A Tale of Two Cities

So, this book is incredible. I used to think modern writers had talent, you know... then I read the classics. And still, every time I read one, it amazes me how much better people used to be at using the english language. Dickens sure is teaching me a lot about how to not suck.

Lol, William Burroughs is much better than Dickens.  I think lots of experimental prose, etc., shows much more depth, subtlety, and complexity than the classics.

But if you're that big a fan of the classics, you might like Hermann Hesse more.  Admittedly, his books were short and translated from German, but still quite good.

There are lots of good modern authors, you just have to look around and be open minded.

Also, for classics, Dostoevsky is a million times better than Dickens  :P