Elena Ferrante’s acclaimed novel “My Brilliant Friend” has been named the best book of the 21st century by The New York Times Book Review. To compile the ranking, publication editors surveyed 503 figures from the literary community, including authors, critics, poets, and cultural figures, asking them to name the most important books published since 2000.
The Global Impact of Elena Ferrante’s Masterpiece
Published in Italy in 2011, “My Brilliant Friend” is the first installment of Elena Ferrante’s four-part Neapolitan Novels series. The narrative chronicles the lifelong friendship of two women, Elena Greco and Raffaella Cerullo, growing up in a poor neighborhood of Naples during the post-war decades. Critics have praised the novel for its intense psychological depth and rigorous literary style, which maintains narrative momentum without sacrificing linguistic elegance. The book’s international breakthrough began around 2013, eventually leading to a television adaptation that premiered in 2018.
Top Ten Books of the 21st Century According to Critics
The New York Times Book Review compiled its final list from the 100 most frequently cited titles in the survey. While the methodology captured broad literary consensus, the resulting roster faced scrutiny from reviewers who noted a distinct U.S.-centric bias and a focus on already prominent commercial successes rather than literary outsiders.
- Rank 2: “The Warmth of Other Suns” by Isabel Wilkerson (2010)
- Rank 3: “Wölfe” by Hilary Mantel (2009)
- Jones (2003)
- Rank 5: “Die Korrekturen” by Jonathan Franzen (2001)
- Rank 6: “2666” by Roberto Balano (2004)
- Rank 7: “Underground Railroad” by Colson Whitehead (2016)
- G. Sebald (2001)
- Rank 9: “Alles, was wir geben mussten” by Kazuo Ishiguro (2005)
- Rank 10: “Gilead” by Marilynne Robinson (2004)
Literary Landscape and Reception
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