Famous Indian authors that you must read

Beyond the culture and tradition, India has a vast oasis of literature 

Like the West, India too has been at the forefront of literature. From time immemorial, this land of diverse culture, art and tradition has inspired writers giving narratives and experiences that are unique to the land. With over twenty languages spoken in India, they have made way into the literature and despite this the English literature too has its diverse range in India. Therefore, there are Indian authors that need to be acknowledged for their work in literature.

Amrita Pritam
For any Indian, Amrita Pritam is a must indulgence. A courageous woman, Pritam didn’t back down from writing controversial texts during the pre-partition era. It was her difficult experiences during the partition of India influenced her to write the Punjabi novel ‘Pinjar’ (skeleton) describing the helplessness of the women during that time and the discrimination they had to go through.

Khushwant Singh
A journalist, editor, and novelist, Singh initially started his career as a lawyer after which he switched to the role of an editor of leading journals and magazines of Delhi. As an author, he wrote novels like Train to Pakistan, Delhi: A Novel, The Company of Women, Truth, Love and a Little Malice, The Good, the Bad and the Ridiculous.

1. K. Narayan
   The author is best known for his stories based in and around the fictional village of Malgudi. His narrations are simple and revolve around the simple realistic lives of the people of India. Though his initial books were not that popular, it was only with his third novel, ‘The dark room’ that he gained prominence. His book, The Guide, set up in Malgudi is a story of a tour guide who transforms himself into a spiritual Guru and then the greatest holy man of India. The book was also made into a film starring legendary actor Dev Anand.

Rabindranath Tagore
With his great interest in Shakespeare and his literature, Tagore went on to become the greatest poet and author of India. His first poem ‘Mansai’ published in 1890 gave him tremendous popularity and among his most significant works includeGitanjali a collection of poems, and Galpaguchchha, a collection of eighty short stories.

Ruskin Bond
The author is known primarily for his literary work for children. The inspiration, backdrop, and writing style of his stories have been his life on the hill of the Himalayas. In a career spanning over 50 years, he has experimented with genres like children’s fiction, short stories, novella, non-fiction, and romance among others. His greatest works include The Room on the Roof, A Flight of Pigeons, Delhi Is Not Far, The Night Train at Deoli and The Blue Umbrella.

A few other Indian authors to read are Jhumpa Lahiri, Vikram Seth, and Arundhati Roy among others.