Modern Fiction (post 1945)

The million-copy global bestseller that captured readers across the globe. 'A small wonder of a book . . . A particular historical moment, one that cannot be told too often'...

'Brings history to life' Guardian ______________ It can take a lifetime to heal the wounds of war. Edward Enderby has never spoken about being an RAF fighter pilot. But fifty...

The much anticipated publication of John le Carre's last complete novel now in paperback Julian Lawndsley has renounced his high-flying job in the City for a simpler life running a...

A coming-of-age novel about love and obsession, set in a silent convent in 1950s Italy Isabella is worldly, alluring and brazen. Everything that Bridget is not. So when they both...

From the American master of historical fiction, an award-winning coming-of-age story set amidst the gangster underworld of Depression-era New York City It's 1930s New York and Billy Bathgate, a fifteen-year-old...

A stunning novel by the No. 1 New York Times bestselling, Times Top 10 bestseller and Man Booker long-listed author of Olive Kitteridge and My Name is Lucy Barton Anything...

In America at the turn of the twentieth century, when society abounds with movers and shakers such as Houdini, J.P Morgan, Henry Ford and Emma Goldman, and the sultry rhythms...

First published fifty years ago, this classic novel was Albert Wendt's first published book. This classic has been released in the Popular Penguin format to mark 50 years of publishing...

Lou Connor wants to escape her emotionally crass family and life of poverty, so she travels from Sydney to the USA as an exchange student. But her host-family, the Hardings...

Our Sunshine is the tale of a man whose story outgrew his life. Robert Drewe's strikingly imaginative re-creation of the inner life of Ned Kelly is written with a brilliant...

Wresting his family from the easy living of nineteenth-century Sydney, Cornelius Laffey takes them to northern Queensland where thousands of hopefuls are digging for gold in the mud. They confront...

The Merry-Go-Round in the Sea allows us a precious glimpse into a simpler kind of childhood in a country that no longer exists. In 1941, Rob Coram is six. The...

A classic novel that became a classic film. An international bestseller that was made into a multiple award-winning film. Eight-year-old Kahu craves her great-grandfather's love and attention. But he is...

High in the Himalayas sits a dilapidated mansion, home to three people, each dreaming of another time. The judge, broken by a world too messy for justice, is haunted by...

Sagan's stylish, shimmering and amoral tale of adolescence and betrayal on the French Riviera Published when she was only eighteen, Fran oise Sagan's astonishing first novel Bonjour Tristesse became an...

A richly compelling tale of folklore and witchcraft from this modern master, new to Penguin Modern Classics Jacob, a Jewish slave held in a mountain village after escaping a massacre...

The notorious dark, modern-day fable of New York from this cult master, new to Penguin Modern Classics Harry Goldfarb, heroin addict and son of lonely widow Sara, cares only about...

Selby Jr's controversial cult classic, new to Penguin Modern Classics Few novels have caused as much controversy as Hubert Selby Jr.'s notorious masterpiece. Described by various reviewers as hellish and...

When one long, hot summer, young Leo is staying with a school-friend at Brandham Hall, he beings to act as a messenger between Ted, the farmer, and Marian, the beautiful...

Larry McMurtry's hilarious and touching novel, in Penguin Modern Classics for the very first time Sam the Lion runs the pool-hall, the picture house and the all-night cafe. Coach Popper...

'There is a depth and clarity to his writing that captivates the reader' - Sunday Times When Joel Knox's mother dies, he is sent into the exotic unknown of the...

I'm a God boy, Sister, 'I said. 'You don t have to worry about me, I'm a God boy.' Jimmy Sullivan believed he was protected by God until his parents...

Years in insurance and marriage to the joyless Hilda have been no more than death in life to George Bowling. This and fear of another war take his mind back...

Originally published at the zenith of Nazi Germany's power, Steinbeck's fable THE MOON IS DOWN explores the effects of invasion on both the conquered and the conquerors. Occupied by enemy...

With a new introduction by Emma Larkin Set in the days of the Empire, with the British ruling in Burma, Burmese Days describes both indigenous corruption and Imperial bigotry, when...

Set in the volatile Paris summer of 1938, The Age of Reason follows two days in the life of Mathieu Delarue, a philosophy teacher, and his circle in the cafes...

A stunning new series look for one of the greatest writers of the 20th century in Penguin Modern Classics In the din and stink that is Cannery Row a colourful...

Another addition to Penguin Modern Classics' key Kerouac holdings, alongside ON THE ROAD, THE TOWN AND THE CITY & THE SUBTERRANEANS As he roams the US, Mexico, Morocco, Paris and...

A tragic tale of a young woman's descent into isolation and despair, inspired by Jean Rhys's own experiences First published in 1934, Voyage in the Dark is the story of...

Gordon Comstock loathes dull, middle-class respectability and worship of money. He gives up a 'good job' in advertising to work part-time in a bookshop, giving him more time to write....

F. Scott Fitzgerald's last completed novel, Tender is the Night is edited by Arnold Goldman with an introduction and notes by Richard Godden in Penguin Modern Classics. Between the First...

'We're not Christians, Christ stopped short of here, at Eboli.' Exiled to a remote and barren corner of Italy for his opposition to Mussolini, Carlo Levi entered a world cut...

Flann O'Brien's first novel is a brilliant impressionistic jumble of ideas, mythology and nonsense. Operating on many levels it incorporates plots within plots, giving full rein to O'Brien's dancing intellect...

Jim Dixon has accidentally fallen into a job at one of Britain's new red brick universities. A moderately successful future in the History Department beckons. As long as Jim can...

The air of Eastwick breeds witches - women whose powerful longings can stir up thunderstorms and fracture domestic peace. Jane, Alexandra and Sukie, divorced and dangerous, have formed a coven....

'Pat Barker's novel is not only a vivid evocation of the agony of the First World War. It is a multi-layered exploration of all wars, challenging assumptions about the relationship...

Flame-haired Grady McNeil is beautiful, rich and defiant. Her privileged society life leaves her wanting, and excitement comes in the form of the highly unsuitable Clyde, a Brooklyn-born, Jewish parking...

This brutal glimpse of Russia under Stalin shocked the world when it first appeared. Discover the importance of a piece of bread or an extra bowl of soup, the incredible...

New to Penguin Modern Classics, a timeless tale of divided generations and enduring friendship Following a baseball game that nearly became a religious war, two Jewish boys become friends. Danny...

Roald Dahl's Tales of the Unexpected is a delightfully dark collection of sixteen stories, each with a startling end. Among the unforgettable characters lurk the homicidal wife and her deadly...

John Updike's Rabbit, Run is a classic story of dissatisfaction and restlessness. Harry 'Rabbit' Angstrom was a star basketball player in high school. Now twenty-six, his life seems full of...

D. H. Lawrence's Lady Chatterley's Lover scandalized the world when it was first published in paperback, and helped put Penguin Books on trial. The powerful depiction of the sexual liaison...

Multi-award-winning, a bestseller andmade intoan award-winningfeature film, Looking for Alibrandi has become a modern classic. Melina Marchetta'sstunning debut novel Looking for Alibrandi is one girl's story of her final year...

Hidden away in the Record Department of the sprawling Ministry of Truth, Winston Smith skilfully rewrites the past to suit the needs of the Party. Yet he inwardly rebels against...

With an introduction and notes by Terence Brown Joyce's first major work, written when he was only twenty-five, brought his city to the world for the first time. His stories...

From the author of The Circle, the brilliantly executed story of one man struggling to make sense of the world In a barracks on an abandoned military base, miles from...

Our Wives Under the Sea meets The Bone Clocks in the most mesmerising novel of 2025- 'this book will sneak into your dreams and haunt you' When two grieving strangers...

From the bestselling novelist, travel writer, and "master of the short story" (NPR) comes a brilliant new collection The stories in Paul Theroux's fascinating new collection are both exotic and...