The Guardian did a poll the other day asking the public to chose what the definitive book of the 20th Century was. George Orwell’s 1984 came out on top with 22% of the vote. Ok, solid choice. In order of publication date here are the Top 10 books Guardian readers felt defined the 20th century:
*Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
*The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists by Robert Tressell
*The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald
*Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
*The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
*Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell
*The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
*The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger
*Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
*Bridget Jones’s Diary by Helen Fielding
Hmmmm. Which book sticks out there? Perhaps Bridget Jone’s Diary? Don’t get me wrong, I’m a fan, but really, does it belong on this list? Me thinks not. Despite being an avid reader from this list I’ve only read, embarrassingly, Catcher in the Rye, The Great Gatsby, Catch-22…..and Bridget Jones’s Diary. So I guess who am I to talk?