Vote for your favorite works of surrealist literature!

Blake Butler, the David Lynch of books, shares with Goodreads his top five works of weirdness in honor of his new domestic dreamscape, There Is No Year. See his picks here!

1

by
4.11 avg rating — 559,926 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
2

by
4.14 avg rating — 319,482 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
3

by
3.88 avg rating — 7,869 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
4

by
3.94 avg rating — 406,996 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
5

by
4.11 avg rating — 154,946 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
6

by
4.28 avg rating — 433,319 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
7

by
3.98 avg rating — 13,188 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
8

by
it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 23 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
9

by
3.53 avg rating — 13,576 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
10

by
4.25 avg rating — 4,001 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
11

by
3.64 avg rating — 26,060 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
12

by
3.74 avg rating — 192,558 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
13

by
3.92 avg rating — 34,059 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
14

by
3.95 avg rating — 343,873 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
15

by
3.96 avg rating — 23,429 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
16

by
3.91 avg rating — 77,599 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
17

by
it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 11 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
18

by
3.94 avg rating — 143,795 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
19

by
3.91 avg rating — 1,479,558 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
20

by
3.46 avg rating — 99,589 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
21

by
3.81 avg rating — 78,763 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
22

by
3.49 avg rating — 809 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
22

by
3.76 avg rating — 278 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
24

by
4.22 avg rating — 643 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
25

by
3.90 avg rating — 80,385 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
26

by
3.71 avg rating — 1,216 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
27

by
3.89 avg rating — 7,130 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
28

by
3.77 avg rating — 12,456 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
29

by
4.08 avg rating — 3,214 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
29

by
3.87 avg rating — 3,861 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
31

by
4.35 avg rating — 40 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
32

by
3.64 avg rating — 173 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
32

by
4.28 avg rating — 57 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
32

by
4.39 avg rating — 327 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
35

by
it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 4 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
36

by
3.95 avg rating — 35,709 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
37

by
4.12 avg rating — 8 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
37

by
3.96 avg rating — 84 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
37

by
3.53 avg rating — 3,342 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
40

by
4.22 avg rating — 27 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
41

by
3.88 avg rating — 1,908 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
42

by
4.18 avg rating — 82 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
43

by
4.39 avg rating — 140 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
43

by
4.16 avg rating — 109 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
45

by
4.04 avg rating — 84 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
46

by
3.82 avg rating — 59,070 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
46

by
3.71 avg rating — 3,899 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
48

by
4.22 avg rating — 1,623 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
49

by
3.84 avg rating — 711,844 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
49

by
4.20 avg rating — 5,597,760 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
51

by
3.97 avg rating — 1,298,985 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
52

by
3.70 avg rating — 1,472 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
53

by
4.50 avg rating — 58 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
53

by
3.87 avg rating — 176 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
55

by
4.05 avg rating — 79 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
55

by
4.19 avg rating — 58 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
55

by
4.10 avg rating — 84 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
55

by
3.65 avg rating — 6,416 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
59

by
4.38 avg rating — 21 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
59

by
3.79 avg rating — 1,389 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
61

by
3.41 avg rating — 7,801 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
61

by
4.52 avg rating — 23 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
63

by
3.60 avg rating — 15,040 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
64

by
3.80 avg rating — 268 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
64

by
3.82 avg rating — 22 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
66

by
3.86 avg rating — 8,082 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
66

by
4.32 avg rating — 22 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
66

by
3.44 avg rating — 255 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
69

by
3.92 avg rating — 347 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
70

by
really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 5,423 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
70

by
4.11 avg rating — 19 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
70

by
3.98 avg rating — 500,665 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
73

by
3.58 avg rating — 5,130 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
74

by
3.57 avg rating — 7,813 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
75

by
really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 84 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
75

by
4.25 avg rating — 4 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
77

by
4.50 avg rating — 14 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
77

by
4.12 avg rating — 20,771 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
79

by
4.11 avg rating — 59,752 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
80

by
4.21 avg rating — 2,823 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
81

by
4.18 avg rating — 224,056 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
82

by
3.94 avg rating — 882 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
83

by
3.91 avg rating — 671,728 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
84

by
3.54 avg rating — 9,146 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
85

by
3.80 avg rating — 3,588 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
86

by
3.75 avg rating — 6,982 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
87

by
3.54 avg rating — 519 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
88

by
3.54 avg rating — 7,693 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
89

by
4.11 avg rating — 125,627 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
90

by
3.60 avg rating — 10 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
91

by
3.67 avg rating — 377 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
91

by
4.30 avg rating — 10 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
91

by
3.48 avg rating — 27 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
91

by
3.45 avg rating — 86 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
91

by
4.17 avg rating — 6 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
91

by
4.92 avg rating — 26 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
91

by
3.34 avg rating — 29 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
91

by
3.93 avg rating — 14 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
91

by
4.18 avg rating — 2,149 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
91

by
2.86 avg rating — 14 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
268 books · 232 voters · list created April 5th, 2011 by Jessica (votes) .
255 likes · 
Lists are re-scored approximately every 5 minutes.


Jessica 1358 books
352 friends
Kate 443 books
17 friends
Bob 406 books
38 friends
M. 6 books
123 friends
Erin 2263 books
40 friends
Kiara 714 books
31 friends
Paul 70 books
7 friends
Travis 171 books
4 friends

More voters…


Comments Showing 1-15 of 15 (15 new)

dateUp arrow    newest »

message 1: by Alex (new)

Alex Mikkelsen Just what I was looking for...nice!


message 2: by David (new)

David Great list. I might add The Unconsoled


message 3: by Milt (new)

Milt Hollyfield I might add "Pedro Paramo" by Juan Rulfo.


message 4: by [deleted user] (new)

What a great list! Thank you.


message 5: by Arsalan (new)

Arsalan I don't know why but Kafka On The Shore doesn't strike me as surreal.


message 6: by Jonathan (new)

Jonathan Echevarria Does John Dies at the End count as surreal?


message 7: by Kay (new)

Kay Murphy I am always baffled by what is considered surrealism. I am a huge fan of Murakami. I never thought of him as a surrealist. I don't think the category he fits in has been invented because he invented it.


message 8: by Mark (new)

Mark Folse Murakami falls into a gap between surrealism and magical realism, closer to the latter. I have no idea what Kafka on the Shore is doing at the top of the list, ahead of the Windup Bird Chronicles.


message 9: by Jonathan (new)

Jonathan Echevarria Thought Horns was based on Kafka in some way.


message 10: by Arsalan (new)

Arsalan John wrote: "Poe would be closer to the definition than Murakami, even"

Exactly!


message 11: by Kay (new)

Kay Murphy Do we want to look at the classic French description of surrealism? Or pretend like wwe are all talking about the same thing?


message 12: by Jiminy (new)

Jiminy I think The Forlorn Exotic should be somewhere on this list. It's insane.


message 13: by Erin (new)

Erin Milt wrote: "I might add "Pedro Paramo" by Juan Rulfo."

I think Pedro Páramo is generally considered the first magical realist novel, although it seems to me that the line between magical realism and surrealism is blurred and some books could be considered either or both. What constitutes surrealism (“officially”?) seems especially murky to me and perhaps there is more than one valid definition.


message 14: by MaximusMidnight (new)

MaximusMidnight I think I Crawl Through It fits this?


message 15: by William (new)

William Vaudin I now own all five of the top five on this list.


back to top



Related News

Need another excuse to treat yourself to a new book this week? We've got you covered with the buzziest new releases of the day, according to early...

Anyone can add books to this list.