It would be reasonable to think that a writer like Stephen King, where all his books are horror, the literature that he likes to read and that is not exactly his, is also horror, right? Well, we were very wrong! We have known which is the top 10 favorite Stephen King books , and we have to say that as soon as you know them you will be as surprised or more than ourselves.
Among them are not the great horror classics of Edgar Allan Poe , for example, although they could well be on this list because they are magnificent, neither is JRR Tolkien , supreme creator of dark and majestic worlds. But there is, to add a small preview, Charles Dickens, with his work “Bleak House” , specifically occupying position No. 6 of his top 10. Do you want to know more? Are you curious to know what is the top 1 on his list of favorites? Well, continue reading.
Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy
This novel , published in 1985 , is one of Stephen King’s favorites. The novel tells the story of a young fugitive (no name known) who joins the Glanton gang, a historical group of mercenaries that was hired by the governor of Chihuahua to massacre indigenous people who lived on the border between the United States and Mexico between 1849 and 1850.
It is seen that Stephen King fully agrees with literary critics, who consider this novel by Cormac McCarthy to be one of the most influential American literary works of the second half of the 20th century. In fact, Time magazine included it among the 100 best novels in English between the years 1923 and 2005.
“Light in August” by William Faulkner
Another American novel! As main themes in this work we find violence , the search for truth and obscurantism . According to those who have read it, it is one of the most complete and best made works of William Faulkner, along with his other well-known works such as “The Sound and the Fury” and “As I Lay Dying.”
“The Raj Quartet” by Paul Scott
Paul Scott, British playwright and poet, wrote this tetralogy between 1966 and 1975. It is made up of the following titles:
- The Jewel in the Crown (1966)
- The Day of the Scorpion (1968)
- The Towers of Silence (1971)
- A Sharing of the Loot (1975)
“1984” by George Orwell
This work is not only one of Stephen King’s favourites, but also one of many of you (myself included) who enjoyed the article we wrote about him right here and which you can read again at this link.
What can I say that is not already known about this magnificent work? That may well be applied today to the world in which we live, that George Orwell did not seem to be far off the mark imagining the world that would come to be and that we are still searching for ‘Big Brother’ who manages everything in the shadows.
Bleak House by Charles Dickens
It is the 9th novel by Charles Dickens , published in twenty installments between March 1852 and September 1853. As is normal for Dickens, it is based on completely real characters and settings, but completely transforming them at will to create his story.
The protagonists of this story are the following:
- Esther Summerson: Heroine and narrator of part of the story. She is orphaned as the identity of her parents is unknown.
- Richard Carstone: A ward of the Jarndyce and Jarndyce lawsuit. He is a simpleton and fickle character who falls under the curse of the Jarndyce and Jarndyce case.
- Ada Clare: A ward in the Jarndyce and Jarndyce case. Good girl, she is Esther’s best friend. She in the story she falls in love with Richard Carstone.
- John Jarndyce: He is the legal guardian of Richard, Ada and Esther, and owner of Bleak House. A good man but somewhat sad, lonely and depressed.
“Lord of the Flies” by William Golding
It is the first and most important novel by British author William Golding. It is one of those works that despite being wonderful in all its essence did not dazzle anyone or very few recently published . It was not until years later when it reached a certain popularity, especially in the United Kingdom, where today it is one of the most studied works in schools and institutes.
It could be said that this is one of the few works seen so far that most closely resembles the literature produced by the King. Why? Because what begins as a close marriage ends with jealousy, disputes, violence and even murder.
This book has been made from movies to opera.
The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie
As a different and interesting point, we will tell you that the publication of this work in the United Kingdom brought such a tail and controversy that in some countries its sale was prohibited and it was even burned, in certain other Muslims…
“The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” by Mark Twain
We will simply leave you with the opinion of this book that another great writer, Ernest Hemingway, deserved:
All modern American literature comes from a book written by Mark Twain called Huckleberry Finn. All American texts come from this book. There was nothing before. Nothing so good has been since.
“The Golden Argosy, The Most Celebrated Tales in the English Language” edited by Van Cartmell and Charles Grayson
Without a doubt, a great book to “chew carefully”, discuss it with other people and leave it for future generations. A great work of universal literature!
I agree with many of Stephen King’s favorite books, but in my humble opinion, a lot of literature is missing from that top 10. It’s okay that there are only ten holes to put possible titles of good literature but I miss many great Latin American literary works and Spanish. It will be that each one shoots for the land of him!
