research paper about 21st century literature

Literature in the 21st Century

Coordinators.

Prof. dr. Ellen Rutten, Dr. Arent van Nieukerken, Dr. Eric Metz

Members of the research group

Carrol Clarkson, Yra van Dijk, Shelley Godsland, Christ-Maria Lerm Hayes, Eric Metz, Divya Nadkarni, Arent van Nieukerken, Esther Peeren, Suze van der Poll, Ellen Rutten,  Jenny Stelleman, Thomas Vaessens, Philip Westbroek.

Description of the research programme of the research group

The research group ‘Literary Studies in the 21 st  Century’ focuses on the description, categorization and analysis of various types of “literariness” that have developed just before and after 2000. Hitherto, academic research of 21 st -century literature has largely focused on grasping general cultural processes: literary texts have usually – and fruitfully – been employed as illustrating the rhythms of cultural change. Much less attention has been devoted to the development and/or evolvement of various types of “literariness” as a specific feature of these general processes. However, the relationship between individual literary phenomena (poems, novels, plays, essays) and the realm of cultural narrations is essentially mediated by a “middle ground” of  literary  conventions, such as generic conventions, narrative structures, stylistic devices etc. The relative neglect of this field of studies in the discourse of cultural studies – a discourse that not seldomly overlooks the categories elaborated by twentieth- century (post-)structuralist narratology and poetics – has led to many misrepresentations, not only of the immanent development of various local literary traditions, but also of their transnational and transregional interaction. Our research group aims to correct one-sidedness by exploring “multivoiced” ( à la  Bakhtin) representations of literariness as a major branch of cultural transformation in the new millennium.

The research questions that the group will critically address include the following two:

• How do 21 st -century authors relate to trans-Atlantic postmodernism in its different phases? In answering this question we explore the interaction between both positive views of postmodernism (as a universal model of cultural “progress” and “emancipation) and negative interpretations (of postmodernism as boasting a “disintegrating” impact that, e.g., home-grown literary traditions can combat)?
• How do contemporary literary authors engage with previous phases of cultural narrations? Relevant examples of engagement with existing paradigms include the wish to return to “Christian European culture” or different forms of “positivist” anti- relativism.

Investigating the “literariness” just before and after 2000 from a transnational (and trans- regional) point of view will modify – and enrich – existing representations of the afore- mentioned cultural processes. Local models of literary currents differing from – and modifying – the mainstream can only be pinpointed by studying artistic and critical texts from a number of local literatures that are not always easily available in translation. An adequate presentation of these texts presupposes an intimate knowledge of the local languages and culture that can only be accomplished by a research group, uniting experts from a wide field of national – and regional – literary traditions. During monthly seminars the members of the research group will give presentations devoted to: 1. examining the various types of new millennium “literariness” in national literatures; 2. describing and comparing them in the context of larger cultural narratives; 3. investigating the relationship between national “literariness” and larger (e.g. regional) literary and cultural entities.

Societal Relevance

In recent years, several literary experts – academic and non-academic alike – have argued that in the 21 st  century, literature has regained its role as commentator  and  constructing force in social and political processes. Although social commitment should not be considered a  sine  qua non  for all the trends that we explore, as a whole 21 st  literature does testify to a heightened awareness of social and political dilemmas. This research group places the renewed engagement high on its agenda not only by addressing it in in-group discussions, but also by framing its concluding conference emphatically as a public event – one where academic speakers alternate with literary critics and writers, and where a broad audience is welcomed and invited to participate.

This research group is active in the following constellations:

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American Literary Materials in Special Collections: 20th and 21st Century Literature

• Getting Started
• 18th and 19th Century Literature
• 20th and 21st Century Literature
• Literary Production and Reception
• Related Guides
• Southern literature (including manuscript collections)
• Feminist authors (including manuscript collections)
• Popular culture such as zines, comic books, and pulp fiction
• Gay and lesbian literature
• Literature of social change (including manuscript collections)
• Science fiction 
• The 1950s-70s, including the Black Arts movement, Beat literature, and small press publications
• Literature and advertising
• Electronic literature (archival collections)

Notable Manuscript Collections

Kathy Acker, 1948-1997 : San Francisco and New York City experimental author and performance artist.  The collection includes manuscript drafts of her works, notebooks, artwork, and other materials.

Dorothy Allison : Author and feminist, originally from South Carolina.  Includes drafts and manuscripts of her writings (including Bastard Out of Carolina , Trash , Cavedweller , and other works), personal and professional correspondence, research materials and subject files, her personal journals, and other materials.  

James Applewhite : Poet, Duke alumnus, and professor of English at the university.  Contains drafts of writings, research files, and correspondence with literary figures such as Robert Bly, Fred Chappell, James Dickey, Donald Hall, and many others.

Richard Bausch : Novelist and short story author, of Virginia and Memphis, TN.  Primarily drafts of writings, including many unpublished works.  The collection also includes correspondence with literary figures such as Frederick Busch, Richard Ford, and Gordon Lish.

Robert Bausch : Novelist and short story author.  Includes drafts of writings and correspondence.

Sallie Bingham : Feminist and author. Includes correspondence, writings, subject files, diaries and notebooks, legal and financial papers, and photographic media. Included also are records of The American Voice , a literary journal founded by Bingham.  See also the records of the Kentucky Foundation for Women , a philanthropic organization founded by Bingham.

William Blackburn, 1899-1972 : A member of the Duke University faculty from 1926 to 1969, Blackburn taught creative writing to many students who became successful writers, including James Applewhite, Fred Chappell, Mac Hyman, Reynolds Price, William Styron, Anne Tyler, and others.  Blackburn also edited a volume of Joseph Conrad's correspondence.  Includes extensive correspondence, photographs, writings, and family papers. 

Fred Chappell : Poet laureate of North Carolina (1997-2002), author of many books of fiction and poetry, and Duke alumnus.  Includes extensive incoming and copies of outgoing correspondence, drafts of writings, and an extensive series of writings of other authors sent to Chappell. 

Carl Corley : Author and illustrator of a variety of materials such as gay pulp fiction, comic books, physique art, science fiction, Louisiana history (especially on Cajun folkways), and also books on religious themes. Contains writings, drawings, scrapbooks, notebooks, and published materials. 

Thomas Rain Crowe : Poet, essayist, translator, publisher, activist, and performing artist; owner and editor of New Native Press in Cullowhee, N.C.  Contains correspondence with other writers, friends, and relatives; manuscript versions of works by Crowe and others; poetry notebooks; publicity materials; photographs; audio cassettes; New Native Press records; and other items. Other poets represented include Gary Snyder, Bobi Jones (Welsh), Jack Hirschman, Ken Wainio, Dianna Henning, John Lane, and Joe Napora. There is also material regarding San Francisco intellectual circles and the International Poetry Festival held there, as well as correspondence concerning activism regarding a wide range of political and social issues. 95.8 linear feet. 

Francis Warrington Dawson, 1878-1962 : Newsman, novelist, editor, and special assistant to the American Embassy in Paris, of Charleston, S.C. and Versailles, France.  Includes journalism, fiction, poetry, and other writings by Dawson, and extensive correspondence with and about Theodore Roosevelt, Joseph and Jessie Conrad, and other literary figures. 

Thomas Dixon, 1864-1946 : Clergyman, lecturer, novelist, and playwright, of New York City and Raleigh, N.C., best known as author of The Clansman , basis for D.W. Griffin's film The Birth of a Nation . Includes correspondence, literary manuscripts and proofs, legal and financial papers, pictures, and miscellaneous papers of Dixon and his second wife, Madelyn Donovan Dixon.

Margaret Fishback, 1900-1985 : A poet, columnist, and author of prose work, she contributed frequently to national magazines and published several books.  She also worked as an advertising copywriter.  The papers span the years 1863 through 1978 and document Fishback's dual careers in advertising and writing as well as her personal life. The collection includes correspondence, layouts, drafts, galley proofs, radio scripts, working copy of advertising text, poetry, prose, published material, appointment books, scrapbooks, photographs, and other materials.

George P. Garrett, 1929-2008 : Novelist, poet laureate of Virginia (2002-06), and influential editor and professor of creative writing at the University of Virginia.  The papers are notable for their breadth and depth, with manuscripts of Garrett's work in many genres and literary forms (including screenwriting), and for the voluminous correspondence with many literary figures, especially in the South. 

Jim Grimsley : Playwright and novelist, originally from North Carolina.  Papers include journals and notebooks, drafts (including some of Grimsley's science fiction), and other materials. 

Henry Sydnor Harrison, 1880-1930 : Author and journalist, of New York City. Includes correspondence, clippings, and miscellaneous papers, relating chiefly to Harrison's earlier novels.

Josephine Humphreys : Author and Duke alumna. Correspondence between Humphreys and other writers and editors; business contracts regarding publications and movie rights; handwritten and typed manuscripts and proofs for her books Dreams of Sleep , Rich in Love , and Fireman’s Fair ; typescripts of works by other authors (including Robb Forman Dew and Louise Erdrich); reviews of her and others’ works; and information detailing her speaking engagements and interviews. Also included are books inscribed to Humphreys and seven scrapbooks containing additional correspondence and reviews.

Will Inman, 1923-2009 : Poet, essayist, activist, and Duke alumnus.  Contains correspondence, diaries, manuscripts, clippings, and other materials, including documentation of Inman's anti-war and gay rights activism.    

Judy Malloy : Poet, artist, and early creator of online interactive and collaborative fiction. She is a founder of the Arts Conference on the WELL.  Includes documentation and materials from Malloy's publications and programs, including Uncle Roger and its name was Penelope .  Also includes exhibition files and correspondence files from Malloy's career as an artist, both from creating artists' books and from her work in new media and hypertext. Correspondence files include letters, postcards, original artwork and clippings from other artists as well as electronic literature (e-lit) artists and writers.    

Michael Malone : Best-selling author and daytime television writer from Durham, N.C.  Contains drafts and galleys of Malone's novels and other writings, personal and professional correspondence, and teaching materials. Also included are contracts and royalty statements, book tour materials and other promotional materials, videocassettes, audiocassettes, newspaper reviews and clippings, and digital files. The bulk of materials relate to Malone's career as a novelist and as a writer for the popular soap operas One Life to Live and Another World .   

Carson McCullers, 1917-1967 : Author and playwright, originally from Georgia.  Collection consists of correspondence between McCullers and Tennessee Williams, Dame Edith Sitwell, and cousins, Jordan Massee, Jr., and Paul Bigelow; writings by McCullers, including drafts of her novels The Member of the Wedding and Clock Without Hands ; and correspondence from McCullers' mother, Marguerite (Waters) Smith, to Massee and Bigelow, and other papers.See also the Virginia Spencer Carr Papers (papers of biographer of McCullers, including McCullers correspondence), the Mary E. Mercer Collection of Carson McCullers-Mary Tucker Correspondence (letters from McCullers' childhood piano teacher to McCullers' psychotherapist), the Edwin Peacock Papers (including photographs and correspondence from and about McCullers), and the Mary Sames Tucker Papers (including correspondence from and about McCullers).  

Robin Morgan : Feminist writer and activist. Includes documentation on all of Morgan’s significant written works: Demon Lover ; Depth Perception ; Dry Your Smile ; Going Too Far ; A Hot January ; Lady of the Beasts ; Saturday’s Child ; The Burning Time ; Monster ; her well-known feminist anthologies, Sisterhood Is Powerful , Sisterhood Is Global , and Sisterhood Is Forever ; and other materials on her poems, articles, and other writings. 

Flannery O'Connor, 1925-1964 : Correspondence from O'Connor in the Thomas F. Gossett Papers.  Gossett, a professor of English at Wake Forest University, befriended O'Connor and other authors; the collection includes more than 115 items about O'Connor, her friend Father James McCown, S.J., and the O'Connor family farm in Milledgeville, Georgia.  

Gwendolyn M. Parker : Author and memoirist, originally from Durham, NC. Includes primarily diaries, correspondence, clippings, writings, and other miscellaneous printed and manuscript materials related to Parker's writing career, including her 1994 novel These Same Long Bones , set in Durham's African-American Hay-Ti community in the 1940s, and her memoir Trespassing , about her career as an African-American lawyer and business executive. 4.5 linear feet. 

Peggy Payne : Author and Duke alumna.  Collection includes drafts of her works Revelation, Sister India, The Hide of the Lion, Electric Yellow , and other materials.   

Joe Ashby Porter : The collection contains holograph draft of published novel, EELGRASS; typescript of unpublished novella, Let's Hide Our Eyes Then ; and many periodicals containing short fiction by Porter.   

Padgett Powell : Collection contains correspondence, writings, notes, speeches (notes for literary readings), manuscripts, audio cassettes, travel documents, and other materials. The bulk of the material relates to the writing and publication of Edisto , A Woman Called Drown , the short story collection Typical , and various other short stories.   

Minnie Bruce Pratt : Writer, poet, and activist. Collection includes manuscript material, as well as correspondence, files relating to speaking engagements, and photographic, audio, and visual material documenting Pratt’s life and work.  

Reynolds Price, 1933-2011 : Author, Duke alumnus, and James B. Duke Professor of English at Duke for over fifty years.  The collection includes extensive literary and personal correspondence, drafts documenting Price's entire writing career, teaching files, audiovisual materials, and much more.  Frequent correspondents include Eudora Welty, Stephen Spender, Allan Gurganus, Jeff Humphries, Josephine Humphreys, Joe Porter, Lee Smith, and William Blackburn, among many others. . 

Mab Segrest : Southern author, feminist, and gay rights activist.  Correspondence, research files, manuscript drafts, printed materials, teaching files, and other papers concerning Segrest’s career and personal life as author, teacher, feminist, gay activist, publisher, editor, and leader of various social justice and activist organizations.   

Joan Shambaugh : Poet and creative writing teacher. Chiefly poems and drafts of poems written by Shambaugh; also includes journals, notebooks, correspondence, clippings, printed material, watercolors, and information about her creative writing workshops.

Anita Shreve : Best-selling author and journalist.  Collection includes drafts, notes, research materials, business files, and correspondence.   

Alix Kates Shulman : Feminist, author, and political activist in the 1960s and 70s. The primary focus of the collection is Shulman’s writing and literary career. Includes manuscripts, notes, clippings, published books, correspondence, photographs, audio and videotapes.

Stephanie Strickland : Poet and hypertext writer whose works range from paper to interactive websites. Includes digital files; printed journals and anthologies featuring Strickland's poetry; TechnoPoetry Festival materials; schoolwork, college, and graduate papers; posters and programs from events; proofs and drafts of her writings; and audio recordings.   

William Styron, 1925-2006 : Author and Duke alumnus, originally from Virginia. The collection includes extensive correspondence; writings by Styron and other authors; audiotapes, videotapes, and photographs; legal and financial papers; interviews; scrapbooks; and other material relating to Styron's personal life and his career as a writer. Among the major correspondents are Robert Penn Warren, Carlos Fuentes, Norman Mailer, and Reynolds Price. See also the papers of James L. W. West III , author of Styron's biography. 

Anne Tyler : Author and Duke alumna. Collection includes drafts of Tyler's novels and short stories; correspondence between Tyler and her publishers; publicity materials; and other materials related to Tyler's career. See also the papers of Taghi Modarressi , author of three novels in Persian and English and Tyler's husband, and Patricia Rowe Willrich , which contains extensive correspondence from Tyler. 

Ken Wainio, 1952-2006 : Surrealist author and poet based in San Francisco. Collection includes manuscripts and drafts of many of Wainio's poems and writings. Also includes his journals and diaries, published poetry and printed materials, some correspondence, snapshots, and other biographical information.       

Notable Collections of Printed Works

• Artists' Books by Women Artworks by women, most about issues of gender, incorporating or innovating upon the book form in some way.
• Black Voices Autobiographical accounts of African Americans who lived during the age of southern segregation.
• John M. Clum Collection of Playbills and Programs Programs from theatre, opera, and ballet performances from the U.S. and abroad, 1950-2000s.
• Collaborative Literature Works written by more than one author working together; chiefly American and British.
• Robert Frost Collection of works by Frost, many inscribed or signed.
• Drewey Wayne Gunn Collection of Gay Male Mysteries and Police Stories Mysteries and other genre fiction featuring gay male characters from the 1950s to the present.
• Elbert Hubbard Collection of works written or published by Elbert Hubbard, especially from his Roycrofters press.
• Lesbian Pulp Fiction 1950s-60s paperbacks featuring lesbian characters.
• Literature as Advertising Works of fiction and poetry whose primary purpose is the selling of another product.
• Literature of Social Change A collection of American literary works since 1944 that investigate a particular social problem or issue, such as racism, gay rights, or the environment.
• Modern Literature A collection of works spanning the 20th century, focusing on limited editions and the works of fine and small presses, little magazines, and avant-garde literature.
• Edwin and Terry Murray Collection of Pulp Culture Genre works from the 1930s to the 21st century, including science fiction, fantasy, mystery, action, adventure. Many are vintage paperbacks.
• Glenn R. Negley Collection of Utopian Literature International collection of utopian and dystopian works. American and British examples predominate.
• Walter H. Smith Collection of Beat Literature Includes works by and about Beat poets such as Allen Ginsberg, Diane di Prima, Anne Waldman, Anselm Hollo, and Gary Snyder. Many works from this collection were individually cataloged and are available by searching for these authors in Duke's online catalog.
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Focus of Experience in 21st Century Philippine Literature: A Content Analysis

• PAULINE GRACE CASIL-BATANG [email protected] CAGAYAN STATE UNIVERSITY-ANDREWS

This study generally aimed to examine representations of males and females in the 21 st century Philippine literature found in narratives specifically in the short stories taken from each of the timeframes of 21 st century, 2001-2006; 2007-2012; and 2013-present. Specifically, it looked into how females and males are represented in terms of focus of experience. The study made use of mixed-method, qualitative and quantitative research design, and used narratives in the form of short stories taken from 21 st Century Philippine literature to be the corpus of analysis. The narratives are all winners of first (1 st ) prize Palanca award and represent the three timeframes of the 21 st century, 2001-2006; 2007-2012; and 2013 to present. The data from the three narratives were content analyzed with the use of quantification and qualification of statements. Based on the results of the study, women across all timeframes still struggle for their position in the society. Their battle against gender inequality continues even until this time. The three narratives reflect these findings.

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• PAULINE GRACE CASIL-BATANG, Exploring Gender Stereotypes in 21st Century Philippine Narratives , International Journal of Arts, Sciences and Education: Vol. 2 No. 1 (2021): Volume 2 Issue 1 2021 December

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Challenges in Teaching 21st Century Literature in Philippine Senior High School

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Psychology and Education: A Multidisciplinary Journal

Psychology and Education

This study was conducted to assess the effectiveness of the 21st-century approach in teaching Philippine literary to the students of Lagundi-CCL National High School. The study utilized the descriptive-developmental and experimental research design utilizing assessment test and adopted questionnaire-checklist involving the development of lesson exemplars utilizing 21st century approaches in teaching literature. These approaches are the 2C-2I-1R or the Constructive, Collaborative, Integrative, Inquiry-Based and Reflective. The respondents were exposed to the developed learning material for two weeks through online classes which were handled by three different English teachers from the public secondary schools in Morong Sub-office. They were then given assessment test to measure their understanding after completing the discussions. The data were then collected, tallied and tabulated. The paper concluded that the developed learning and teaching materials can be used in teaching Philippine literature in Grade 7. Furthermore, it will help teachers to harness the country's literary resources, and to enhance their classroom teaching through a variety of interactive and integrative methods in that is suited in 21st-century teaching.

Martin, Isabel Pefianco. 2007. The Literature Filipino Students Do Not Read. In David Prescott, Andy Kirkpatrick, Azirah Hashim, and Isabel Pefianco Martin. (eds.) English in Southeast Asia: literacies, literatures and varieties. UK:Cambridge Scholars Press, 290-318

Isabel Pefianco Martin

This chapter presents a study about the literature young Filipinos read today. The first part briefly reviews the literary canon, curriculum, and teaching practices during the American colonial period. The second part details the study which specifically addresses the following questions: (1) What literary texts are required by high school teachers in the literature classrooms? (2) What literary texts are read by Filipino high school students on their own? (3) Is the Anglo- American literary canon, introduced through the American public school system about a hundred years ago, still being used in Filipino literature course today? (4) To what extent does Philippine literature in English occupy the Filipino students’ literature education? More than a hundred years after American soldiers first taught English to Filipino schoolchildren, Philippine literature education today continues to privilege texts of American and European origins.

Baby Jane Panganiban

Aries Sanqui

TOPIC / LESSON NAME 21 st Century Literature from the region where the school is based in relation to the literature of other regions in various genres and forms in consideration of three (3) canonical authors and works of Philippine National Artists in Literature CONTENT STANDARDS The learner will be able to understand and appreciate the elements and contexts of 21 st century Philippine Literature from the regions (National Capital Region)

Michelle Ann Balatbat

MICHELLE MADRIAGA

Prepared by: MICHELLE VALENTINO MADRIAGA ______________________ SHS-Teacher 21st Century Literature from the Philippines and the World Course Description: Study and appreciation of literature of the world originally written in the 21st century.

Mary Annjelou Montefalcon

The word literature is derived from the Latin term litera which means letter. Some loosely interpret literature as any printed matter written within a book, a magazine or a pamphlet. Others define literature as a faithful reproduction of man's manifold experiences blended into one harmonious expression. Because literature deals with ideas, thoughts and emotions of man, literature can be said to be the story of man. Man's loves, grief's, thoughts, dreams and aspirations coached in beautiful language is literature. In order to know the history of a nation's spirit, one must read its literature. MAPPING THE FEATURES OF PHILIPPINE LITERATURE PRE-COLONIAL PERIOD ✓ Our ancient literature shows our customs and traditions in everyday life as traced in our folk stories, old plays and short stories. ✓ Our ancestors also had their alphabet-similar of the Malayo-Polynesian. ✓ Whatever records our ancestors were either burned by Spanish friars or written on materials that easily perished ✓ It is oral in nature and is full of lessons and ideas about life, its blessings, and its consequences. ✓ The verses were addressed to the ears rather than the eyes ✓ Verse composed and sung were regarded as group property

Richard Bañez

Pedagogical questions on whether recency or relevance of literary texts, and the importance of generic academic over discipline-based learning objectives as the core of literature instruction are increasingly becoming the interest of debates in senior high school education. Hence, this study determined the degree of importance of literary instruction in preparation for college education and workplace challenges as assessed by 38 Grade 11 students at Malvar Senior High School, Philippines during the school year 2016-2017. By employing the survey type of descriptive research with a self-made questionnaire, it was found out that the respondents assessed both recency and relevance as important consideration in selecting literary texts. They also perceived that discipline-based/work-oriented learning objectives, especially those that focus on honing their human relation skills, were relevant in preparing themselves for college education and workplace responsibilities. Moreover, the respo...

Jessie Dugos

This study evaluates the approaches and strategies employed by Bukidnon State University instructors in teaching Philippine Literature. The study is anchored on the concept that successful literature teaching requires the use of different approaches and classroom activities or strategies. The results of the study revealed that instructors preferred personal-response approach and paraphrastic approach in the teaching of Philippine Literature. The study further showed that the strategies instructors used are language-based approach is seldom employed by the instructors although some of them

Eiryll Antonio

This research aims to stress the importance of Philippine literature to the Filipino identity and consciousness of youth since there is ignorance towards the subject due to colonial mentality. To prevent the growing ignorance, strategies and interventions of other writers (such as implementation of law that conserve, promote and protect Philippine literature, use of incentives to strengthen the faith of Filipino writers, and use of mass media to advertise Philippine literature to the youth) and the author (the notion that Philippine literature should become a separate subject that should be taught to pupils as early as grade four).

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The best books of the 21st century? Fight me.

• Colette Bancroft Times staff

Summer is a slow time in the publishing business. With fewer big, buzzy books coming out and reviewers in the doldrums, come July you’re likely to see exercises like the New York Times’ recent “ The 100 Best Books of the 21st Century .”

Catnip for book lovers, it’s a list the Times created after they “sent a survey to hundreds of literary luminaries, asking them to name the 10 best books published since Jan. 1, 2000.” According to the Times, 503 people responded, including a wide range of novelists, nonfiction writers, poets and critics.

The list was instant clickbait, as was a second list of readers’ Top 100 . They’re both bountiful material for discussion of (or arguments about) the worthiness of books, and I am always glad to see people talking about books. They also brim with suggestions — the Times even included handy check boxes to mark those you’ve read and those you want to read.

But of course I had a few quibbles. (Have you met me?)

First, the idea of “best” is pretty bogus in this context. Unlike scoring a gymnastics routine with measurable parameters, judging a book is deeply personal and infinitely complex.

And the word implies comparison, the idea that these 100 books exceed all others. Given that more than 1 million new books are published in the U.S. every year, nobody, but nobody, has read them all to be able to compare them.

Furthermore, the Times asked those who took its survey to rank books published in English in the United States, which leaves out the majority of all books published across the globe in a plethora of other languages.

So “best” is, at best, relative.

I also detected some curation in both lists, particularly in terms of genre. The lists do include fiction, nonfiction and a smidge of poetry, but almost all of the novels are literary fiction, despite the popularity of genres like romance and science fiction. A handful of fantasy and horror books made it — “The Hunger Games,” “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,” Stephen King’s stellar “11/22/63.”

But not a single book of crime fiction, even though the 21st century has been a golden age for that genre? No Michael Connelly, no Dennis Lehane, no S.A. Cosby ... don’t get me started. I could make a list of 100 best crime fiction books of the 21st century without breaking a sweat. Even the choice of works by single authors reveals this genre snobbery: Kate Atkinson’s splendid historical novel “Life After Life” makes the lists, but none of her equally splendid Jackson Brodie crime novels do.

A number of books appear on both lists, but sometimes with very different rankings. (The only one ranked the same on both lists is Kazuo Ishiguro’s heartbreaking “Never Let Me Go” at No. 9.)

On the luminaries list, Barbara Kingsolver’s stunner “Demon Copperhead” is ranked No. 61. On the readers’ list, it’s No. 1.

Another wide gap is Donna Tartt’s epic “The Goldfinch,” No. 46 on the luminaries list, No. 4 for readers.

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Most surprising to me, though, were some of the books that didn’t make either list that for me are among the most memorable of the century so far.

Not a single book by the mighty Louise Erdrich (”The Round House,” “LaRose,” “The Sentence”) or the electric Lauren Groff (”Florida,” “Fates and Furies,” “Matrix”)? Where are Jim Harrison’s “Brown Dog,” Peter Matthiessen’s “Shadow Country,” Gary Shteyngart’s “Super Sad Love Story”?

Even book critics can’t read everything, but I’ve read about two-thirds of the books on each list. I haven’t loved all of those, but many of them would make my personal list of 21st century standouts.

Here they are. I’m not calling them the best, and I’m not ranking them. (They’re alphabetical by author.)

These are the books that I’ve read in the 21st century that made the New York Times’ lists and that have also resonated for me, that still live in my head. They are wildly different from each other. I recommend them all.

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, “Americanah”

Kate Atkinson, “Life After Life”

Alison Bechdel, “Fun Home”

Katherine Boo, “Behind the Beautiful Forevers”

Michael Chabon, “The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay”

Ta-Nehisi Coates, “Between the World and Me”

Matthew Desmond, “Evicted”

Junot Diaz, “The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao”

Joan Didion, “The Year of Magical Thinking”

Jennifer Egan, “A Visit From the Goon Squad”

Jeffrey Eugenides, “Middlesex”

Percival Everett, “Erasure,” “James”

David Grann, “Killers of the Flower Moon”

Kazuo Ishiguro, “Never Let Me Go,” “Klara and the Sun”

Edward P. Jones, “The Known World”

Patrick Radden Keefe, “Say Nothing,” “Empire of Pain”

Barbara Kingsolver, “Demon Copperhead”

Helen Macdonald, “H Is for Hawk”

James McBride, “Deacon King Kong,” “The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store”

Cormac McCarthy, “The Road”

Ian McEwan, “Atonement”

Toni Morrison, “A Mercy”

Maggie O’Farrell, “Hamnet”

Tommy Orange, “There There”

Ann Patchett, “The Dutch House,” “Tom Lake”

George Saunders, “Tenth of December,” “Lincoln in the Bardo”

Rebecca Skloot, “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks”

Elizabeth Strout, “Olive Kitteridge”

Donna Tartt, “The Goldfinch”

Amor Towles, “A Gentleman in Moscow”

Colson Whitehead, “The Underground Railroad,” “The Nickel Boys”

Isabel Wilkerson, “The Warmth of Other Suns”

Copy Desk Chief and Books Critic

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