There are many. Toni Morrison, for example, is an important African - American author. Her novels like 'Beloved' deal with issues of race, slavery, and the African - American experience. Gabriel García Márquez is a key figure in Latin American literature. His magical - realist works like 'One Hundred Years of Solitude' had a huge impact. And John Steinbeck with his novel 'The Grapes of Wrath' that showed the plight of the poor during the Great Depression.
James Joyce is a very prominent one. His 'Ulysses' is a masterpiece of modernist literature. Another is Virginia Woolf, known for works like 'Mrs. Dalloway'. And F. Scott Fitzgerald with 'The Great Gatsby' also made significant contributions to the Twentieth Century Modern Novel.
Ray Bradbury is an influential author of the 20th - century American novel. His works, like 'Fahrenheit 451', are thought - provoking and often deal with themes of censorship and the power of literature. Kurt Vonnegut is also well - known. His novels such as 'Slaughterhouse - Five' use dark humor to explore war and human nature. And Sylvia Plath, through her semi - autobiographical novel 'The Bell Jar', made important contributions to the exploration of female identity and mental health in the context of the 20th - century American experience.
There are several. Edgar Wallace was a prolific writer of crime fiction in the early twentieth century. His stories were fast - paced and full of action. James M. Cain is also famous. His novels, like 'The Postman Always Rings Twice', were quite controversial at the time for their exploration of immoral characters and situations. And of course, we can't forget Dorothy L. Sayers, whose detective Lord Peter Wimsey was a popular figure in the crime fiction world.
Well, there's Katherine Mansfield. She was great at depicting the subtleties of human relationships in her short stories. Then there's Anton Chekhov, a Russian writer whose short stories are masterpieces of character study. Also, D. H. Lawrence, whose works often explore themes of human nature and sexuality in the context of the 20th century.
Charles Dickens is one of the most renowned. His works like 'Oliver Twist' and 'A Tale of Two Cities' are still widely read today. Another is Jane Austen, famous for her novels such as 'Sense and Sensibility' and 'Emma'. Then there's Mark Twain, who wrote 'The Adventures of Tom Sawyer' and 'Adventures of Huckleberry Finn', which gave great insights into American life of the time.
James Joyce is a well - known author. His short stories, like those in 'Dubliners', are masterpieces. Another is Virginia Woolf. Her short works often have a stream - of - consciousness style. D. H. Lawrence also wrote some great short stories that deal with themes of nature, sexuality, and human relationships.
Thomas Hardy was also an important author during this time. His novels, such as 'Tess of the d'Urbervilles', were set in rural England and explored themes like fate, social class, and the relationship between humans and nature. And D. H. Lawrence, with works like 'Sons and Lovers', was known for his exploration of human relationships and sexuality in a rather controversial way for the time.
Virginia Woolf is an extremely influential twentieth - century fiction writer. She was a pioneer in stream - of - consciousness writing, which allowed for a deep exploration of the inner thoughts and feelings of her characters. James Joyce is also highly influential. His complex and experimental work 'Ulysses' is considered a masterpiece. Additionally, Gabriel García Márquez is important. His magical realism in works like 'One Hundred Years of Solitude' introduced a new way of storytelling that combined the real and the fantastical.
There's no definitive answer as different people have different opinions. But James Joyce is often considered a great contender with his novel 'Ulysses'. It's a complex and experimental work that revolutionized modern literature with its stream - of - consciousness technique.
The features of twentieth - century novels are numerous. Firstly, there was a break from traditional forms. Novels no longer adhered strictly to the classic plot structures. Fragmentation became a characteristic, where the story might be told in bits and pieces, not in a neat, chronological order. Secondly, cultural diversity was more prominent. Novels from different parts of the world started to gain international recognition, bringing in new voices and perspectives. For example, Latin American magic realism, with works like Gabriel García Márquez's 'One Hundred Years of Solitude', introduced a unique blend of the real and the magical. This was a departure from the more Western - centric literature of the past and added a rich tapestry of styles and ideas to the overall landscape of the twentieth - century novel.