Anyone who knows me knows that I would wile away the wee hours makings wists—I mean, lists—and rankings.
Top 10 British Novelists for me:
A.A. Milne—Pooh is the most heartwarming thing I’ve ever read. One of the rare books for very young kids that is maybe even better to read as an adult, because adults are often in more dire need of having their hearts warmed.
9. Charles Dickens—A tad wordy for my taste, but his ability to spin yarns and memorable characters is unparalleled
8. Lloyd Alexander—The Prydain Chronicles are the epitome of great children’s fantasy.
7. Jane Austen—I think that you could learn as much about British society, culture, and thought of her time by reading any one of Jane Austen’s books as you could from visiting a museum about the Georgian era.
6. Mary Shelley—Imagine writing Frankenstein, a novel so deep that it can be interpreted and appreciated on a bajillion different levels, only for your contemporaries to say, “Uh, you didn’t write that because you’re a girl and this is too dark for you to have written.”
5. P.G. Wodehouse—The only author whose writings have made me cry tears of mirth multiple times. Check out “Farewell to All Cats” if you have 10 minutes and some tears to spare.
4. Evelyn Waugh—Truly one of the greats for his humor, social commentary, examination of religion, and caustic wit. Anyone who can make a reader laugh out loud and go “oof” on the same page is a winner, and Waugh hits you like this in every one of his books many times.
3. Graham Greene—wrote some mean books and short stories. Master of both suspense and Catholic guilt. This dude had some range.
2. C.S. Lewis—master theologian and storyteller. For how good the Narnia books are (5 stars all around), they aren’t even his best fiction by a long shot.
1. Tolkien—Not just the British GOAT, but the One GOAT to Rule Them All. Created England’s own mythology. May not have invented, but definitely popularized modern fantasy.
Haha, psych, you didn’t see this coming! But you forgot about William Shakespeare (which I definitely didn’t do, because I wouldn’t forget the absolute MASTER of the English language). Timeless, brilliant, and above all, confusing! The three hallmarks of a great writer.
