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Books Published in the 1950s that You Should Definitely Read Before You Die

A List

By Annie KapurPublished 5 years ago 7 min read
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Jack Kerouac

There are a ton of books you should definitely read, but in this article we're going to explore some books from the 1950s that you should definitely read. Yes, there are a number of great authors from this era, but we want to explore different books by different authors. This means you may or may not see your favourites on this list. I'll be going through my own personal favourites in some more detail; however most of this will just be a list. I have read all the books I put on the list (I never add anything I haven't read myself!) and if you'd like to talk to me more about these books then I'd love to—my social media handles are in my bio at the end of the article.

Or, alternatively—if you have any recommendations for me to read that aren't listed here, you can message me. I'll read it and I'll tell you about it afterwards.

So, without further explanation, here we go into a list of the best books you should read from the decade of the 1950s!

1950

  • I, Robot by Isaac Asimov
  • The Parasites by Daphne Du Maurier

'Across the River and Into the Trees' by Ernest Hemingway

A beautiful story told in a frame narrative and flashbacks, there's something hauntingly good about this underrated classic. It's almost like a stream of consciousness novel and I always thought of it like something written by Virginia Woolf. I loved this book because of the fact it is so emotional; I mean the man has a terrible heart condition. It's just beautiful.

  • Strangers on a Train by Patricia Highsmith
  • The Grass is Singing by Dorris Lessing
  • A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute
  • Burning Bright by John Steinbeck
  • Helena by Evelyn Waugh

'The Town and the City' by Jack Kerouac

This semi-autobiographical novel is yet another case of Kerouac changing his and other people's names in the novel in order to place them into a story frame that is heavily emotional, displaced, and discontented. The way Kerouac writes his novels has interested many over the years and I would actually say that this book, The Town and the City, is far better than the later On the Road.

1951

  • The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury
  • My Cousin Rachel by Daphne Du Maurier
  • The End of the Affair by Graham Greene
  • The Nightrunners of Bengal by John Masters
  • The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger
  • The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham

1952

  • The Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison

'The Old Man and the Sea' by Ernest Hemingway

The loveable Santiago and his tales of experience have long been a standing favourite of many Hemingway fans. I personally love this novel because of its ability to be concise and yet tell a brilliant story. I believe that this is one of Hemingway's best efforts at storytelling as he goes beyond his comfort zone to make story connect with the reader. We all go through ageing and we all experience different things—it's time to listen to what this fisherman has to say.

  • East of Eden by John Steinbeck
  • Men at Arms by Evelyn Waugh

1953

  • The Adventures of Augie March by Saul Bellow

Go Tell It On The Mountain' by James Baldwin

This is probably in my top 20 favourite books ever and I'll tell you exactly why. I love the character of John Grimes because everything you see, you see through him and you see through his family. From the shock and horror at the beginning of the novel to all the flashbacks upon the life of his strict and sometimes violent father, to the church where Grimes attends, to his younger brother who is stabbed. This book is a beautiful example of literature that brought on the Civil Rights Era of the 1960s. It's a beautiful and mind-blowing novel by such a great, great writer. I am a huge James Baldwin fan, as you can tell.

  • Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
  • Junkie by William S Burroughs
  • Love Among the Ruins by Evelyn Waugh

1954

  • The Bridge on the River Kwai by Pierre Boulle
  • Lord of the Flies by William Golding
  • Sweet Thursday by John Steinbeck
  • Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R Tolkien

1955

  • The October Country by Ray Bradbury
  • The Quiet American by Graham Greene

'The Talented Mr. Ripley' by Patricia Highsmith

This was one of my favourite books when I was at school. I read it for the first time when I was around 14 and I have loved it ever since. The noir quality of the book is so intense. It is a real page-turner but also keeps you making guesses about how the story is going to end. With the main character of Tom Ripley committing acts of incredible violence and yet, doing things far more sinister beneath the surface, the characterisation in this novel is as good as a noir gets. It's brilliant and you have to read it!

'The Story of a Shipwrecked Sailor' by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

This is my personal favourite novel by Marquez and the first time I read it, I was completely hooked. I kept reading it over and over again because the ending was just so puzzling and yet so revealing (don't worry, I won't tell you what happens!). The only possible way to understand what happens at the end concerning the newspaper is to read the entire book very carefully. It's a brilliant narrative and such an exciting story, I hope you read it and like it as much as I do!

  • Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
  • Officers and Gentlemen by Evelyn Waugh

1956

  • Seize the Day by Saul Bellow
  • The Fall by Albert Camus
  • The Minority Report by Philip K. Dick
  • Diamonds are Forever by Ian Fleming

1957

  • On the Road by Jack Kerouac

'Dr. Zhivago' by Boris Pasternak

If you wanted to read something about a story set in the Russian Revolution Eras, then I can't name a better book. It's all about family, war, coming of age, making friends, and tearing apart—this novel is something fantastical and yet completely rooted in realism. I first read this book when I was about 17 because I found it in the library and it was just as good as it promised to be. I got really upset about Anna and what happened to her in Part 3 of the book but, you just gotta pick yourself up and go to the end.

  • Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand
  • The Ordeal of Gilbert Pinfold by Evelyn Waugh

1958

  • Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
  • Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote

'Our Man in Havana' by Graham Greene

This is my favourite book by this author ever. It's like reading James Bond, but with more secrecy and more politics, it's also fairly funny but I don't know whether that was on purpose or I just have a really dark sense of humour. It's set around the problematic character James Wormold and I'm not going to lie, I don't like Milly (his daughter) at all. Wormold is a brilliant character because he thinks he's leading everything when he's actually being led; but to where you'll have to read the book to find out! The book is brilliantly complex in its story, and for all the right reasons. I love this book so much.

  • The Dharma Bums by Jack Kerouac
  • The King Must Die by Mary Renault

'The Leopard' by Giuseppe Tomasi de Lampedusa

I read this book whilst at university and I loved it. I can't believe that it was published posthumously because it was rejected twice! It's about the Selina family in Sicily and how the nobility sense their own demise as the Italian Unification comes along. Don Fabrizio is the said "Leopard" and the story of this grand war and peace novel makes for a brilliant read about Italy's most incredible era of modern history.

1959

  • Henderson the Rain King by Saul Bellow
  • Naked Lunch by William S. Burroughs

'The Haunting of Hill House' by Shirley Jackson

It's nothing like the Netflix show at all and that disappointed me a lot. I read the book when I was around 15 and I really enjoyed it because it's not your typical ghost story. Instead, it's a story of madness, a story of betrayal, and a story of loneliness. It's a brilliant story of isolation and it ends in a very strange and abrupt way. I felt so damn empty with that ending because, unlike regular horror novels—there is something really emotional about this book. You seem to get overly attached to this book and its feeling of intense isolation when you read it because "whatever walks in hill house, walks alone."

Conclusion

There are some books from the 1950s that you should most probably read if you want to read anything from the 1950s. There are probably more, but these are the ones that you should definitely read at any cost. If you want to discuss any of these books with me, again, contact me on my social media handles and we can talk. I love talking about books and seriously, I just love to read. I hope we can be on the same level here. Have fun reading these books and I'll be writing more soon.

literature
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About the Creator

Annie Kapur

190K+ Reads on Vocal.

English Lecturer

🎓Literature & Writing (B.A)

🎓Film & Writing (M.A)

🎓Secondary English Education (PgDipEd)

📍Birmingham, UK

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