On 5 November 2019, the BBC published a list of novels selected by a panel of six writers and critics, who had been asked to choose 100 English language novels "that have had an impact on their lives".
[1] The resulting list of "100 novels that shaped our world",[1] called the "100 Most Inspiring Novels" by BBC News,[2] was published by the BBC to kick off a year of celebrating literature.
"[7] The BBC relied on six experts: Stig Abell, Mariella Frostrup, Juno Dawson, Kit de Waal, Alexander McCall Smith and Syima Aslam.
[4][6] The CBC characterized the panel as composed of "writers, curators and critics".
[4] According to The Guardian, the list commemorated the publication of Robinson Crusoe (1719), 300 years earlier – "widely seen as the progenitor of the English-language novel".