Goldsmith's Gold, Šenoa's first and most famous historical novel, is considered the first modern novel in Croatian literature. August Šenoa himself is the most widely read Croatian writer of all time.
A Serbian writer known for his satirical novels, Andrić's Ladder of Horrors dissects the Balkan mentality through a parable of Yugo-nostalgia and national myths. The title alludes to Ivo Andrić as a litmus test for criticism – Balkans claim him or reject
The novel "Usta puna zemlje" (1970), the masterpiece of the Serbian writer Branimir Šćepanović, is a psychologically in-depth explorer of the limits of the human soul, solitude and existential freedom, reminiscent of Kafka and Camus.