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Britain’s top British writers

TWe list the top British writers who make up our great literary landscape, from William Shakespeare to Ian Fleming, creator of James Bond

William Shakespeare (1564-1616)

The Bard is the most famous of British writers. The playwright is still commemorated for having coined nearly 1,700 of the words and phrases we still use today. He began as a playwright and as an actor in London although he is as known for his birthplace of Stratford-upon-Avon where many of his plays are still performed.

Shakespeare died in 1616 leaving most of his estate to his daughter Susanna. The only mention of his wife, Anne Hathaway, in his last will and testament was to leave her his “second best bed”.

Jane Austen (1775-1817)

Paving the way for female British writers everywhere, for a woman to write, and to write about women, in her time was not the ‘done thing’. It comes as no surprise to hear that the name we know so well today, Jane Austen, published her novels anonymously.

Her books deal with the lives of the upper and middle classes in England. Sense and Sensibility came first, but all her books were a resounding success – Emma , Mansfield Park , Northanger Abbey , Persuasion. While Pride and Prejudice was famously described by Austen as her ‘darling child’ and remains a national favourite. Her house in Chawton in Hampshire is open to visit.

Charles Dickens (1812-1870)

From A Christmas Carol to Oliver Twist , it is difficult not to recognise one of Charles Dickens’ iconic tales. The Victorian writer is quintessential of his time.

He dealt with the struggles of contemporary life with unforgettable characters. Dickens was also a lover of theatre – both writing and performing – and performed for Queen Victoria in 1851. His birthplace museum in Portsmouth is open for visitors.

Charlotte Brontë (1816-1855)

The eldest of the Brontë sisters, Charlotte outlived both her sisters and their successes. Jane Eyre , her most famous novel, created an enduring image of the wild moors of Yorkshire and introduced her criticism of society’s treatment of women. She did not actively seek to defy the roles set for women at the time. Instead she used her words in a modest feminist stand against the times.

George Eliot (1819-1880)

Hiding behind her pen name, George Eliot, Mary Ann Evans wanted to be taken seriously as a novelist at a time when women’s writing was often associated with romantic novels.

She met her partner George Henry Lewes through her literary circle in London. As he was married, their relationship was shunned by friends and family. They lived together despite the scandal. Her most famous novel, Middlemarch helped her to gain social acceptance through her psychological insights.

CS Lewis (1898-1963)

Born in Northern Ireland, Lewis studied at Oxford University. After serving as a soldier in WW1, he settled into life as a professor first at Oxford and then Cambridge university. Although renowned for his children’s fantasy tales, he also wrote profusely on religion and theology.

However, his first book in his Chronicles of Narnia series, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, released in 1950, remains one of the most beloved of his published works.

George Orwell (1903-1950)

Born Eric Arthur Blair, Orwell adopted his pen name shortly before his first book in 1933 called Down and Out in Paris and London .

By the time he published his first big novel, Animal Farm in 1945, he was an established, and indeed prolific, journalist.

He had dealt with British colonies, unemployed miners, civil wars and communism in his work – all of which had a profound impact on his writing. Animal Farm shows his anti-Stalin beliefs through a political, farmyard fable. Several years later Nineteen Eighty-Four came out and secured his longevity as an author.

Ian Fleming (1908-1964)

The writer of the Bond novels created a winning framework for the world of spy literature.

However, he did not begin to create and develop the Bond character until the age of 43. After a successful career working in newspapers, as a broker and in Naval Intelligence – he settled in his house in Jamaica where Bond was born. After writing Casino Royale , the first adventure of James Bond, he continued to publish 13 more titles. They have all been played out in iconic blockbuster hits since. Diverging from the adult scene just once, he wrote the story of the flying car, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang for his only son Caspar.

Roald Dahl (1916-1990)

British novelist, Roald Dahl, has straddled both the adult short story and the children’s story genre. He is certainly one of the most-loved British writers of all time.

Many believe his first book to be James and the Giant Peach , but it was in fact a picture book called The Gremlins. It was adapted from the script for the potential, but unrealised, Walt Disney film. He did not publish another children’s book until he was a father. He decided to concentrate on his short stories for adults, which he later continued alongside his prolific books. Dahl created many wonderful characters such as the BFG, the Twits and Willy Wonka in his children’s books. He also wrote in a magical ‘whizz-popping’ language that still enthrals readers.

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English Authors: The 10 Best English Writers

Interested in finding out the most famous English authors of all time? We’ve had a go at defining the world’s most famous authors , and the best American writers elsewhere, but here we present the ten best English authors (excluding the Bard of Avon ). It was no easy task given the huge volume of high-quality English writers over the years, plus any list of great authors is going to be – at least on some level – very subjective. We’ve ended up going with the criteria of:

• Impact on the world of literature
• Relevance today
• Number of books sold

It’s worth also pointing out that here at NoSweatShakespeare we have no doubt that William Shakespeare is by far the best (and probably most famous) writer in English literary history . And that’s no mean feat, given the many centuries of English history that have been adorned with authors who have placed England as the leading literary nation in the world.

So, in no particular order, here is our pick of the ten most famous English authors of all time:

Jane Austen 1775 – 1817

Read more on Jane Austen >>

William Blake 1757-1827

Although not highly regarded either as a painter or poet by his contemporaries William Blake has the distinction of finding his place in the top ten of both English writers and English painters. The reason he was disregarded is because he was very much ahead of his time in his views and his poetic style ( read some wonderful William Blake quotes as an example ), and also because he was regarded as being somewhat mad, due to behaviour that would be thought of as only slightly eccentric today– for example, his naturistic habit of walking about his garden naked and sunbathing there.

Read more about William Blake >>

Geoffrey Chaucer 1343-1400

Read more on Geoffrey Chaucer >>

Charles Dickens 1812-1870

Charles Dickens was an extraordinary man. He is best known as a novelist but he was very much more than that. He was as prominent in his other pursuits but they were not areas of life where we can still see him today.  We see him as the author of such classics as Oliver Twist, David Copperfield, Great Expectations, A Tale of Two Cities, Bleak House and many others. He was so prolific that we’ve pulled together Charles Dickens’ most famous quotes here .

Read more on Charles Dickens >>

John Donne 1572-1631

John Donne must be one of the most interesting writers who ever lived, both as a poet and a man. His life was a colourful adventure and his poems are significant feats of language. A Jacobean writer, more or less a contemporary of Shakespeare, Fletcher and Webster, but very distant from those theatre writers, both regarding his social class and his literary work.

Read more on John Donne >>

George Eliot 1819-1880

George Eliot was the pen name of Mary Ann Evans, a novelist who produced some of the major classic novels of the Victorian era, including The Mill on the Floss, Adam Bede, Silas Marner, Romola, Felix Holt, Daniel Deronda and her masterpiece, Middlemarch. It is impossible to overestimate the significance of Eliot’s novels in the English culture: they went right to the heart of the small-town politics that made up the fabric of English society. Her novels were essentially political.

Read more about George Eliot >>

John Milton 1608-1674

English is often referred to as ‘the language of Shakespeare and Milton.’ Milton’s poetry has been seen as the most perfect poetic expression in the English language for four centuries. His most famous poem, the epic Paradise Lost is a high point of English epic poetry. Its story has entered into English and European culture to such an extent that the details of our ideas of heaven and hell and paradise, Adam and Eve, Satan.

Read more about John Milton >>

George Orwell 1903-1950

George Orwell was the pen name of Eric Blair, a twentieth-century writer, equally at home with journalism, essays, novels, literary criticism and social commentary. He was famous in all those areas, but will be particularly remembered for two of his novels, Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty Four, both among the most significant works of literature of the twentieth century, packed with memorable quotes .

Read more about George Orwell >>

Harold Pinter 1930-2008

Harold Pinter won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2005, three years before his death from cancer. He had a career of more than half a century as a playwright, director, actor, and writer of screenplays for television and film. He was, without doubt, the most influential English playwright of the twentieth century and so earns his place on this list.

Read more about Harold Pinter >>

Samuel Taylor Coleridge 1772-1834

Samuel Taylor Coleridge was an English poet, best known in his time as a literary critic and philosopher. He was immensely influential in English literature as one of the founders of the English Romantic Movement and when one talks about ‘the Romantic poets,’ it’s Coleridge’s name that springs to mind.

Read more about Samuel Taylor Coleridge >>

There are many other great English language writers closely associated with the English writing scene that would have been considered for this list had they been born in England. Writers like Irishmen , James Joyce, William Butler Yeats, Jonathan Swift and Oscar Wilde, and the American, T.S. Eliot.

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Great piece but I feel the list is incomplete with great authors such as Wordsworth and Sterne among many others.

I respect your information thank you

I respect your information thank you I am writing some poetry and short stories Can I send them to you pl reply

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The list is not exhaustive yet it is pregnant with commendable info ….

You have done a great analysis and there are still many other authors that can be included

Did you heard about William Thackeray or John Galsworthy??

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The Greatest British Books of All Time

Click to learn how this list is calculated.

This list represents a comprehensive and trusted collection of the greatest books. Developed through a specialized algorithm, it brings together 253 'best of' book lists to form a definitive guide to the world's most acclaimed books. For those interested in how these books are chosen, additional details can be found on the rankings page .

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Click the button below to see how many of these books you've read!

If you're interested in downloading this list as a CSV file for use in a spreadsheet application, you can easily do so by clicking the button below. Please note that to ensure a manageable file size and faster download, the CSV will include details for only the first 500 books.

1. Nineteen Eighty Four by George Orwell

Set in a dystopian future, the novel presents a society under the total control of a totalitarian regime, led by the omnipresent Big Brother. The protagonist, a low-ranking member of 'the Party', begins to question the regime and falls in love with a woman, an act of rebellion in a world where independent thought, dissent, and love are prohibited. The novel explores themes of surveillance, censorship, and the manipulation of truth.

2. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Set in early 19th-century England, this classic novel revolves around the lives of the Bennet family, particularly the five unmarried daughters. The narrative explores themes of manners, upbringing, morality, education, and marriage within the society of the landed gentry. It follows the romantic entanglements of Elizabeth Bennet, the second eldest daughter, who is intelligent, lively, and quick-witted, and her tumultuous relationship with the proud, wealthy, and seemingly aloof Mr. Darcy. Their story unfolds as they navigate societal expectations, personal misunderstandings, and their own pride and prejudice.

3. Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

This classic novel is a tale of love, revenge and social class set in the Yorkshire moors. It revolves around the intense, complex relationship between Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff, an orphan adopted by Catherine's father. Despite their deep affection for each other, Catherine marries Edgar Linton, a wealthy neighbor, leading Heathcliff to seek revenge on the two families. The story unfolds over two generations, reflecting the consequences of their choices and the destructive power of obsessive love.

4. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

This novel follows the story of a young girl named Alice who falls down a rabbit hole into a fantastical world full of peculiar creatures and bizarre experiences. As she navigates through this strange land, she encounters a series of nonsensical events, including a tea party with a Mad Hatter, a pool of tears, and a trial over stolen tarts. The book is renowned for its playful use of language, logic, and its exploration of the boundaries of reality.

5. Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

This classic novel follows the journey of a seaman who travels up the Congo River into the African interior to meet a mysterious ivory trader. Throughout his journey, he encounters the harsh realities of imperialism, the brutal treatment of native Africans, and the depths of human cruelty and madness. The protagonist's journey into the 'heart of darkness' serves as both a physical exploration of the African continent and a metaphorical exploration into the depths of human nature.

6. Middlemarch by George Eliot

Set in the fictitious English town of Middlemarch during the early 19th century, the novel explores the complex web of relationships in a close-knit society. It follows the lives of several characters, primarily Dorothea Brooke, a young woman of idealistic fervor, and Tertius Lydgate, an ambitious young doctor, who both grapple with societal expectations, personal desires, and moral dilemmas. Their stories intertwine with a rich tapestry of other townsfolk, reflecting themes of love, marriage, ambition, and reform, making a profound commentary on the human condition.

7. The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien

This epic high-fantasy novel centers around a modest hobbit who is entrusted with the task of destroying a powerful ring that could enable the dark lord to conquer the world. Accompanied by a diverse group of companions, the hobbit embarks on a perilous journey across Middle-earth, battling evil forces and facing numerous challenges. The narrative, rich in mythology and complex themes of good versus evil, friendship, and heroism, has had a profound influence on the fantasy genre.

8. Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

A young orphan boy, living with his cruel older sister and her kind blacksmith husband, has an encounter with an escaped convict that changes his life. Later, he becomes the protégé of a wealthy but reclusive woman and falls in love with her adopted daughter. He then learns that an anonymous benefactor has left him a fortune, leading him to believe that his benefactor is the reclusive woman and that she intends for him to marry her adopted daughter. He moves to London to become a gentleman, but his great expectations are ultimately shattered when he learns the true identity of his benefactor and the reality of his love interest.

9. To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf

This novel is a pioneering work of modernist literature that explores the Ramsay family's experiences at their summer home on the Isle of Skye in Scotland. The narrative is divided into three sections, focusing on a day in the family's life, a description of the house during their absence, and their return after ten years. The book is known for its stream of consciousness narrative technique and its exploration of topics such as the passage of time, the nature of art, and the female experience.

10. Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie

The novel tells the story of Saleem Sinai, who was born at the exact moment when India gained its independence. As a result, he shares a mystical connection with other children born at the same time, all of whom possess unique, magical abilities. As Saleem grows up, his life mirrors the political and cultural changes happening in his country, from the partition of India and Pakistan, to the Bangladesh War of Independence. The story is a blend of historical fiction and magical realism, exploring themes of identity, fate, and the power of storytelling.

11. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

The novel follows the life of Jane Eyre, an orphan who is mistreated by her relatives and sent to a charity school. As she grows up, Jane becomes a governess at Thornfield Hall, where she falls in love with the brooding and mysterious Mr. Rochester. However, she soon learns of a dark secret in his past that threatens their future together. The story is a profound exploration of a woman's self-discovery and her struggle for independence and love in a rigid Victorian society.

12. Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf

The novel chronicles a day in the life of Clarissa Dalloway, a high-society woman in post-World War I England, as she prepares for a party she is hosting that evening. Throughout the day, she encounters various characters from her past, including a former suitor and a shell-shocked war veteran. The narrative jumps back and forth in time and in and out of different characters' minds, exploring themes of mental illness, existentialism, and the nature of time.

13. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

This classic novel tells the story of a young scientist who creates a grotesque but sentient creature in an unorthodox scientific experiment. The scientist, horrified by his creation, abandons it, leading the creature to seek revenge. The novel explores themes of ambition, responsibility, guilt, and the potential consequences of playing God.

14. David Copperfield by Charles Dickens

This novel follows the life of its titular protagonist from his childhood to maturity. Born to a young widow, David endures a difficult childhood when his mother remarries a harsh and abusive man. After his mother's death, he is sent to a boarding school before being forced into child labor. As he grows, David experiences hardship, love, and loss, all the while meeting a colorful array of characters. The novel is a journey of self-discovery and personal growth, showcasing the harsh realities of 19th-century England.

15. A Passage to India by E. M. Forster

The novel takes place in British-ruled India, where the cultural divide between the British and the Indians is explored. The story focuses on the experiences of an Indian Muslim, Dr. Aziz, and his interactions with an English woman, Miss Quested, and her elderly friend, Mrs. Moore. After an expedition to the Marabar Caves, Miss Quested accuses Dr. Aziz of assault, leading to a trial that deepens the racial tensions and prejudices between the colonizers and the colonized. The novel is a critique of British imperialism and a study of the cultural and racial misunderstandings and ill-will between the British and the Indian people.

16. Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift

This classic satire follows the travels of a surgeon and sea captain who embarks on a series of extraordinary voyages. The protagonist first finds himself shipwrecked on an island inhabited by tiny people, later discovers a land of giants, then encounters a society of intelligent horses, and finally lands on a floating island of scientists. Through these bizarre adventures, the novel explores themes of human nature, morality, and society, offering a scathing critique of European culture and the human condition.

17. Tristram Shandy by Laurence Sterne

The novel is a humorous, rambling narrative that chronicles the life of Tristram Shandy. The story is filled with digressions, anecdotes, and eccentric characters, as Tristram often interrupts his own tale to interject commentary or to recount stories from his family's past. Despite the seemingly haphazard structure, the novel is a clever exploration of narrative form and a satirical critique of traditional biographies and novels.

18. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

Set in a dystopian future, the novel explores a society where human beings are genetically bred and pharmaceutically conditioned to serve in a ruling order. The society is divided into five castes, each with its specific roles. The narrative follows a savage who rejects the norms of this new world order and struggles to navigate the clash between the values of his upbringing and the reality of this technologically advanced, emotionless society. His resistance prompts a deep examination of the nature of freedom, individuality, and happiness.

19. Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

A young woman marries a wealthy widower and moves into his large English country house. She quickly realizes that the memory of her husband's first wife, Rebecca, haunts every corner of the estate. The housekeeper's obsessive devotion to Rebecca and the mysterious circumstances of her death continue to overshadow the second wife's attempts to make a happy life with her husband. As secrets about Rebecca's life and death are revealed, the new wife must grapple with her own identity and place within the household.

20. Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone by J. K Rowling

The story follows a young boy, Harry Potter, who learns on his 11th birthday that he is the orphaned son of two powerful wizards and possesses unique magical powers of his own. He is summoned from his life as an unwanted child to become a student at Hogwarts, an English boarding school for wizards. There, he meets several friends who become his closest allies and help him discover the truth about his parents' mysterious deaths, the dark wizard who wants to kill him, and the magical stone that holds immense power.

21. Lord of the Flies by William Golding

A group of British boys are stranded on an uninhabited island after their plane crashes during wartime. Initially, they attempt to establish order, creating rules and electing a leader. However, as time passes, their civility erodes, and they descend into savagery and chaos. The struggle for power intensifies, leading to violence and death. The novel explores themes of innocence, the inherent evil in mankind, and the thin veneer of civilization.

22. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

This comedic science fiction novel follows the intergalactic adventures of an unwitting human, Arthur Dent, who is rescued just before Earth's destruction by his friend Ford Prefect, a researcher for a galactic travel guide. Together, they hitch a ride on a stolen spaceship, encountering a range of bizarre characters, including a depressed robot and a two-headed ex-president of the galaxy. Through a series of satirical and absurd escapades, the book explores themes of existentialism, bureaucracy, and the absurdity of life, all while poking fun at the science fiction genre and offering witty commentary on the human condition.

23. Animal Farm by George Orwell

"Animal Farm" is a satirical fable set on a farm where the animals revolt, overthrow their human farmer, and take over the running of the farm for themselves. The story is an allegory of the Russian Revolution and the rise of Stalin, and the tale is told by the animals that inhabit the farm, primarily pigs who become the ruling class. Despite their initial attempts at creating an equal society, corruption and power ultimately lead to a regime as oppressive as the one they overthrew.

24. The Good Soldier by Ford Madox Ford

"The Good Soldier" is a tragic tale of two seemingly perfect couples: an American couple and an English couple, who meet at a German spa and share a nine-year friendship. However, underneath the surface, their relationships are far from ideal, filled with infidelity, lies, and deceit. The story is narrated by the American husband, who is the last to realize the intricate web of affairs and betrayals amongst the group. The novel explores themes of love, passion, and the destruction that can result from suppressed emotions and societal pressures.

25. Emma by Jane Austen

The novel revolves around Emma, a well-meaning but disaster-prone matchmaker, who ignores her own romantic feelings while setting out to find a suitor for her friend Harriet. Her efforts cause more problems than solutions as she leaves a trail of mishaps behind her. As her plans go awry, Emma realizes that she herself may be the one in love. The book is a classic exploration of social manners, love, and marriage in 19th-century England.

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The 10 Best British Writers From The Last 100 Years

Throughout the canon of greats, British writers loom heavily around the top echelons. With a hybrid poetic language creating the perfect spindle to weave their magic, from the modernists to the Angry Young Men, The Culture Trip London takes a look at some of the greats from over the last 100 years; writers whose output has assured them an everlasting place among the greatest of all time.

Virginia Woolf

One of the greatest of modernist writers, Woolf’s timeless works effuse a certain crisp, clear, clarity of which most writers can only dream. As though her only peace of mind was attained through her visionary creativity, her tragic end often overshadows the absolute mastery of her art. From the 24-hour perfection of Mrs. Dalloway, through to the psychoanalytical meanderings of The Waves – Virginia Woolf rarely put a foot wrong in her 59 years gracing planet earth and influencing everyone thereafter.

A consummate writer whose elegant prose and literary philosophical style mirrored that of great classic writers such as Eliot and Proust, Iris Murdoch ’s heavily textured and layered novels explored relationships through sexual mores, good and evil and the pernicious subconscious ego of the human psyche which could rear its head when least expected. Along with other writers of her generation, she embraced the left, which impacted on her success as a writer, being refused a visa to visit the USA . It wasn’t until much later in her career that she was granted a visa – under supervision. In 1978, she won The Booker Prize for what has perhaps proved to be her most enduring novel, The Sea, The Sea, a searing yet subtle saga of overwhelming resentment, envy, love and loss – familiar themes in Murdoch’s writing. In 1998, Under the Net, her first published novel, was chosen for Modern Library’s 100 best English-language novels from the 20th century.

Alan Sillitoe

One of the ‘ Angry Young Men ’ writers of the 1950s, Sillitoe is best known for his debut novel, the maverick social commentary Saturday Night And Sunday Morning , and the film adaptation of Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner. Sillitoe disliked his ‘angry young man’ tag, but its heritage is clear. A writer bestowed with that most perfect of creative gifts – zeitgeist – Sillitoe beckoned in the ’60s with his soon-to-be hip colloquial realism.

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John Braine

Another of the ‘Angry Young Men’, Braine is best known for his novels Room At The Top and The Crying Game . His enormous imprint on contemporary modernism, as with Sillitoe, lies as much in his writing as it does in the 20th century’s great artistic achievement – film. The 1959 big screen adaption of Room At The Top brought the book to a wider audience. Depicting the struggles and ambitions of Joe Lampton, a young man of humble origin, the film hit a nerve with its crippling, stultifying personal articulation and portrayal of post-war socio-economic strife in Bradford , Braine’s birthplace. Millions were watching.

Peter Shaffer

Shaffer , who recently passed aged 90, was one of Britain ’s leading playwrights. A writer of challenging, award-winning work including Five Finger Exercise, for which he won the coveted New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Foreign Play, it is Equus and Amadeus for which he will always be known, as both were highly successful, award-winning, controversial plays that were made into equally successful, award-winning, controversial films. Equus delved into the mind of a disturbed 17-year-old boy guilty of committing an act of supreme cruelty by blinding six horses. Amadeus, on the other hand, takes as its subject the rivalry between Mozart and court composer Salieri, who, consumed by bitterness and jealousy, ultimately only succeeds at destroying himself in facing his own nemesis.

Shelagh Delaney

Born in Salford in 1938, Delaney managed to fail her 11 Plus four times before going on to become the poster girl for 1960’s ‘kitchen sink realism’ with her 1958 classic play, A Taste Of Honey . Although not realising it at the time, Delaney was giving a great everlasting two fingers to the tired old establishment clique that had ruled British showbiz for too long. She wrote her first play in ten days, inspired after seeing Terence Rattigan’s Variations on a Theme and feeling she could better Rattigan. A writer of immense talent whose vision of Salford life was as real as its creator’s astonishing ambition.

Ian Fleming

It was whilst working for the Naval Intelligence in the Second World War, and subsequently as a journalist, that Fleming fashioned the character of the secret service agent the world now knows as 007. Initially a keen birdwatcher, Fleming conceived Bond as ‘dull and uninteresting’ in order to be an effective spy, naming him after the American ornithologist James Bond. The first Bond novel, Casino Royale, was viewed with indifference by its eventual publisher. It took the intervention of his brother, who shared the same publisher, to persuade the company to finally publish it. It was first released in hardback in 1952 and proved against expectation to be a success. Eleven Bond novels followed, and now about 100 million copies have been sold worldwide. During this time, Fleming engendered a much-imitated style of writing, developing Bond’s character into the ruthless, joie de vivre, super-agent often reliant on his relationship with the CIA. It was, however, a relationship which, as a result of Fleming’s growing disillusionment with America, tends to change in the later novels. In 1961, the film rights were bought by producers Harry Salzman and Cubby Broccoli – Dr No starring Sean Connery as Bond being the first to go into production, launching a hugely profitable industry which continues to this day. It is perhaps a lesser-known fact that Fleming also wrote Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and short story collections.

Anthony Burgess

Born in 1917, John Anthony Burgess Wilson began his writing career in the 1950s whilst working for the Colonial Office in Malaya with his novel Time for a Tiger. Possessed by a great flair for languages, he invented his own language, Nadsat – the Anglo- Russian teen language – used in arguably his most renowned work, the dystopian A Clockwork Orange. Reputedly written in under a month ‘for money’ and based on personal experiences endured during the Second World War, it catapulted Burgess into the literary limelight and remains to this day as one of the most contentious of novels. Director Stanley Kubrick ’s subsequent highly personalised film adaptation caused outrage with its explicit content. Burgess, however, continued to claim that much of the novel was misunderstood. Apart from his substantial literary output, Burgess was also an accomplished composer, his inspiration being Claude Debussy. He is on record as wanting people to think of him as a ‘musician who writes novels, rather than a novelist who writes music’. His vibrant, outspoken autobiography Little Wilson and Big God is a testament to a towering intellect and one of the most distinguished British literary figures of the latter part of the 20th century.

Kingsley Amis

Having produced a considerable body of work throughout his life, Kingsley Amis is perhaps best noted for his debut novel, Lucky Jim. Published in 1954, the novel, a satire on new university academic life, challenges many of the norms of the time and made its author an overnight literary sensation. He aligned himself very much with the left, having embraced Communism whilst at Oxford , as his early novels reflect – each possessing an inherently ironic acerbic wit and compassion. Such a style, however, began to change in the ’70s. He moved inexorably to the right, producing work such as the controversial Russian Hide and Seek, whilst later returning to former themes with The Booker Prize-winning, The Old Devils . He also produced volumes of poetry (considering himself first and foremost a poet), verse and critical essays. Knighted in 1990, Amis was an undoubted major literary figure who ranks high amongst the English literary roll call of influential post-war writers.

Margaret Drabble

Bursting onto the literary scene in 1963 with her novel A Summer Bird Cage, Margaret Drabble has explored an analogous theme depicting mannered, conservative contemporary society, its triumphs, calamities, heartbreaks, restrictions and economic misfortunes, most usually through the eye of a female protagonist and has, to date, published 18 novels. Recurring themes such as encountering unexpected personal hardship, betrayal, corrosive stoicism and the lack of benevolence take centre stage. Critical studies of Wordsworth and Hardy are also amongst her literary output. As a writer who believes the pen to be mightier than the sword, she was vociferous in her attitude towards the 2003 invasion of Iraq , recalling Orwell ’s warning of ‘the intoxication of power’ and ‘the thrill of victory, the sensation of trampling on an enemy who is helpless. If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face – forever’.

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The 50 greatest British writers since 1945

Do you agree with the selection? Click here and post your comments

1. Philip Larkin

2. George Orwell

3. William Golding

4. Ted Hughes

5. Doris Lessing

6. J. R. R. Tolkien

7. V. S. Naipaul

8. Muriel Spark

9. Kingsley Amis

10. Angela Carter

11. C. S. Lewis

12. Iris Murdoch

13. Salman Rushdie

14. Ian Fleming

15. Jan Morris

16. Roald Dahl

17. Anthony Burgess

18. Mervyn Peake

19. Martin Amis

20. Anthony Powell

21. Alan Sillitoe

22. John Le Carr?

23. Penelope Fitzgerald

24. Philippa Pearce

25. Barbara Pym

26. Beryl Bainbridge

27. J. G. Ballard

28. Alan Garner

29. Alasdair Gray

30. John Fowles

31. Derek Walcott

32. Kazuo Ishiguro

33. Anita Brookner

34. A. S. Byatt

35. Ian McEwan

Famous Writers from Great Britain

List of famous writers from Great Britain, listed alphabetically with photos when available. Great Britain is home to many prolific writers, including those who write fiction, non-fiction, poetry, biographies and more. These are some of the best British writers that have ever lived, so if you're a native of Great Britain and an aspiring writer then use this list as inspiration to achieve your own writing goals.

This list has everything from Rose Fyleman to David Bret.

This list answers the questions, "Who are popular British writers?" and "Which writers are from Great Britain?"

Neil Gaiman

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Harold Pinter

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Stephen Fry

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Eleanor Hibbert

Jackie Collins

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Jeanette Winterson

Alain de Botton

Michael Rosen

Leonard Woolf

Muriel Gray

Howard Jacobson

Marghanita Laski

Linda Grant

Muriel Spark

Ruth Prawer Jhabvala

Betty Neels

Elias Canetti

Frederic Raphael

Arthur Koestler

Eleanor Farjeon

Mary Balogh

Ivor Cutler

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• # 42 of 79 on The Best Spoken Word Artists/Bands
• # 17 of 19 on The Best Trad Jazz Artists

Israel Zangwill

Margaret mayo.

Richard Ellmann

Janey Scott

Bernice Rubens

Cathy Williams

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2. Famous writers

We asked some people from different countries to tell us about their favourite writers. This is what they said.

JRR Tolkien

My favorite author is JRR Tolkien. The world he described in The Lord of the Rings is marvellous and magnificent. He depicted another history of us, and created new languages and legends. It's like a symphony to me: it has a variety of elements such as imaginary races, battles, love stories, heroes and adventures. These elements are well in harmony in it. Rie, Japan

James Hadley Chase

He was a famous English writer who went by many pseudonyms. James Hadley Chase was probably the most commonly used. With 90 books to his name, Chase was one of the best thriller writers ever. The Guilty Are Afraid was the first book I read. Since then, I've been lucky enough to read 83 books, which were simply fascinating and unputdownable. He had an uncanny ability to keep the reader in suspense and guessing right throughout. It is often suggested that he did a great favour to us all by being an author over a criminal mastermind! Sri, Sri Lanka

Sarah J Maas

I discovered Sarah J Maas, my favourite author, through TikTok, and she quickly captivated me with her enthralling narratives. My favourite book of hers, A Court of Thorns and Roses , also known as ACOTAR, holds a special place in my heart. It stands out with its irresistible blend of fantasy, fae lore and magical powers that effortlessly transports me into its vibrant world. What I love most about it is Maas's skilful use of witty banter. This element adds depth and relatability to her characters. Zina, Tunisia

Paulo Coelho

Paulo Coelho is one of my favourite authors. He is known for writing philosophical and inspirational books. His books are often related to topics such as spirituality and self-discovery. I enjoy reading his books because they are often thought-provoking and inspire me to reflect on my own life. His books are inspiring, motivating and make us think more deeply about how to understand ourselves and the world around us. Dragana, Bulgaria

Charles Dickens

Charles Dickens is one of the most iconic English classical novelists. He wrote several novels, such as Oliver Twist , David Copperfield , A Tale of Two Cities , and many more. The most attractive feature in his works was his way of writing, describing and narrating the novels. He made the reader imagine the situations the characters were facing because of his precise, detailed description of the plot. Additionally, he chose perfect names for his characters, which made them memorable. The topics he chose to discuss in his novels depict the struggles of daily life, but in the end the reader finds a happy ending. Aiah, Egypt  

We want to hear from you!

• Tell us about a well-known writer.
• What sort of books, plays or poetry do they, or did they, write? 
• Do you like their work? Why or why not?
• What do you know about their life?
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What we’re reading: writers and readers on the books they enjoyed in March

Authors, critics and Guardian readers discuss the titles they have read over the last month. Join the conversation in the comments

Francesca Specter, author and journalist

I was lucky enough to be sent an early copy of David Nicholls’ forthcoming novel, You Are Here , a publication well-timed for those who adored the recent One Day Netflix adaptation . Nicholls’ latest book has long been on my radar, as I’ve written extensively about its central themes of solitude and loneliness.

You Are Here’s lovers, Marnie and Michael, are aged 38 and 42, out of the heat of wedding-and-baby season yet far from later life. This meant a refreshing absence of typical romcom tropes (eg proposals, weddings, a birth). Instead, the plot is framed around a coast-to-coast walk, while dramatic tension is created by the spectre of an estranged wife. The romance has sincerity and authenticity, notably in a river wrestling scene where one party is wearing zip-away waterproof shorts/trousers. There were echoes of Curtis Sittenfeld’s Romantic Comedy , another book I loved.

For my neighbourhood book club, I read Jean Rhys’s Wide Sargasso Sea , a feminist, postcolonial prequel to Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre. Antoinette Cosway, Mr Rochester’s “madwoman in the attic” first wife (whom he renames Bertha), is a powerful narrator with timeless resonance: “There are more ways than one of being happy, better perhaps to be peaceful and contented and protected.” It made me rethink the romanticisation of Jane Eyre’s Mr Rochester (last January, we read Wuthering Heights … same story with Heathcliff).

While I’ve never loved the short story medium, a friend convinced me that Alice Munro’s Runaway would be the exception. He was right. The Nobel prize-winning author’s prose is pithy with unforgettable details, like a lost goat’s reappearance amid the celestial halo of a car headlight. I enjoyed how several characters reappear across stories, too, like encountering an old friend.

Helen, Guardian reader

I have been reading Other Women by Emma Flint , a crime novel that is based on the real-life murder of Emily Beilby Kaye by her married lover in the 1920s. It is beautifully written, but harrowing and full of tension. Kaye is reimagined as Beatrice, a woman who falls in love with a colleague, having been “left over” after the first world war – she was what was considered to be marriageable age when most eligible men were away at war. It was interesting to read about a character based on such women, who strived to make a life and career and were almost invisible in society.

Alba Arikha, author

It’s been 10 years since Michael Cunningham wrote a book and, being a fan, I awaited his most recent one, Day , with trepidation. Over three consecutive Aprils, from 2019 to 2021, we follow a Brooklyn family during and after the onset of Covid. Just like in his other work, there is something haunting about Cunningham’s writing. It makes one acutely aware of the imperceptible fragility of life: the way we speak to each other, who we are, and what we make of it. The book is a powerful example of dysfunctionality, and what happens when cues are missed or ignored. But it’s also about desire, the spaces we attempt to inhabit and escape from, not always successfully.

Because I’ve always wanted to read him, and in preparation for a writing class I’ll be teaching this summer in Greece, I dived into a collection of Isaac Babel’s short stories, Of Sunshine and Bedbugs . I found myself airlifted 100 years back into the ebullient, rich and colourful port city of Odessa, in the company of Jewish thugs, sex workers, cart drivers, milkmaids and rabbis. Though pogroms loom in the background, humour and irreverence preside.

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I began reading How to Make a Bomb by Rupert Thomson on a flight from London to NYC and finished it just before landing. The midlife crisis of Philip, a history professor, and his decision to “dispense with structure, and open himself to possibility and chance” is completely gripping. There are no full stops in this beautifully written novel, and as a result, the fragmentary rhythm catapults one breathlessly forwards.

For nearly two decades, Ann Wroe has written obituaries for the Economist. I remember my late mother mentioning her with quiet admiration. Which is one of the reasons why I picked up her book Lifescapes . And I found that same quietude rustling through the pages, alternating between prose, poetry, memoir and biography. “The smallest things may offer vital clues,” Wroe writes of her obituaries, which she calls “catching souls”. Chronologies do not interest her. But those clues, from objects to images, strangers to ghosts, the sacredness in blood to the sound of snow, do. There is a magical quality to her unusual, almost ethereal writing. A soul catcher she is and I’m still thinking about it.

Two Hours by Alba Arikha is published by Eris (£1 4.99). To support the Guardian and Observer order your copy at guardianbookshop.com . Delivery charges may apply

Rupert, Guardian reader

As a teenager in the 60s I followed Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor’s relationship along with the rest of the world. Now I have had the chance to revisit the subject again, by reading Erotic Vagrancy by Roger Lewis , a fascinating double biography that delves deeper into the lives of that (in)famous couple and all of the people who surrounded them. There is a relentless, almost obsessive quality to Lewis’s writing that had me reading well into the night. I highly recommended this book.

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• David Nicholls

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