London Fields by Martin Amis
As recommended by: blackbroom, RipThisJoint
Though Amis's inclusion in the original list took a beating from several readers, this was mainly down to the choice of novel. London Fields, written in 1989, is often regarded as the author's best work. Samson Young is an American writer in London, suffering from writer's block and a terminal illness. Yet he's not the only writer character: this darkly comic murder mystery novel won a vote from blackbroom for Mark Asprey, a successful English novelist 'whose initials hint at Amis himself pulling the strings'. Photograph: PR
Many novels by Philip Roth
As recommended by: noughtforconduct, onalongsabbatical, DrGumby
Nathan Zuckerman, Jewish novelist and Roth's fictional alter ego featured in several of his novels across more than 30 years, including The Ghost Writer, The Counterlife and American Pastoral, before he made his final literary outing in 2007's Exit Ghost. Infamously blurring the line between life and art, Zuckerman's and Roth's rather noticeable similarities have long fed critics hungry to label the latter's work as autobiographical. onalongsabbatical had particularly high praise for Zuckerman's 2000 outing, The Human Stain.
Pictured is Philip Roth Photograph: Eric Thayer/Reuters
Wonder Boys by Michael Chabon
As recommended by: JimTheFish, eldave, AdeleWinston
Based on the real-life University of Pittsburgh professor who mentored Chabon in the 80s, Grady Tripp is – you guessed it – a Pittsburgh University teacher and writer. The work grew from Chabon's own concern about failing to finish a novel, and one-time literary phenomenon Grady Tripp spends the novel working on his own hefty manuscript. But his numerous vices – adultery, drugs and alcohol – are holding him back, and during a weekend writing festival in Pittsburgh things start to unravel.
Pictured is Michael Douglas as Grady Tripp in Wonder Boys, 2000 Photograph: PR
At Swim-Two-Birds by Brian O'Nolan
As recommended by: chalkywhite, Strangegoldfish, dandebur
Written under the pseudonym Flann O'Brien, this 1939 metaphysical masterpiece was lauded by fellow writers... and commenters, with chalkywhite calling it 'one of the truly great novels'. The narrator, an Irish literature student whose lack of enthusiasm for studying irritates his uncle and guardian, tells three apparently distinct stories that soon become entangled: characters create characters, who slide into a fictional battle Photograph: PR
The Long Goodbye by Raymond Chandler
As recommended by: ProfessionalCynic, boxplayer
Chandler's famous detective, Philip Marlowe, gets a call from a New York publisher concerned about one of his best writers, Roger Wade. Described by ProfessionalCynic as a 'lacerating self-portrait', Wade is an alcoholic who, like Chandler, has authored a string of successful novels but finds it increasingly hard to write in older age. Chandler wrote The Long Goodbye as his wife was dying, which goes some way to explaining its personal nature – and Wade's links with his creator.
Pictured is Raymond Chandler in 1943 Photograph: Ralph Crane/Time & Life Pictures/Getty Image
The Complete Henry Bech, by John Updike
As recommended by: MollyBloominCanada
Updike's playful alter ego made his appearance in three collections of short stories: Bech: A Book, Bech Is Back and Bech at Bay. The first collection begins with an introduction from Bech to Updike, and the light humour of the series won it a niche market of admirers – among whom is MollyBloominCanada, who considers it both 'laugh out loud' and 'probably the great American novel about western novelists in the age of celebrity'. Photograph: PR
Keep the Aspidistra Flying by George Orwell
As recommended by: LSGaravard, acwacw
Desperate, angry and delusional, ex-adman Gordon Comstock works in a bookshop and tries to write a masterpiece while fruitlessly rebelling against 'the Money-God'. Though Orwell later distanced himself from this socio-political novel, Comstock's anger and bitterness struck a chord with readers, doubtless depressed and beguiled in equal measure by the novel's dismal progression.
Pictured is Richard E Grant as Gordon Comstock in Keep the Aspidistra Flying (A Merry War), 1997 Photograph: Moviestore Collection/Rex Features
Several novels by Kurt Vonnegut
As recommended by: student19, mgamer, LoudonCleary, tyrunn
Though his appearance and characteristics may vary, Trout is a solid presence in numerous novels by Vonnegut, including Slaughterhouse-Five, Jailbird and Timequake. The underrated science-fiction writer meets his creator in the final chapter of Breakfast of Champions, while Timequake features his single attempt at poetry, as mentioned by student19. As LoudonCleary pointed out, Trout is the named author of the novel Venus on the Half-Shell, written pseudonymously by Philip José Farmer.
Pictured is Kurt Vonnegut in 1988 Photograph: Ulf Andersen/Getty Images
The Map and the Territory by Michel Houellebecq
As recommended by: FischerZ, captaingorgeous
The famously controversial Houellebecq features a tongue-in-cheek inclusion of himself as a character alongside the fictional photographer Jed Martin. Houellebecq's witty cameo turn gently dismantles the line between fact and fiction – and won him France's prestigious Prix Goncourt, as well as plaudits from critics and readers alike.
Pictured is Michel Houellebecq in 2010 Photograph: Fred Dufour/AFP/Getty Images
Several novels by James Joyce
As recommended by Prefernotto, Bruegelfan, kurtismac
Several of you called for the inclusion of James Joyce's alter ego, protagonist of the semi-autobiographical A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man and central character in Ulysses – praised specifically by kurtismac. His namesake was the artisan of Greek mythology, Daedalus (father to Icarus, of wax wings fame). Critics have noted the similarities between Dedalus and Joyce – such as their shared talent for singing.
Pictured is James Joyce in 1934 Photograph: Lipnitzki/Roger Viollet/Getty Images
