Best 'British' novel of the last 25 years poll

Otis Westinghouse · Post by **Otis Westinghouse** » Mon Oct 09, 2006 7:12 pm

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/review/s ... 28,00.html

'British' = UK, Ireland and Commonwealth! Article is worth the read and list is quite interesting.

Done explicitly to echo the US one that Beloved won. Voted for by writers and 'literary sages'. Brings home how poorly read I seem to be these days! I've only read about 11 of these, but I have read others by several of the autors. Haven't read Disgrace, which is a disgrace. Am reading Ishiguro's fascinating Never Let Me Go but want to read Unconsoled soon. Never read any Penelope Fitzgerald. Haven't read Earthly Powers. Have read both the McGaherns but would rate Amongst Women most highly. That They... was impressive and involving and stays in the memory but it dragged on a bit for me. I want a 2.5 hour commute!

Mechanical Grace · Post by **Mechanical Grace** » Mon Oct 09, 2006 8:03 pm

I was jaw-droppingly scandalized by the list until I realized you meant to write 25 not 225!

Then I was nearly equally scandalized to see absolutely no Graham Swift. Disgrace is a great novel but Swift's Waterland is much better, imo. I put it down to lack of political correctness. The whole thing is so damn incestuous-- the NYT version as well. That said...

The text mentions Michael Ondaatje, but he's nowhere on the list. Surely The English Patient should be there.

And what about Keri Hulme's head-spinning, gut-wrenching novel The Bone People?

Very, very happy to see Kelman's A Disaffection, one of my all-time faves.

Glad to see Russell Hoban there, though I'd have picked Lion of Boaz-Jachin and Jachin-Boaz instead, lovely gem of a book I could read once a year.

Pullman's trilogy deservedly there; Rowling installment undeservedly. And I can live entirely without Iain Banks, but maybe I just don't "get it".

One book I was surprised and THRILLED to see on there was Anne Michaels's Fugitive Pieces. I was lucky enough to have it assigned to me to review (back when I did such things); I would never have read it otherwise. I absolutely cannot recommend it highly enough. Beautiful, beautiful book.

Jackson Monk · Post by **Jackson Monk** » Mon Oct 09, 2006 8:15 pm

well, the list includes several of my favourite novels of recent times, most notably Atonement (I love Ian McEwan) and the quirky but enjoyable Restraint of Beasts.

Surprised that there was no Julian Barnes included though

Who Shot Sam? · Post by **Who Shot Sam?** » Mon Oct 09, 2006 8:25 pm

Otis Westinghouse wrote:'British' = UK, Ireland and Commonwealth!

I clicked the link before reading your post, so was surprised to see Roddy Doyle on there! Hurrah in any case. One of my faves. Must admit I have not read most of those listed.

Mechanical Grace · Post by **Mechanical Grace** » Mon Oct 09, 2006 8:26 pm

I wouldn't have expected to see it there, but my personal list would also include the 1997 Kundera-esque novel by Scottish author Andrew Crumey, whose title will mean something to Otis and Doof: Music In A Foreign Language. Funny I never made the connection!

Otis Westinghouse · Post by **Otis Westinghouse** » Tue Oct 10, 2006 5:11 pm

'I am cold, distant, increasingly resistant to your charms. And this I can't deny.' Never even heard of Crumey, let alone be aware of the Lloyd-inspiring (presumably) title. Must check this out.

Was a bit knackered when I posted this. We're back to 25 years now!

Agree that swift and Barnes seem odd omissions, but that will always be the case. Fugitive Pieces is one of several books in the list that I have in the house but haven't read yet! It got such good reviews at the time, I just had to buy it. This list is trying to keep me from my mission to read as much Philip Roth as I can, not to mention Saul Bellow...

Mechanical Grace · Post by **Mechanical Grace** » Tue Oct 10, 2006 5:42 pm

Jackson Monk wrote:
Surprised that there was no Julian Barnes included though

Flaubert's Parrot is on the nominated list, no?

Otis Westinghouse · Post by **Otis Westinghouse** » Tue Oct 10, 2006 6:13 pm

Indeed. Took my cue from inattentive Doof! Prefer A History Of... (actually, I ain't bleedin' read FB, I've read most of his others!).

Jackson Monk · Post by **Jackson Monk** » Wed Oct 11, 2006 2:19 pm

Mechanical Grace wrote:
Jackson Monk wrote:
Surprised that there was no Julian Barnes included though
Flaubert's Parrot is on the nominated list, no?

oops.....must have missed that

Personally, I loved 'Talking It Over' the bestest

alexv · Post by **alexv** » Wed Oct 11, 2006 4:49 pm

Agree that omission of Swift is unforgivable. The fact that not one of these "luminaries" got one of his books in here makes me question the category. Why so much Ishiguro? I like Remains of the Day, but the rest of his stuff leaves me cold. He seems soooo old for such a young man!! I've read a lot of these books (that commute again), and my personal favorites are Midnight's Children (I think Rushdie is the best writer of the bunch; anybody read Haroun?), Money (young Amis is the best Amis; older Amis, K and M, are best avoided), the Pullman trilogy (a little heavy handed on religion, but that's good), and the Kelly Gang.

Where's William Boyd on the list? Anybody ever finish "A Suitable Boy"? I tried 3 times, and gave up. My page mark sits at page 104. Forever.

Title for the list should have been "Best English Language Novel Not Written by an American". Call it the "BELNWA" Prize. I have a hard time thinking of Coetzee (south african; educated there and in US), Carey (Australian and teaching in NYC), and some of the others as "british". Does the long arm of empire still reach out that far?

KillerBaboon · Post by **KillerBaboon** » Wed Oct 11, 2006 6:01 pm

Otis Westinghouse wrote:'British' = UK, Ireland and Commonwealth! Article is worth the read and list is quite interesting.

Now I love the Guardian, but that is not on by any means. Irish people are not British... and it really pisses me off when people assume "it's all the same"...

Otis Westinghouse · Post by **Otis Westinghouse** » Wed Oct 11, 2006 6:02 pm

It's the same domain as the Mann Booker, so it feels familiar. Your acronym is better! Commonwealth seems so outmoded now. How many do you reckon you've read? Want to see how jealous I can get! hgave you read Unconsoled? Divides people, for sure. Am keen to try. Sounds original. I'm enjoying Never Let Me Go. The first two are good as well, especially A Pale View of Hills. Don't know about 'old', more a Japanese Zen-like calm to hiss style. I like the diversity in his work, and the overriding sense of unease and menace, despite a surface calm.

Otis Westinghouse · Post by **Otis Westinghouse** » Wed Oct 11, 2006 6:14 pm

KillerBaboon wrote:Now I love the Guardian, but that is not on by any means. Irish people are not British... and it really pisses me off when people assume "it's all the same"...

Actually, I may have got that wrong, but my use of 'British' was meant to reflect the way the Observer had it on the cover. The article in the link is careful not to use 'British' as 'shorthand' for 'former empire' (though that could then include US too!). It wasn't my own usage of the term 'British' (I'm married to a committed Republican from Dublin, by the way, so am entirely sensitive to these issues!). It's less absurd to do 'British and Irish' polls than, as Alex V points out, bunging in people from the other side of the world such as Coetzee and Carey. Truth is a British-only poll would be pretty boring and limited, and also you can see why they made it the same criteria as the Booker (won last night by Anitia Desai's daughter Kiran, an Indian with an Americanised accent).

Mechanical Grace · Post by **Mechanical Grace** » Thu Oct 12, 2006 8:31 am

Seeing the name Christopher Nolan in the Bowie-related Songebob link (don't you love the 21st Century?) made me remember the author of the same name. I think I'd add Under The Eye Of The Clock to my list as well, though I note now in Amazon that the book calls itself a memoir, not a novel... but that's a whole other can of worms! I haven't read The Banyan Tree. Anybody??

Extreme Honey · Post by **Extreme Honey** » Thu Oct 12, 2006 8:07 pm

I would've added Trainspotting.

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