Best German Novels of the Twentieth Century
The Best German Novels of the Twentieth Century is a list of books compiled in 1999 by Literaturhaus München and Bertelsmann, in which 99 prominent German authors, literary critics, and scholars of German ranked the most significant German-language novels of the twentieth century.
The group brought together 33 experts from each of the three categories. Each was allowed to name three books as having been the most important of the century. Cited by the group were five titles by both Franz Kafka and Arno Schmidt, four by Robert Walser, and three by Thomas Mann, Hermann Broch, Anna Seghers and Joseph Roth.
Top Ten
| # | Year | Title | Author |
| 1 | 1930–43 | The Man Without Qualities Der Mann ohne Eigenschaften | |
| 2 | 1925 | The Trial Der Process | |
| 3 | 1924 | The Magic Mountain Der Zauberberg | |
| 4 | 1929 | Berlin Alexanderplatz | |
| 5 | 1959 | The Tin Drum Die Blechtrommel | |
| 6 | 1970-83 | Anniversaries. From the Life of Gesine Cresspahl Jahrestage 1-4: Aus dem Leben von Gesine Cresspahl | |
| 7 | 1901 | Buddenbrooks | |
| 8 | 1932 | Radetzky March Radetzkymarsch | |
| 9 | 1926 | The Castle Das Schloss | |
| 10 | 1947 | Doctor Faustus: The Life of the German Composer Adrian Leverkühn, Told by a Friend Doktor Faustus: Das Leben des deutschen Tonsetzers Adrian Leverkühn, erzählt von einem Freunde |