William Golding (1954)
Stranded on a desert island, a group of boys descends into chaos and savagery, exploring humanity’s darker instincts.
14. Boredom by Alberto Moravia (1960)
A painter’s struggle with disconnection and obsessive love paints a vivid portrait of postwar Italian bourgeois life.
15. The Clown by Heinrich Böll (1963)
A disillusioned clown critiques societal hypocrisy and the lingering shadows of Nazi-era Germany.
16. One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez (1967)
The multigenerational saga of the Buendía family, steeped in magical realism, explores the essence of humanity.
17. Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino (1974)
Through Marco Polo’s descriptions of fantastical cities, Calvino meditates on imagination and reality.
18. The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco (1980)
A medieval murder mystery combining history, theology, and detective work.
19. American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis (1991)
A dark, graphic critique of consumerism through the eyes of a wealthy serial killer.
20. Blindness by José Saramago (1995)
A gripping allegory of a society grappling with a mysterious epidemic of blindness.
21. A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan (2010)
A Pulitzer-winning tapestry of interconnected stories, weaving through time and space.
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This article first appeared on Grazia.it- Author: Camilla Sernagiotto
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