What's Wrong With the New York Times' Best Books List?

Ainehi Edoro (Brittle Paper) and Bhakti Shringarpure (Radical Books Collective) discuss about the controversial New York Times' "100 Best Books of the Century list." A grandiose list claiming to represent the world and a diversity of voices, it happens to have 66 books by American and primarily white writers and only two African books, four Asian books and only 13 translated works. Ainehi and Bhakti explore what this means for the representation of the last 25 years of publishing in English. Originally streamed on Instagram Live

They ask:

Why are lists so captivating yet controversial?

How do lists shape our understanding of literary excellence?

Why do only two African books make the list, and what does this say about cultural bias?

How are culture and politics deeply entwined?

What harm does such cultural erasure produce?

What does it mean to leave out the entire Arab and Middle Eastern world of literature?

How can we highlight more diverse voices in literature?

Ainehi Edoro is an Assistant Professor of English at the University of Wisconsin-Madison where she teaches and researches on African literature, political theory, and literature in social media. Edoro is the founder and Editor of Brittle Paper (https://brittlepaper.com/), a leading online platform dedicated to African writing and literary culture. 

Bhakti Shringarpure is a writer, editor and the creative director of Radical Books Collective.