As mentioned before, if we consider 'The Tale of Genji' as the first modern novel, it was written by Murasaki Shikibu.
If 'Le Morte d'Arthur' were to be considered in that regard, it was compiled by Sir Thomas Malory.
It's difficult to say with absolute certainty who wrote the 1st English novel. However, Geoffrey Chaucer's 'The Canterbury Tales' is a strong contender. His work had a collection of tales told by different characters during a journey, which was a new and complex way of structuring a story at that time. This structure and the vivid characterizations in it were steps towards what we now recognize as a novel.
Horace Walpole wrote the first gothic novel, which was 'The Castle of Otranto'.
Edgar Allan Poe is often credited with writing one of the first detective novels. His works, like 'The Murders in the Rue Morgue', contain many of the elements that are now characteristic of detective fiction.
Mary Shelley is often credited with writing the first sci - fi novel, 'Frankenstein'.
As I mentioned before, Murasaki Shikibu wrote 'The Tale of Genji' which is often considered an early candidate for the first modern novel.
As I mentioned before, if we consider 'Don Quixote' as the first modern novel, it was written by Miguel de Cervantes.
Miguel de Cervantes wrote what is considered the first ever modern novel, 'Don Quixote'.
Nathaniel Hawthorne is often credited with writing one of the first modern American novels, specifically The Scarlet Letter. His work delved into the inner lives of his characters and examined Puritan society in a way that was quite modern for its time.
The first modern dystopian novel 'We' was written by Yevgeny Zamyatin.
As mentioned before, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe wrote 'The Sorrows of Young Werther' which is often considered an early modern romance novel. Goethe was a German writer who had a great influence on literature across Europe.