Jane Austen is one of the most famous, beloved authors of all time. Despite the fact that her novels were published hundreds of years ago, they remain among the best selling classics ever, and have inspired hundreds of retellings and adaptations. Dozens of Austen fan clubs and festivals exist around the globe. And every year, thousands upon thousands of new fans fall in love with Austen. Surely she must be the most famous British novelist—right?
Not so fast. What about Agatha Christie? It's no mystery that she's sold more books than anyone except Shakespeare. Or Arthur Conan Doyle. His Sherlock Holmes is one of the most famous literary characters of all time! And wait: we just swaggered right past lonely Shakespeare, who gave us enduring stories and many words that are now in common use, including “swagger” and “lonely.” Don’t forget A.A. Milne, Beatrix Potter, Lewis Carroll, J.K. Rowling, and Roald Dahl, who created some of the most beloved children’s characters in the world. With the hundreds of incredible British writers throughout the centuries, how can anyone possibly decide who is the most famous, or the best of bunch?
Also, wow! Britain can claim many of the greatest authors in literary history. A good percentage of literary classics are still taught today, such as 1984, Wuthering Heights, A Tale of Two Cities, and Lord of the Flies. And sure, British published works go back much further than other English-speaking countries, so they got a head start. (As the comedian Eddie Izzard put it, “I grew up in Europe, where the history comes from.”) But even today, the U.K. boasts some of the world’s most esteemed living writers.
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 an avid Anglophile or just want to discover the best English novelists for yourself, here’s a list of 23 of the best for you to choose from!
Classic British Authors
Jane Austen (1775 - 1817)
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.
Charlotte Brontë (1816 - 1855)
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.
Charles Dickens (1812 - 1870)
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.
George Eliot (1819 - 1880)
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.
T.S. Eliot (1888 - 1865)
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.
E. M. Forster (1879 - 1970)
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.
Thomas Hardy (1840 - 1928)
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.
DH Lawrence (1885 - 1930)
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 and initially banned for obscenity in the United States.
George Orwell (1903 - 1950)
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.
William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616)
Considered 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.
Evelyn Waugh (1903 - 1966)
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.
Virginia Woolf (1882 - 1941)
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.
Contemporary British Authors
Kate Atkinson (1951 - )
Atkinson is a writer of short stories, plays, and novels, including the Jackson Brodie mystery series. She has won numerous awards, including the Costa Book Award multiple times. Her most famous novels include Case Histories and Life After Life.
Graham Greene (1904 - 1991)
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 Brighton Rock.
Kazuo Ishiguro (1954 - )
One of England's most celebrated living writers, Ishiguro’s award-winning 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.
Doris Lessing (1919 - 2013)
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.
Hilary Mantel (1952 - )
Mantel has written 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—could she win a third time???)
Iris Murdoch (1919 - 1999)
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.
V.S. Naipaul (1932 - 2018)
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.
Salman Rushdie (1947- )
Speaking of controversy: Rushdie is perhaps most famous for the fatwā placed on his head by Ayatollah Khomeini, after the publication of The Satanic Verses in 1988, seven years after Midnight’s Children won the Booker Prize. Largely set in India, his novels examine post-colonialism with allegory and magical realism. Midnight's Children and The Satanic Verses are his most celebrated works.
Zadie Smith (1975 - )
Smith is arguably the most popular British writer of the 21st century. Her novels have been nominated multiple times for the Booker Prize, and have won many other accolades. Her most famous works include her wildly popular debut novel, White Teeth, along with NW and Grand Union.
Graham Swift (1949 - )
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, which have been influenced by such literary luminaries as Faulkner, Borges, and Márquez. He has 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.
Sarah Waters (1966 - )
One of the greatest writers of historical fiction working today, 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.
Liberty Hardy is a Book Riot senior contributing editor, co-host of All the Books, a Book of the Month judge, and above all else, a ravenous reader. She resides in Maine with her cats, Millay, Farrokh, and Zevon.
