Harold Bloom is America's most esteemed literary critic and one of the greatest critical minds of our time. Gathered here are his writings on the indispensable novels and novelists in the Western tradition. Novelists and Novels contains the best of Bloom's writing on the greatest novels and novelists of our time--from Daniel Defoe to Philip Roth, from Charles Dickens to Amy Tan. In addition to critical essays by Bloom, this compelling book features his overview of the genre and thoughts on its development, as well as genre-specific bibliographic information with suggestions for further reading on the topic. Bloom's brilliant insights and lively discourse serve not only to illuminate, but also to inspire readers to turn again to some of the finest works of literature ever written.