What books written today do you think will be classics in 100 years time from now? Has the idea of a classic changed in meaning do you think, will we even have classics or will everything today be forgotten by the morrow?

Don't include current classics of course. :P

The book Thief, The curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime

The Brothers K and The Time Traveller's Wife.

Uhm I suppose I mean books written in the past err 20 years.

I second Emilee's choices......

I know not everyone loved it, but I think Life of Pi.

I agree with The Book Thief. I also think The Hitchhiker series.

it would probably have to be a book that introduced a new way of writing or thinking by pushing boundaries. Or one that exemplified what life was like in the early 21st century... I can't think of any right now that fit in those catagories though.

And I agree with Richard about it all being read on those kindles... blahhhhh sure it may be more environmentally friendly for trees, but give me a fleshy book to caress anyday over the silly monitors and nifty gagets

The Road

Love in the Time of Cholera, One Hundred Years of Solitude, Midnight's Children and Flowers for Algernon.

Stargirl

I think a book that will be a classic (or at least an author who will be respected) in the future is The Echo Maker A Novel by Richard Powers. His work is very thoughtful and thought - provoking. The Echo Maker is a metaphor (? I think I picked the right descriptor) for America immediately post 9-11. It is subtle but brilliant for this and although is not a best seller, it is a strong book that I think will (and should) stand the test of time. It is a book that should be used in lit classes at College...

I may also add to my list of future classics, Suite Française in part because of the unique story of the author's life while she wrote the book. It is set in France during the German occupation of WW2 and is incomplete because the author was taken and killed at Auswich. Even though it is incomplete and really a rough draft, what is complete is very good and a lyrical look at the French as they deal with the occupation in thier own ways. Another important book.

Thank you Shannon for your two suggestions. The latter is a period of time I am especially interested in reading about. I was very little then.

A confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Tool

I think it would be a shame if Kafka on the Shore was lost. I suppose it isn't quite a classic, but it's so unique and clever it would be tragic to lose it to history.

Otherwise I can certainly see 100 Years of Solitude, though(if I won't be killed for this) I didn't find it quite as good as some other works in the genre. I imagine I read it without enough introspection.

I second Kafka on the Shore. It's an amazing book by a wonderful author. I also think Life of Pi could be a classic.
I don't know if Blonde by Joyce Carol Oates is already a classic but if not, it certainly deserves to be.

Atonement by Ian McEwan, Disgrace by J.M. Coetzee, A Personal Matter by Kenzaburo Oë, Bel Canto by Ann Patchett, A History of the World in 10 1/2 Chapters by Julian Barnes, Beloved by Toni Morrison, Bastard Out of Carolina by Dorothy Allison.

Persoanlly, I think 100 years from now Harry Potter series will be classics.

Carla wrote: "A confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Tool"

I second this! My husband is a native of NOLA, and Tool really captured the essence of the city. Every time we've gone back since Katrina, I come home with a broken heart. My husband has no physical memories left (homes, parks, schools, churches, favorite stores to get sodas or doughnuts, his mother and grandmother's graves), they've all been wiped away, except for his grandma's apt. in the Quarter. Now, the memories only exist in our minds.

A great book that captured all the quirks of a wonderful American city...hopefully it will rise from the ruins.

Disgrace by J.M. Coetzee must be included an enduring classic of post-colonial South Africa...

I am not taking issue with any of these predictions of future classics but I am wondering why people have suggested the ones that they did. What is it about these particular books that you think will make them endure?

For me, I think the criteria was quality books that left an impression on me. Books that I would like to read again...