Around the World in 20 Books: A World Literature Reading List

TL;DR: You can travel the whole world without leaving your chair. This list picks one standout book from each of 20 countries, mixing free public-domain classics with modern masterpieces you should buy or borrow. Read one a month and you will have circled the globe in under two years.

How this list works

Every country has more than one great book, so this is a doorway, not a ranking. We chose books that are widely read in translation, show something essential about their place, and are genuinely enjoyable. The table below gives the quick overview; the notes that follow explain why each one matters.

"Original" means the text itself is old enough to be free, but many English translations are still copyrighted. Public-domain rules also vary by country, so check where you live.

Europe

1. Russia — Crime and Punishment, Fyodor Dostoevsky (1866)

A poor former student commits a murder and is slowly unraveled by guilt. It is a thriller, a philosophical debate, and a portrait of St. Petersburg all at once. Start here if you are new to Russian literature; see our Crime and Punishment page, or go bigger with The Brothers Karamazov.

2. France — Les Misérables, Victor Hugo (1862)

Jean Valjean's journey from convict to saint is one of the great stories of mercy and justice. It is long and full of digressions, but the emotional payoff is enormous. Perfect for readers who want a book to live inside for months.

3. Spain — Don Quixote, Miguel de Cervantes (1605 and 1615)

An aging gentleman reads too many chivalry romances and sets out to become a knight. Often called the first modern novel, it is also very funny. Read it in two halves, just as it was published.

4. Germany — Faust, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

A scholar makes a pact with Mephistopheles in exchange for knowledge and experience. Goethe's verse drama shaped centuries of European thought about ambition and desire. Part One is the easier and more famous starting point.

5. Czechia — The Trial, Franz Kafka (1925)

Josef K. is arrested one morning without ever learning the charge. Kafka lived in Prague and wrote in German, and this unfinished novel gave the world the word "Kafkaesque." Short, eerie, and more relevant every year.

6. Italy — The Divine Comedy, Dante Alighieri (14th century)

Dante's journey through Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise is one of the foundations of Western literature. Inferno is the most gripping, but Paradiso contains some of its most beautiful passages. A good annotated translation makes all the difference.

7. Ireland — Ulysses, James Joyce (1922)

A single day in Dublin, told in dazzling and sometimes baffling styles. It is famously difficult, but also bawdy, tender, and funny. If it feels too much, begin with Joyce's Dubliners instead.

Asia and the Middle East

8. Japan — Kokoro, Natsume Soseki (1914)

A young man befriends an older teacher who carries a painful secret. Soseki's quiet novel captures Japan's shift from the Meiji era to the modern age. Short, reflective, and deeply affecting.

9. China — Dream of the Red Chamber, Cao Xueqin (18th century)

The rise and decline of a great aristocratic family, with hundreds of characters. It is considered the pinnacle of classical Chinese fiction. Long, but a rich reward for patient readers.

10. India — Godaan, Premchand (1936)

A poor farmer's dream of owning a cow becomes a portrait of rural India's debts and hopes. It is widely considered the greatest Hindi novel. For more, see our lists of the best Hindi books and the best Bangla books.

11. Turkey — My Name Is Red, Orhan Pamuk (1998)

A murder mystery among miniaturist painters in 16th-century Istanbul, narrated by many voices, including a coin and a color. Pamuk won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2006. Clever, beautiful, and surprisingly suspenseful.

12. Iran — Shahnameh, Ferdowsi (around 1010)

The Persian "Book of Kings" tells Iran's mythic and legendary history in tens of thousands of verses. The tragedy of Rostam and Sohrab alone is worth the journey. Look for an abridged prose translation to begin.

13. South Korea — The Vegetarian, Han Kang (2007)

A woman's decision to stop eating meat shatters her family's calm. Its English translation won the International Booker Prize in 2016, and Han Kang received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2024. Short, unsettling, and unforgettable.

14. Egypt — Palace Walk, Naguib Mahfouz (1956)

The first volume of the Cairo Trilogy, about a strict patriarch and his family in old Cairo. Mahfouz won the Nobel Prize in 1988. Explore more in our guide to Arabic and Urdu classics.

Africa

15. Nigeria — Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe (1958)

Okonkwo, a proud Igbo leader, watches his world collapse under colonial rule and missionary pressure. It is one of the most widely read African novels in the world. Short, powerful, and essential.

16. Kenya — A Grain of Wheat, Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o (1967)

Villagers prepare for Kenya's independence while secrets from the Mau Mau struggle come to light. Ngũgĩ is one of Africa's most important writers, and later championed writing in Gikuyu. A layered, moving book about betrayal and heroism.

The Americas

17. Colombia — One Hundred Years of Solitude, Gabriel García Márquez (1967)

Seven generations of the Buendía family in the magical town of Macondo. It became the defining novel of magical realism. Keep a family tree handy; you will need it.

18. Brazil — Dom Casmurro, Machado de Assis (1899)

An embittered narrator tells the story of his marriage and his suspicion that his wife betrayed him. Machado's sly, unreliable narration feels startlingly modern. Short enough for a weekend.

19. Argentina — Ficciones, Jorge Luis Borges (1944)

Short stories about infinite libraries, labyrinths, and imaginary worlds. Borges packs more ideas into ten pages than most writers manage in a novel. Read one story at a time and let it echo.

20. Chile — The House of the Spirits, Isabel Allende (1982)

Three generations of the Trueba family, blending family saga, magic, and Chilean political history. It was Allende's debut novel and an international bestseller. A warm, sweeping read.

Where to find these books

The public-domain classics here, including Dostoevsky, Hugo, Cervantes, Goethe, Dante, and Soseki, are easy to find legally for free, often in older translations. Browse our top classics collection or read how to get free classic books on Android. For modern titles like Achebe, García Márquez, Pamuk, and Han Kang, buy a DRM-free ebook from a publisher or store, or borrow from your library.

Reading in your language with FluttX

FluttX Reader's interface comes in 8+ languages, including Bangla, Hindi, and Arabic with full right-to-left support. You can import your own DRM-free EPUB and PDF files, then tune font, spacing, and margins for long novels, or switch to Focus or Night mode when you want fewer distractions. Library Tags and Collections make it easy to build your own "around the world" shelf, and reading streaks help you keep going.

Your passport is ready

Pick the country you know least about and start there. Twenty books from now, the world will feel both larger and closer than it did before.