The definition of classics usually suggests some centuries-old foliants of inglorious and dead writers, when in reality the rows of new classical literature are formed by the people who walk the same streets as us. In the questions of contemporary literature I am, probably, one of the pickiest readers ever - it is not rare for me to refuse a book a second chance for a reason or without (the fact of which I am quite ashamed). But at the same time, as I writer myself, I find it unfair to absolutely ignore my colleagues. Especially since there are some really great books written recently.

1) "Babel" by R.F.Kuang

According to my personal statistics, for each passionate lover of this book there is a passionate hater of it, and both of them have equally persuading argumentation. Fortunately or not, I remained in the first part of those people, even after reading countless reviews with painstaking mentioning of all plot holes and disadvantages. Kuang manages to create such a breathtaking, emotional, profound Neo-Victorian masterpiece without sacrificing the sparkle of fantasy action and that intimidating academicality of the text that I always admired. "Babel" opened my eyes on a lot of instances of language, and after finishing rereading it for n-time, I felt a sudden urge to pick up that book of old poetry in my native language, to talk it and to refuse the society to swallow my linguistic identity.

2) "Prophet Song" by Paul Lynch

To create a dystopian novel that deals with the traumatic past of Ireland's fight for the independence without a single use of dialogue, to develop the sense of dread and helplessness almost with no use of any literary devices must be more than just a talent.

3) "Piranesi" Susanne Clarke

Though personally not familiar with this book yet, I heard nothing but flattering and astonished reviews that compare this book with modern labyrinths of Borges, a magical, phantasmal and absurd journey through space, time and imagination.

4) "The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood

With a bit of a stretch in the past, this book makes this top by being my personal favorite dystopian novel of all the times, far above from "1984" and even Zamyatin. The high-school experience of reading this novel for the first time has really changed something inside me and, additionally, strengthened my convintion of this world being unnecessarily cruel to all the women.