Best Work of American Fiction of the Last 25 Years?

What Is the Best Work of American Fiction of the Last 25 Years?

Beloved, by Toni Morrison, center, was chosen as the best American fiction of the last 25 years. Runners up were Philip Roth, Cormac McCarthy, John Updike and Don DeLillo.

By THE NEW YORK TIMES: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/21/books/fiction-25-years.html
Published: May 21, 2006

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."

THE WINNER: Beloved, by Toni Morrison (1987)

THE RUNNERS-UP:
Underworld, by Don DeLillo (1997)

Blood Meridian, by Cormac McCarthy (1985)

Rabbit Angstrom: The Four Novels, by John Updike (1995)
(Rabbit at Rest (1990), Rabbit Is Rich (1981), Rabbit Redux (1971), Rabbit, Run (1960)

American Pastoral, by Philip Roth (1997)

THE FOLLOWING BOOKS ALSO RECEIVED MULTIPLE VOTES:
A Confederacy of Dunces, by John Kennedy Toole (1980)

Housekeeping, by Marilynne Robinson (1980)

Winter's Tale, by Mark Helprin (1983)

White Noise, by Don DeLillo (1985)

The Counterlife, by Philip Roth (1986)

Libra, by Don DeLillo (1988)

Where I'm Calling From, by Raymond Carver (1988)

The Things They Carried, by Tim O'Brien (1990)

Mating, by Norman Rush (1991)

Jesus' Son, by Denis Johnson (1992)

Operation Shylock, by Philip Roth (1993)

Independence Day, by Richard Ford (1995)

Sabbath's Theater, by Philip Roth (1995)

Border Trilogy, by Cormac McCarthy (1999)
(Cities of the Plain (1998), The Crossing (1994), All the Pretty Horses (1992))

The Human Stain, by Philip Roth (2000)

The Known World, by Edward P. Jones (2003)

The Plot Against America, by Philip Roth (2004)

Sounds like some good books to add to the reading list for the next few years.