Skip to content

Home
News
Football 2026
Sport
Business
Technology
Health
Culture
Arts
Travel
Earth
Audio
Video
Live

Home

News

US & Canada

UK

UK Politics

England

N. Ireland

N. Ireland Politics

Scotland

Scotland Politics

Wales

Wales Politics

Africa

Asia

China

India

Australia

Europe

Latin America

Middle East

In Pictures

BBC InDepth

BBC Verify

Football 2026

Sport

Business

World of Business

Technology of Business

NYSE Opening Bell

Technology

Artificial Intelligence

Intelligence Revolution

AI v the Mind

Tech Now

Health

Culture

Film & TV

Music

Art & Design

Style

Books

Entertainment News

Arts

Arts in Motion

Travel

Destinations

Africa

Antarctica

Asia

Australia and Pacific

Caribbean & Bermuda

Central America

Europe

Middle East

North America

South America

World’s Table

Culture & Experiences

Adventures

The SpeciaList

Earth

Science

Natural Wonders

Climate Solutions

Sustainable Business

Green Living

Audio

Podcast Categories

Radio

Audio FAQs

Video

BBC Maestro

Discover the World

Live

Live News

Live Sport

Site search

The 21st Century’s 12 greatest novels

19 January 2015

Jane CiabattariFeatures correspondent

21st Century's best novels

21st Century's best novels

.

Watch

John Grisham on why he still writes as trends shift

John Grisham on why he still writes as trends shift

The bestselling author on what new data reveals about America’s steep decline in reading for pleasure.

Why Cher has waited until now to write her memoir

Why Cher has waited until now to write her memoir

Cher explains why she has finally written her memoir and who it's for.

The women of the Black Panther Party

Striking images of women in the Black Panther Party

Stephen Shames' photography offers a radically new and candid picture of the militant black power organisation.

Kama Sutra image 2

Kama Sutra: A misunderstood ancient erotic manual

In the Western world the Kama Sutra is perceived as an erotic manual but there is much more to it.

Ern Malley Portrait

Ern Malley: The influential Australian poet who never lived

Ern Malley was regarded as one of Australia's most influential poets. Except he never existed.

Braille: What is it like to read without sight?

What happens to our brains when we learn to read Braille?

Getty Images 588742003

Inside the abandoned city of ancient libraries

The African town of Chinguetti is home to a large collection of forgotten ancient books.

How paper is making a comeback

How paper is making a comeback

As the world goes digital, paper might seem increasingly obsolete – but it is anything but.

Handcrfated books

Preserving the ancient art of handcrafting books

In the digital age, the beautiful and ancient art of hand-binding books is under threat.

Elizabeth Day: 'I felt so understood in the pages'

Elizabeth Day: 'I felt so understood in the pages'

When Elizabeth Day had a miscarriage, it was the words in a book from 1936 that helped her through it.

Michael Rosen: How poetry helped me to grieve

Michael Rosen: 'How poetry helped me to grieve'

When author Michael Rosen lost his son, he found inspiration to write again in a poem by Raymond Carver.

Getty Images 1005735718

How reading can help us cope with death

Lisa Appignanesi describes how reading fiction helped her deal with bereavement.

The fiction that helped Laura Freeman recover from anorexia

How a love of reading helped one woman recover from anorexia.

Biblioburro: The amazing donkey libraries of Colombia

Biblioburro: The amazing donkey libraries of Colombia

One man and his loyal donkeys spreading the joy of books in Colombia.

Bibliomotocarro 1

Is this Italy’s smallest library?

One retired teacher is spreading the joy of books using his tiny mobile library.

The ancient books under lock and key

The ancient library where the books are under lock and key

Step inside the world’s largest surviving chained library.

The man who lives in a library with no rules

Nanie Guanlao turned his home into a library for his community in Manila.

How today's biggest movie blockbusters are made

How today's biggest blockbuster films are made

Tech Now visits Pinewood Studios to test the new technology shaping today's major franchises and blockbusters.

Football and tech

Is tech ruining the World Cup?

Is World Cup tech taking the human magic out of football?

How meal times affect your health

The time of day you have a meal and even how much you chew it can affect how many calories you get from it.

More from the BBC

Helen Mort talking into a microphone and looking right. She has long, blonde hair and has a boho-style tattoo on her forehead. She has a septum piercing and wears red lipstick.

Mountain festival announces first poet laureate

Helen Mort will be an integral to Kendal Mountain's book festival, which is marking its 10th year.

A black and white portrait of John John le Carré sat in a living room, with a television behind him (Credit: Getty Images)

Le Carré's novels were shaped by a con-man father

The author's childhood was rocked by bankruptcy and deceit. In 2008, he told the BBC that his "hectic background" trained him to be an author – and a spy.

An old sketch of Robin Hood pointing his bow and arrow to his right in a forest (Credit: Getty Images)

The dark, violent medieval origins of Robin Hood

Robin Hood began as an oral tradition in the 12th Century before morphing into a heroic, family-friendly stereotype – here's how new takes are restoring his dark side.

Gavin Esler and Steph McGovern - he has grey hair and grey stubble and is wearing a dark jacket with a green shirt underneath. She has blonde hair and is wearing a white blouse with a rose pattern on it.

Record crowds for book festival in founder's final year

Borders Book Festival sees record crowds and sales in Alistair Moffat’s final year as director.

A woman with short, wavy brown hair is pictured in front of a large book case. She has brown glasses and is wearing a floral green top with buttons down the middle.

'Independent bookshops are our community hubs'

A Worcester business owner says independent bookshops, like hers, are becoming community centres.

Home
News
Football 2026
Business
Technology
Health
Culture
Arts
Travel
Earth
Sport
Audio
Video
Live
Weather
BBC Shop
BritBox

The BBC is in multiple languages

Read the BBC In your own language

BBC News Brasil

BBC News Mundo (Spanish)

BBC News မြန်မာ (Burmese)

BBC News 中文 (Chinese)

BBC News Indonesia

BBC News 코리아 (Korean)

BBC News ไทย (Thai)

BBC News Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)

BBC News Azərbaycanca (Azeri)

BBC News Magyarul (Hungarian)

BBC News Кыргыз Кызматы (Kyrgyz)

BBC News Polska (Polish)

BBC News România (Romanian)

BBC News Русская служба (Russian)

BBC News na srpskom (Serbian)

BBC News Україна (Ukrainian)

BBC News O'zbek (Uzbek)

BBC News عربي (Arabic)

BBC News فارسی (Persian)

BBC News Türkçe (Turkish)

BBC News বাংলা (Bengali)

BBC News دری (Dari)

BBC News ગુજરાતી (Gujarati)

BBC News हिन्दी (Hindi)

BBC News मराठी (Marathi)

BBC News नेपाली (Nepali)

BBC News සිංහල (Sinhala)

BBC News ਪੰਜਾਬੀ (Punjabi)

BBC News Afaan Oromoo

BBC News አማርኛ (Amharic)

BBC News Afrique (French)

BBC News Gaelic NAIDHEACHDAN

BBC News Ìgbò

BBC News Japanese 日本語

BBC News Gahuza

BBC News Pidgin

BBC News Somali

BBC News Swahili

BBC News தமிழ் (Tamil)

BBC News తెలుగు (Telugu)

BBC News ትግርኛ (Tigrinya)

BBC News اردو (Urdu)

BBC News Yorùbá

BBC News World Service

Follow BBC on:

Terms of Use
Subscription Terms
About the BBC
Privacy Policy
Cookies
Accessibility Help
Contact the BBC
Advertise with us
Do not share or sell my info
BBC.com Help & FAQs
Content Index
Set Preferred Source

Copyright 2026 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.