One of the best ways to start an argument among book collectors is to hold forth on the topic of the greatest novel ever written.
First of all, there is the matter of what, exactly, constitutes a novel. Once that issue has been resolved to everyone's satisfaction (not!), there's the small matter of which of the millions of qualifying titles published over the past several centuries, in virtually all known languages, makes one's short list (100 titles, one thousand titles...?).
What about editions? Is one edition of a particular title better than another edition?
What about translations of titles that were not published (originally) in one's native language(s)? Is one translation of a particular title better than another?
One easily can get so wrapped up in distinctions that selecting the greatest quickly becomes an exercise both frustrating and pointless.
But if you're game, so are others. Nick Martino, a bookseller for over 30 years who "read[s] novels like some people eat and breathe," votes for...
...the multi-volume, one million words+, novel formerly known as Remembrance of Things Past.
Can you do better...?
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