Most important books: Claire Messud

Claire Messud is the author of, most recently, The Emperor's Children. She told Newsweek about her five most important books.

One title to make the list:

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy.

Every detail is incredibly telling and reveals a huge amount, but there's a wonderful simplicity to Tolstoy's fiction.

Read about all five titles on Messud's list.

--Marshal Zeringue