25 Greatest American Novels of the Last 25 Years

Early this year, the Book Review's editor, Sam Tanenhaus, sent out a short letter to a couple of hundred prominent writers, critics, editors and other literary sages, asking them to please identify "the single best work of American fiction published in the last 25 years." And the "winner" is:
Beloved, by Toni Morrison

Also getting a high number of votes:
Underworld, Don Delillo
Blood Meridian, Cormac McCarthy
Rabbit Angstrom; The Four Novels, John Updike
American Pastoral, Phillip Roth

Six works, in total, by Roth received multiple votes. Three by Delillo, and two by McCarthy as well. Interestingly, A Confederacy of Dunces made the list, even though it was written in the early 60s (though not published until the 80s).

Read A.O Scott's essay on the list.

EDIT: My Title should not have used the word "NOVEL" as the list was for any works of fiction (Where I'm Calling From, by Carver is there as well).

[Edited on May 23, 2006 by PuntoBlanco]

In The Skin Of A Lion.
OMDAATJE.

The River Why.
David James Duncan

Ondaatje is not American. He was born in Sri Lanka and is a Canadian citizen (great book, though).

fucking fantastic book, glad to see it get this sort of recognition

read this a handful of years ago and it truly changed the way i view literature

i had to read beloved at university, i thought it was kinda dull...

Toni Morrison's writing makes me gag.