Abstract
<jats:p>The main aspects of the 20th Century World Literature course are presented in the aspect of artistic trends development, paying extra attention to the cultural interchange between literatures of the different countries in the process. Material is organized according to leading genres in the main types of literature - literary fiction, drama and poetry, which allowed to highlight the 20th century main achievements in drama for the first time in the textbook of this kind. Special chapters are dedicated to the phenomena and aspects of literary development which manifested in the culture of the 20th century for the first time, such as the “Lost Generation” and “Literature and Cinematograph” in the first half of the century, “New Literary Continents”, “Contemporary Science Fiction”, and “Literature and Internet” - in the second half. The textbook is intended for undergraduate and postgraduate students of World Literature and Culture, and will also be instructive for a wide range of readers.</jats:p>