With the hundreds of incredible British writers throughout the centuries, how can anyone possibly decide who is the most famous, or the best of the bunch? A person could devote their whole literary life solely to British authors and still never run out of amazing things to listen to. Whether you're looking to revisit the classics or just want to discover some new British writers for yourself, here’s a list of 50 of the best for you to choose from!
Classic British authors
William Shakespeare
Considered my many to be the greatest author in the English language, Shakespeare wrote plays and poetry that have been translated into every major living language. His plays are performed more often than those by any other playwright and continue to be heavily adapted for stage and screen. His most famous plays include Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, and Macbeth.
Jane Austen
Austen’s novels are famous for their social commentary on a woman’s place and marriage prospects in the late 18th century into the early 19th century, as well as the manners and virtues of the time. She published six major novels, including Pride and Prejudice and Emma.
Mary Shelley
Mary Shelley was a novelist, a travel writer, and a dramatist. She's been widely considered as the mother of Gothic fiction, and kickstarted the science fiction genre with her novel Frankenstein; or, the Modern Prometheus. She first published Frankenstein anonymously, but by the second edition, her name was printed in the book.
Charles Dickens
Dickens is widely considered the greatest novelist of the Victorian era. His novels were carefully detailed and plotted, and often featured topical items from the times. Among his many famous works are A Christmas Carol, Oliver Twist, A Tale of Two Cities, and Great Expectations.
Anthony Trollope
One of the most respected novelists of the Victorian Era, Anthony Trollope showcased gender, social, and political commentary in his work. Throughout his life, he wrote over 47 novels, including The Chronicles of Barsetshire series and the Palliser novels.
Charlotte Brontë
The most famous of the three Brontë sisters, who were all writers. Charlotte’s most famous novel, Jane Eyre, is about a governess who falls for her employer. It was first published under a pseudonym. The character of Jane Eyre was considered very independent for a woman of that time period.
George Eliot
Eliot was a novelist, poet, journalist, and translator. Born Mary Anne Evans, she used a pen name to keep her novels separate from her widely read work as an editor and critic, and also to protect her privacy. She wrote seven novels, including The Mill on the Floss, Silas Marner, and Middlemarch, which is considered one of the greatest novels of all time.
E. M. Forster
Forster was a novelist, short story writer, essayist, and librettist, whose works often focused on class difference. His most acclaimed works include A Room with a View, Howards End, and A Passage to India. He was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature 16 times, but he never won the award. His novel Maurice, a gay love story, was published posthumously after his death.
Thomas Hardy
Highly influenced by William Wordsworth and Romanticism, Hardy’s novels were filled with tragic characters fighting against the unfortunate circumstances of their stations in life. His notable works include Tess of the d’Urbervilles, Far From the Madding Crowd, and Jude the Obscure.
Henry James
An American-British novelist, Henry James was famous for juxtaposing American and British life side by side in his stories. Of all his works, The Portrait of a Lady is often considered one of his greatest creations, and his Gothic ghost tale, The Turn of the Screw, is a beloved by many.
Robert Louis Stevenson
Though he was bound to follow the path of his family as a lighthouse engineer, Robert Louis Stevenson realized he had a love for literature. While he wrote in many genres, he is best known as a children's literature author. His most notable works include Treasure Island and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
Arthur Conan Doyle
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is the creator of detective Sherlock Holmes, the defining detective archetype who has stood the test of time through the many years since his initial introduction. Conan Doyle did not only write crime fiction; he also immersed himself in the fantasy and science fiction genre with stories like The Lost World.
Virginia Woolf
Woolf is one of the most highly regarded writers of the 20th century. A member of the renowned Bloomsbury literary group, she is famous for the stream-of-consciousness narration in her works. Her best-known books include Mrs. Dalloway, The Waves, and A Room of One's Own.
D.H. Lawrence
A writer and poet, Lawrence tackled many subjects in his work, including the industrial age and its effect on people. He also garnered criticism for the sexuality portrayed in his novels. His most famous books include Sons and Lovers, Women in Love, and Lady Chatterley's Lover, which was the subject of a trial over the Obscene Publications Act of 1959. It was initially banned for obscenity in the United States.
T.S. Eliot
Eliot was a poet and playwright, whose work made huge contributions to the Modernist movement. Born in America, he became a British citizen at the age of 39. Everyone knows Cats, the musical adaptation of Eliot's book Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats, but in his lifetime, he was more famous for his poems The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock and The Waste Land. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1948.
Agatha Christie
Best known for her mystery novels, Agatha Christie is considered one of the best British novelists and playwrights of all time. Of the 83 books she wrote, without a doubt, her most popular is the Hercule Poirot series, which includes Murder on the Orient Express.
J.R.R. Tolkien
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, best known as J.R.R. Tolkien, was an Oxford University scholar who specialized in Old and Middle English language and literature. He's renowned for his genre-defining work in fantasy, including one of the most popular series, The Lord of the Rings. He spent more than 10 years writing the unparalleled trilogy—that includes The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King—a feat of masterful worldbuilding.
George Orwell
Orwell was a novelist, essayist, journalist, and critic, whose works were social criticisms that represented his personal views and support of democratic socialism. He is most famous for his novels Animal Farm and 1984.
Evelyn Waugh
Waugh was a writer, journalist, and book reviewer. His most famous work, Brideshead Revisited, is about a wealthy family living in the enormous Brideshead Castle.
Ian Fleming
The creator of one of the most notable spies in the world, Ian Fleming was a suspense writer who gained global popularity when newly elected president John F. Kennedy mentioned a James Bond novel was among his favorite books.
Contemporary British authors
Graham Greene
One of the most popular and prolific British novelists of his time, Greene considered himself a writer of both serious novels and lighter thrillers. His most popular works include The Quiet American, The Third Man, and The End of the Affair.
Iris Murdoch
A novelist and philosopher, Murdoch is considered one of the greatest British writers and thinkers of the 20th century. Her works endure singular explorations of good and evil, sexuality, relationships, and morality. Her most popular books are The Sea, the Sea, and Under the Net.
Doris Lessing
At age 88, Lessing was the oldest writer to ever receive the Nobel Prize in Literature, which she was awarded in 2007. Although her books covered several genres, Lessing is best known for taking on social issues. Her most famous works include The Golden Notebook and The Good Terrorist.
V.S. Naipaul
A recipient of the Nobel Prize in Literature, Naipaul published almost three dozen books, some of which were considered controversial, over five decades. They range from his early comedic novels to more serious dramatic works later in his career. His most famous works include A House for Mr. Biswas and In a Free State..
Diana Wynne Jones
Diana Wynne Jones was mainly a children's and young adult writer. Of all her work, she was best known for writing fantasy fiction, especially featuring magic. Her popular works include Howl's Moving Castle, which was notably adapted by Hayao Miyazaki as an animated film in 2004, and A Charmed Life.
Julian Barnes
Julian Barnes is one of the greatest contemporary writers working right now. His work is best described as an exploration of the truth, a scope on full display in his Man Booker Prize-winning novel, The Sense of an Ending, which follows a retired man who must reckon with his past when it comes back with a vengeance.
Salman Rushdie
Speaking of controversy: Rushdie is perhaps most famous for the fatwa placed on him by Iran's Ayatollah Khomeini, calling for his assassination, after the publication of The Satanic Verses in 1988. Largely set in India, his novels examine post-colonialism with allegory and magical realism. Midnight's Children, for which he won the Booker Prize in 1981, and The Satanic Verses are his most famous works. He survived a 2022 murder attempt and wrote about it in his memoir Knife.
Ian McEwan
Winner of the Man Booker Prize for Fiction in 1998 and many other impressive awards, McEwan gained quick recognition with his novels. Atonement, one of his most popular works, follows three children whose lives surprisingly change one hot, fateful afternoon in 1935.
Graham Swift
Last Orders
By Graham Swift
Narrated by Simon Prebble, Gigi Marceau Clarke, Jenny Sterlin, Ian Stewart, Gerard Doyle, Simon Jones, Domonick Hawksley
Swift is the author of numerous novels, and he was influenced by such literary luminaries as Faulkner, Borges, and Márquez. He's won multiple awards for his works, which include Last Orders, Shuttlecock, and The Light of Day, and has had a few novels turned into films.
Martin Amis
An essayist, novelist, critic, and screenwriter, Martin Amis was among the greatest writers of his generation. Known for his satire, his most famous works include Money, London Fields, and The Zone of Interest.
Kate Atkinson
Atkinson is a writer of short stories, plays, and novels, including the Jackson Brodie mystery series. She's won numerous awards, including the Costa Book Award multiple times. Her most famous novels include Case Histories and Life After Life.
Douglas Adams
Douglas Adams was a science fiction writer and a humorist. His beloved magnum opus, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, was a BBC radio drama first, and eventually became a six-book series with multiple adaptations.
Hilary Mantel
Mantel wrote memoirs and short stories, but she is best known for her historical fiction. She became the first woman to win the Booker Prize twice for Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies, the first two novels in her trilogy about Thomas Cromwell. The third novel, The Mirror and the Light, was released in March 2020
Kazuo Ishiguro
One of England's most-celebrated living writers, Ishiguro was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2017. His novels are almost all written in the first person and cover genres from historical fiction to speculative fiction. His most famous works are The Remains of the Day and Never Let Me Go, and his most recent is Klara and the Sun.
Anthony Horowitz
Horowitz writes books, television shows, films, plays, and so much more—it's no wonder he's considered one of the most successful writers in the UK. With over 50 books under his belt, Horowitz is best known for creating the teen spy series Alex Rider and the award-winning Susan Ryeland mystery series.
Helen Fielding
Fielding's ever-popular Bridget Jones series, which follows the titular everywoman heroine's misadventures in love and dating with humor and heart, has amassed a major fan following around the globe. Beyond this beloved saga (which was adapted into a series of fan favorite romcoms with a cast that includes Renée Zellweger, Colin Firth, and Hugh Grant), Fielding has written a number of works of contemporary women's fiction.
Bernardine Evaristo
Writer and academic Bernardine Evaristo frequently explores the experiences of the African diaspora within her acclaimed work. Among her most-celebrated works is Booker Prizer winner, Girl, Woman, Other.
Rachel Joyce
Before she became a writer, Rachel Joyce began her career in theater. Since then, she's written radio dramas, as well as many books, including The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, which was long-listed for the Man Booker Prize in 2012.
Sarah Waters
One of the greatest writers of historical fiction working today, Sarah Waters has penned several novels, many of which feature lesbian protagonists in Victorian times. Quite a few of her works have been adapted for stage and screen. Her popular and highly praised novels include Tipping the Velvet, Fingersmith, and The Little Stranger.
Jojo Moyes
Me Before You
By Jojo Moyes
Narrated by Susan Lyons, Anna Bentink, Steven Crossley, Alex Tregear, Andrew Wincott, Owen Lindsay
Jojo Moyes is an award-winning romance writer. She's known for penning emotional, engaging stories about everyday women who have to persevere through difficult moments in their lives. Her notable works include Me Before You, The Giver of Stars, and One Plus One.
Sophie Kinsella
Author of Confessions of a Shopaholic and Can You Keep a Secret?, Sophie Kinsella writes heartwarming contemporary romances adored by readers and listeners around the world. She was once a financial journalist, much like her protagonist in Confessions of a Shopaholic.
Richard Osman
A television presenter, producer, and novelist, Richard Osman is best known for his crime novels, including The Thursday Murder Club series, which follows four septuagenarians who meet to discuss unsolved murders.
Zadie Smith
Smith is arguably the most popular British writer of the 21st century. Her novels have been nominated multiple times for the Booker Prize, and she has received many other accolades. Her most famous works include her debut novel, White Teeth, along with NW and Swing Time.
Matt Haig
Haig writes both nonfiction and fiction for adults and children. A multi-bestselling author, he's best known for speculative fiction, witch such notable works as The Midnight Library and The Life Impossible.
Sophie Cousens
Best known for gems like Just Haven't Met You Yet and This Time Next Year, author Sophie Cousens used to work as a TV producer. Now, you can find her unforgettable romantic comedies, both on screen and in your Audible library.
Claire North
Claire North is a pen name for Catherine Webb, a writer whose first book was written when they were just 14 years old. Under the Claire North pseudonym, they write both in the science fiction genre (The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August) and books inspired by the work of Homer, including Ithaca.
Candice Carty-Williams
Candice Carty-Williams is a decorated TV showrunner and a writer. She has contributed writing to Vogue International, The Guardian, Beat Magazine, and many other publications. She also wrote her debut novel, Queenie, winner of a British Book Award, while in her early twenties.
Samantha Shannon
A fantasy and dystopian writer, Samantha Shannon published her first novel when she graduated university. HerThe Bone Season and The Priory of the Orange Tree are highly regarded among fans and in the literary world.
Beth O'Leary
Beth O'Leary wrote her debut novel The Flatshare during rides on the train to her job in London, and it's become a massive hit, with a TV adaptation available. Her newest novel, Swept Away, released in April 2025.
Talia Hibbert
Known for her engrossing style and her swoon-worthy romances, Talia Hibbert is a romance novelist who has written more than 15 books, usually featuring a range of endearing, diverse characters. Among her beloved titles are A Girl Like Her and the Brown Sisters trilogy.
