April 13, 2004

ROGER EBERT

Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain.

"All American literature begins with a book by Mr. Mark Twain named 'Huckleberry Finn'." - Ernest Hemingway.

The Golden Bowl, by Henry James.

The Master's greatest novel. When I was introduced to James as an undergraduate, I was astonished by his labrinthine sentences and his indirect way of implying information. Now I turn to him as one turns for the best conversation; no other author so completely absorbs and envelops me. I am just now reading "The Portrait of a Lady" for the third time, inspired by Colm Toibin's wonderful new novel The Master, which imagines several years in the life of the lonely author.

Our Mutual Friend, by Charles Dickens

Or any of the other great novels by Dickens, the most fecund inventor of memorable characters since Shakespeare.

The Quincunx, by Charles Palliser

A tour de force: Five generations of five families, and five codicils to a will, in a novel setin the age of Dickens, painting a harrowing portrait of London.

A Dance to the Music of Time, by Anthony Powell (pronounced "Pole")

A novel cycle that spans British life from the first to the second war with interlocking characters and an infalliable ear and eye.

A Fine Balance, by Rohinton Mistry

The best novel of the past 10 years, Dickensian in its consideration of poverty in India.

The Raj Quartet, by Paul Scott

An ambitious and absorbing undertaking that follows the fall of the British Raj in India through the eyes of vividly-created characters representing a wide selection of society.

A House for Mr. Biswas, by V. S. Naipaul

The best coming-of-age novel since "David Copperfield," and the best autobiographical novel I can name.

The Sword of Honour trilogy by Evelyn Waugh

The most important and successful work by the British novelist sometimes more honored for his humorous books.

Parade's End, by Ford Madox Ford

A penetrating, bittersweet, psychological quarter of novels about World War One.

Your Draconian limitation of 10 titles prevented me from mentioning Cather, Conrad, Trollope, Hemingway, Faulkner, Fitzgerald, Bellow, Updike, Dostoyevsky, Tolstoy, Balzac, Robertson Davies and the first of all novels, "Tale of Genji," by Lady Murasaki. And do have a look at "Sinister Street," by Compton Mackenzie.

Roger Ebert writes for The Chicago Sun-Times and hosts 'Ebert and Roeper.'

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STEVE ALMOND

Awake, by Elizabeth Graver
Project X, by Jim Shepard
The Visit Of The Royal Physician, by Per Olov Enquist
Heaven Of Mercury, by Brad Watson
Eva Moves The Furniture, by Margot Livesey
Stoner, by John Williams
Henderson The Rain King, by Saul Bellow
Rabbit Redux, by John Updike
Song Of Soloman, by Toni Morrison
Money, by Martin Amis

Steve Almond is the author of Candyfreak and the short story collection, My Life In Heavy Metal.

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TOD GOLDBERG

1. Rock Springs, by Richard Ford

Here’s where Colson Whitehead and I disagree about things – not that Colson and I have ever met, it should be noted – as I believe Richard Ford is one of America’s finest writers and this, his first collection of short fiction, is a primer on writing well.

2. The Things They Carried, by Tim O’Brien

Miscast as a collection of short stories, The Things They Carried is really a novel of related short stories, each one singular and excellent, but when taken as a whole you understand just how gifted a storyteller O’Brien is and how deeply the Vietnam War has affected him.

3. The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Whenever I sit down to write, I’m aiming for the green light at the end of the dock.

4. A Prayer For Owen Meany, by John Irving

A masterpiece on friendship, religion, war, love and the value and disparity of humanity, this is one of the few books that stands up with each re-reading. It also has one of the very best opening paragraphs in modern fiction.

5. Fifth Business, by Robertson Davies.

Irving credits Fifth Business as his inspiration for Owen Meany and the comparison is obvious on the face of things, but when you read this remarkable work by Canada’s finest export not named Gretzky, you’ll see that Fifth Business is perhaps the inspiration for all of Irving’s work. A grand, funny, sad and touching novel about the instruments of our lives.

6. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

The first book that made me cry and the first book that let me know that some stories hinge merely on the fact that we are, all of us, frail.

7. The Sportswriter, by Richard Ford

Ford has said that this is a book about someone trying to get happy – and if this is happiness, I’m Superman. What it is, however, is an inside look at desperation and, finally, hope. Within the scope of this wonderful book is an inside look at the interiors of a writer’s mind, with all the bumps and divots in place.

8. Give Us A Kiss, by Daniel Woodrell

Daniel Woodrell should be a household name, though perhaps most households don’t love Gothic Country Noir as much as I do. Woodrell has written a scad of books you’ve never heard of – Death of Sweet Mister, Tomato Red, The Ones You Do, to name a few – but Give Us A Kiss is his most clearly realized work. Flush with sex, violence and introspection, this is noir at it’s very best.

9. To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee

Harper Lee did what all writers dream of doing: she wrote one great book that encapsulated everything she ever wanted to say…and then she stopped and lived off the royalties for the rest of her life.

10. A five-way tie: The Laws of Evening, by Mary Yukari Waters, The Ice Harvest, by Scott Phillips, The Giving Tree, by Shel Silverstein, The English Patient, by Michael Ondaatje and Atonement, by Ian McEwan.

Tod Goldberg is the author of three novels. One, Fake Liar Cheat, is often listed as a favorite of 17 year old kids in their Live Journals. Another, Living Dead Girl, was good enough to be called one of the favorites of the folks who pick the LA Times Book Prize, but, sadly, not favorite enough. The other, 'Even The Losers', hasn't come out yet, but when it does, Tod would appreciate it if you'd buy it and make it your favorite. To see Tod's ego, visit TodGoldberg.com.

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ROBERT BIRNBAUM

Ten Favorites (at this particular moment in time):

The Man With The Golden Arm, by Nelson Algren
The Servants of The Map, by Andrea Barrett
The Poet, by Michael Connelly
Erasure by Percival Everett
One Hundred Years of Solitude/Love in Time of Cholera, by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Burning Marguerite, by Elizabeth Iness-Brown
Blood Meridian, by Cormac McCarthy
Empire Falls, by Richard Russo
Mile Zero, by Thomas Sanchez
Damascus Gate, by Robert Stone
Burr, Lincoln, 1876, Empire, Washington DC, and Hollywood, by Gore Vidal

Robert Birnbaum is editor-at-large at Identity Theory and a contributing writer to The Morning News. He feeds his canine companion,Rosie, twice a day.