The survey was commissioned by the global literary journal Wasafiri — which means “cultural traveller” in Swahili — which celebrated its 25th anniversary on Friday.
Indra Sinha, Amit Chaudhuri, Blake Morrison and 22 other authors were asked to pick the title that they thought had most influenced world writing over the past quarter-century, the journal announced on its website.
Marquez’s work was the only book named more than once. It was chosen by three authors: Chika Unigwe, Sujata Bhatt and Nii Ayikwei Parkes.
“I believe that the last book that has had a significant impact on world literature was ‘One Hundred Years of Solitude’ by Gabriel Garcia Marquez,” wrote Bhatt, an Indian poet.
Salman Rushdie also looms large on the list. Indian poet Tabish Khair named ‘The Satanic Verses’ as the most influential book of the past 25 years, while Ghanaian-Scots novelist Lesley Lokko chose ‘Midnight’s Children’.
Deccan Herald is on WhatsApp Channels| Join now for Breaking News & Editor's Picks