`Beloved' by Toni Morrison Wins Top Spot in New York Times Book Review Survey of Best Fiction Published in U.S. since 1980.NEW YORK -- A New York Times Book Review survey of 124 prominent authors, critics and editors has selected Toni Morrison's "Beloved" as the single best work of American fiction published in the last 25 years. The novel, published in 1987 by Alfred A. Knopf, won the 1988 Pulitzer Prize for fiction Respondents include Nobel laureates, Pulitzer Prize winners, National Book Award winners and Booker Prize winners, as well as many best-selling authors. Among the participants were: Julian Barnes, Michael Chabon, Louise Erdrich, Jonathan Safran Foer
Each was asked to submit one title representing his or her choice for the best single work of American fiction published since 1980. No other guidance was provided, and jurors were not given a list of books to choose from. While "Beloved" received the most votes of any single work of fiction, Philip Roth amassed the most overall votes. Six of his novels were among the 22 books that received multiple votes. In addition, Roth's "American Pastoral" finished in the top five. Two other authors with books in the top five - Don DeLillo ("Underworld") and Cormac McCarthy ("Blood Meridian") - also received multiple votes for more than one book: DeLillo with three and McCarthy with two. The results of the survey, and a list of all 22 novels and short story collections that received multiple votes, will be published in the Book Review's special all-fiction issue on May 21 and listed on NYTimes.com/books. The top choices included: --"Underworld" by Don DeLillo (Scribner, 1998) --"Blood Meridian: Or the Evening Redness in the West" by Cormac McCarthy (Random House, 1985 --"Rabbit Angstrom: The Four Novels: Rabbit Run, Rabbit Redux, Rabbit Is Rich Rabbit Is Rich is a 1981 novel by John Updike. It is the third novel in the four-part series which begins with Rabbit, Run and Rabbit Redux, and concludes with Rabbit At Rest. There is also a related 2001 novella, Rabbit Remembered. , Rabbit at Rest Rabbit at Rest is a 1990 novel by John Updike. It is the fourth and final novel in a series beginning with Rabbit, Run, Rabbit Redux, and Rabbit is Rich. There is also a related 2001 novella, Rabbit Remembered. " by John Updike (Everyman's Library, 1995) --"American Pastoral" by Philip Roth (Houghton Mifflin Company, 1997) "We're delighted that so many distinguished authors accepted this impossible assignment in the spirit in which it was conceived - as a way of celebrating the past 25 years of American fiction," said Sam Tanenhaus, editor of The New York Times Book Review. The survey was inspired by a similar poll conducted by the New York Herald The New York Herald was a large distribution newspaper based in New York City that existed between May 6, 1835 and 1924. The first issue of the paper was published by James Gordon Bennett, Sr. (1795–1872). Tribune's Book Week in 1965, which chose "Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison. A discussion of the results will be held at Book Expo America on May 18, in Washington, D.C. Mr. Tanenhaus will moderate a panel consisting of jurors Thomas Mallon, Cynthia Ozick and Liesl Schillinger; and Greg Cowles, an editor from the Book Review. The Book Review's special fiction issue will publish the names of the jurors and list all the books that received multiple votes, along with an essay by Times film critic A. O. Scott, who explains how the survey was conducted and interprets the results. Mr.Tanenhaus's weekly, online podcast will discuss the survey, and NYTimes.com/books will host a weeklong panel discussion about the survey with jurors Michael Cunningham, Stephen Metcalf and Jane Smiley. The Times's Web site also links to the original reviews from The New York Times Book Review. The New York Times Company (NYSE NYSE See: New York Stock Exchange : NYT NYT New York Times NYT National Youth Theatre (UK) NYT New York Transit (New York, USA) NYT New York Tribune ), a leading media company with 2005 revenues of $3.4 billion, includes The New York Times, the New York Times, The Morning daily newspaper, long the U.S. newspaper of record. From its establishment in 1851 it has aimed to avoid sensationalism and to appeal to cultured, intellectual readers. International Herald Tribune International Herald Tribune Daily newspaper published in Paris. It has long been the staple source of English-language news for American expatriates, tourists, and businesspeople in Europe. , The Boston Globe, 15 other daily newspapers, nine network-affiliated television stations, two New York City New York City: see New York, city. New York City City (pop., 2000: 8,008,278), southeastern New York, at the mouth of the Hudson River. The largest city in the U.S. radio stations and 35 Web sites, including NYTimes.com, Boston.com and About.com. The Company's core purpose is to enhance society by creating, collecting and distributing high-quality news, information and entertainment. This press release can be downloaded from www.nytco.com and www.nytco.com/community |
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