Contemporary Fiction: 14 Notable Contemporary Fiction Authors

Contemporary fiction (sometimes called metamodernism) is the term literary critics use to describe literature written between 1990 and the present. In general, works of contemporary fiction embrace characteristics like meaning, sincerity, and uncertainty, especially through lenses of cultural heritage and climate change. (Contemporary fiction is varied, and it can be challenging to characterize present-day work in overarching trends.)

Contemporary fiction is the literary movement at the heels of postmodern literature, which spanned from the late 1950s to around 1990 (as such, some critics call contemporary fiction “post-postmodernism”). Postmodernism came about as a reaction to World War II, embracing randomness, play, fragmentation, intertextuality, and metafiction as ways to emphasize the overall meaninglessness of life and existence. In turn, contemporary fiction is a reaction to postmodernism, pushing against or playing with its characteristics to create new and fresh fiction.

Sometimes, literary critics use the terms “contemporary fiction” or “contemporary literature” in a more narrow sense, to apply to books written in recent decades. Authors set these works in the present moment and use strict attention to real life—rather than fantasy, sci-fi, or other speculative modes—to tell the story (also called “realistic fiction”).

Here is a list of award-winning and notable writers of contemporary novels:

1. 1. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is a Nigerian novelist whose work deals with identity, race, gender roles, and immigration. Her notable works include Half of a Yellow Sun and Americanah. She won a 2008 MacArthur Genius Grant.
2. 2. Margaret Atwood: Margaret Atwood is a Canadian author whose work deals with themes of gender roles, identity, society, and speculative historical fiction. Notable works by Margaret Atwood include The Handmaid’s Tale and The Blind Assassin. She has won two Booker Prizes.
3. 3. Dan Brown: Dan Brown is a writer of contemporary genre fiction whose work incorporates elements from the mystery, thriller, and detective fiction subgenres, often dealing with religion and historical settings. Notable works by Dan Brown include the bestsellers The Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons.
4. 4. Don DeLillo: Don DeLillo is a prolific novelist whose work deals with systems, cities (especially New York), United States history, and power. His notable works include White Noise and Underworld. He won the National Book Award for Fiction in 1985.
5. 5. Jonathan Franzen: Jonathan Franzen is a novelist whose work spotlights themes of family, society, and culture in the United States. His notable works include The Corrections and Crossroads. He won a National Book Award for Fiction in 2001.
6. 6. Kazuo Ishiguro: Kazuo Ishiguro is a British writer whose work focuses on themes of science fiction, history, resignation, and futurism. His notable works include Klara in the Sun and Never Let Me Go. He received the 2017 Nobel Prize in Literature.
7. 7. Stieg Larsson: Stieg Larsson was a Swedish writer whose work dealt with themes of violence, wealth, power, and gender roles. Larsson’s notable works include The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and The Girl Who Played with Fire.
8. 8. Alice Munro: Alice Munro is a Canadian writer of short stories known for zooming in on contemporary life and capturing quiet, subtle humanity. She won the 2013 Nobel Prize in Literature.
9. 9. Haruki Murakami: Haruki Murakami is a Japanese author whose work deals with themes of alienation, desire, power, and relationships. Murakami’s notable works include The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, IQ84, and Kafka on the Shore. He won the 2006 World Fantasy Award.
10. 10. Salman Rushdie: Salman Rushdie is a British-American writer of novels and nonfiction essays whose fiction books concern relationships between different cultures, especially those of the East and West. Notable works by Salman Rushdie include Midnight’s Children and The Satanic Verses.
11. 11. Zadie Smith: Zadie Smith is an English novelist whose work deals with British culture, race, and identity. Her notable works include White Teeth and NW. White Teeth, her debut novel, won the Whitbread First Novel Award.
12. 12. Donna Tartt: Donna Tartt is a bestselling writer of literary fiction whose work focuses on themes of wealth, art, and mystery. Her notable works include The Secret History and The Goldfinch. She won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2014.
13. 13. Colson Whitehead: Colson Whitehead is a writer whose work focuses on themes of history, identity, race, and modernity, often incorporating speculative elements. His notable works include The Intuitionist (his first book) and The Underground Railroad. He has won the National Book Award for Fiction and two Pulitzer Prizes for Fiction.
14. 14. Hanya Yanagihara: Hanya Yanagihara is a critically acclaimed author whose work explores relationships, authenticity, and trauma. Her notable works include A Little Life and The People in the Trees.

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