Literary Canon
Best Books from France
France has shaped literary modernism more decisively than any other country. Proust's cathedral of time and memory, Flaubert's clinical social dissection, Camus's existential clarity, Beckett's stripped-down absurdism — these are the coordinates of 20th-century fiction worldwide. The French tradition prizes intellect, style, and philosophical seriousness in equal measure, and its major prizes — the Prix Goncourt, the Prix Femina — remain the most closely watched in European publishing. Contemporary French literature, from Michel Houellebecq's provocations to Annie Ernaux's autofiction, continues to set the terms of international literary debate.
#1
literary-fiction
The Elegance of the Hedgehog
Muriel Barbery· 2006
★Nobel Prize in Literature
Editorial Score80/100
#2
literary-fiction
The Stranger
Albert Camus· 1957
★Nobel Prize in Literature
Editorial Score79/100
#3
literary-fiction
The Plague
Albert Camus· 1947
★Nobel Prize in Literature
Editorial Score69/100
#4
literary-fiction
Les trois Mousquetaires
Alexandre Dumas· 1844
Library Journal
Editorial Score50/100
#5
literary-fiction
Hrabě Monte Cristo. Díl 1 a 2 (třísvazkové vydání)
Alexandre Dumas· 1830
Kirkus Reviews
Editorial Score50/100
#6
literary-fiction
Le rouge et le noir
Stendhal· 1830
Publishers Weekly
Editorial Score50/100
#7
literary-fiction
Vingt ans apres̀
Alexandre Dumas· 1800
Library Journal
Editorial Score50/100
#8
literary-fiction
À la recherche du temps perdu
Marcel Proust· 1919
Kirkus Reviews
Editorial Score50/100
#9
adventure
The Count of Monte Cristo
Alexandre Dumas· 1844
Times Literary SupplementALA Notable Books
Editorial Score47/100
#10
literary-fiction
Germinal
Émile Zola· 1885
Times Literary SupplementALA Notable Books
Editorial Score46/100
#11
classic-literature
Les Misérables
Victor Hugo· 1862
Notable Work
Editorial Score46/100
#12
classic-literature
À l'ombre des jeunes filles en fleurs
Marcel Proust· 1657
Notable Work
Editorial Score46/100
#13
fantasy
Le mythe de Sisyphe
Albert Camus· 1941
Notable Work
Editorial Score46/100
#14
history
Notre Dame de Paris
Victor Hugo· 1831
Notable Work
Editorial Score46/100
#15
literary-fiction
Le vicomte de Bragelonne, ou, dix ans plus tard
Alexandre Dumas· 1848
Library Journal
Editorial Score45/100
#16
literary-fiction
Salammbô
Gustave Flaubert· 1863
Kirkus Reviews
Editorial Score45/100
#17
literary-fiction
La tentation de saint Antoine
Gustave Flaubert· 1884
Library Journal
Editorial Score45/100
#18
literary-fiction
Illusions perdues
Honoré de Balzac· 1837
Library Journal
Editorial Score45/100
#19
literary-fiction
Thérèse Raquin
Émile Zola· 1880
Library Journal
Editorial Score45/100
#20
fantasy
The Myth of Sisyphus and Other Essays
Albert Camus· 1955
Notable Work
Editorial Score43/100
#21
mystery-thriller
The last day of a condemned man
Victor Hugo· 1992
Notable Work
Editorial Score43/100
#22
philosophy
L'Homme révolté
Albert Camus· 1951
Notable Work
Editorial Score43/100
#23
philosophy
La Mort heureuse
Albert Camus· 1971
Notable Work
Editorial Score43/100
#24
philosophy
Works (La chute / L'exil et le royaume)
Albert Camus· 1957
Notable Work
Editorial Score43/100
#25
philosophy
Novels (La chute / L'Étranger)
Albert Camus· 1977
Notable Work
Editorial Score43/100
#26
short-stories
L'exil et le royaume
Albert Camus· 1951
Notable Work
Editorial Score43/100
#27
literary-fiction
Les Misérables
Victor Hugo· 1862
Times Literary Supplement
Editorial Score41/100
#28
classic-literature
Han d'Islande
Victor Hugo· 1800
Notable Work
Editorial Score41/100
#29
biography-memoir
Choses vues
Victor Hugo· 1800
Notable Work
Editorial Score41/100
#30
biography-memoir
Things seen
Victor Hugo· 1876
Notable Work
Editorial Score41/100
#31
philosophy
L'Existence
Albert Camus· 1945
Notable Work
Editorial Score41/100
#32
poetry
Les contemplations
Victor Hugo· 1856
Notable Work
Editorial Score41/100
#33
poetry
L' Année terrible
Victor Hugo· 1872
Notable Work
Editorial Score41/100
#34
literary-fiction
In Search of Lost Time
Marcel Proust· 1913
Times Literary Supplement
Editorial Score40/100
#35
adventure
The Three Musketeers
Alexandre Dumas· 1844
Times Literary Supplement
Editorial Score40/100
#36
literary-fiction
Notre-Dame de Paris
Victor Hugo· 1831
Times Literary Supplement
Editorial Score40/100
#37
literary-fiction
Du côté de chez Swann
Marcel Proust· 1908
Library Journal
Editorial Score40/100
#38
literary-fiction
La chartreuse de Parme
Stendhal· 1800
Kirkus Reviews
Editorial Score40/100
#39
literary-fiction
L’étranger
Albert Camus· 1942
Kirkus Reviews
Editorial Score40/100
#40
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literary-fiction
La dame aux camélias [novel]
Alexandre Dumas fils· 1848
Library Journal
Editorial Score40/100
#41
literary-fiction
La père Goriot
Honoré de Balzac· 1800
Kirkus Reviews
Editorial Score40/100
#42
literary-fiction
La tulipe noire
Alexandre Dumas· 1800
Publishers Weekly
Editorial Score40/100
#43
literary-fiction
La Peste
Albert Camus· 1942
Publishers Weekly
Editorial Score40/100
#44
literary-fiction
Le roman du masque de fer
Alexandre Dumas· 1600
Library Journal
Editorial Score40/100
#45
literary-fiction
À l'ombre des jeunes filles en fleurs
Marcel Proust· 1657
Kirkus Reviews
Editorial Score40/100
#46
literary-fiction
L'Éducation sentimentale
Gustave Flaubert· 1898
Library Journal
Editorial Score40/100
#47
literary-fiction
Trois contes
Gustave Flaubert· 1877
Publishers Weekly
Editorial Score40/100
#48
literary-fiction
Les contes drôlatiques
Honoré de Balzac· 1855
Publishers Weekly
Editorial Score40/100
#49
literary-fiction
Hernani
Victor Hugo· 1830
Kirkus Reviews
Editorial Score40/100
#50
literary-fiction
La nausée
Jean-Paul Sartre· 1938
Kirkus Reviews
Editorial Score40/100
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