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Famous Authors of India: Throughout the centuries Indian literature has evolved reflecting the nation’s social, political and cultural views. This article explores the lives and works of some of the most famous Indian authors such as Jhumpa Lahiri, Salman Rushdie, Arundhati Roy, Rabindranath Tagore and many more who have a major role in shaping the history of English Literature in India.
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India, a land of vibrant cultures and rich traditions, has given birth to a diverse array of talented authors who have captivated readers worldwide. Here is the table with the names of famous authors in India with their books and their themes and styles.
| Name of Famous Authors of India | Indian Authors Best Sellers | Key Themes/Style |
| Jhumpa Lahiri | The Namesake, Interpreter of Maladies, The Lowland, Unaccustomed Earth, Interpreter of Maladies / The Namesake etc. | Immigration, identity, family |
| Salman Rushdie | Midnight’s Children, Haroun and The Sea Of Stories, Shalimar the Clown, The Satanic Verses etc. | Magical realism, historical fiction |
| Arundhati Roy | The Ministry of Utmost Happiness, The God of Small Things, Walking with the Comrades, AZADI: Freedom. Fascism. Fiction etc. | Social commentary, political activism |
| Rabindranath Tagore | Gitanjali and Other Stories, The Kingdom of Cards, Gora etc. | Nationalism, spirituality, love |
| Vikram Seth | A Suitable Boy, An Equal Music, The Golden Gate, Two Lives etc. | Historical fiction, love, family |
| Bhavik Sarkhedi | The Unproposed Guy, Will You Walk A Mile?: A Moment for a Movement, The Weak Point Dealer: Dropping the Drawbacks etc. | Coming-of-age, friendship, self-discovery |
| R. K. Narayan | Malgudi Days, Swami and Friends, Malgudi Adventures etc. | Indian culture, everyday life, humour |
| Amrita Pritam | Ek Swaal, Meri Priya Kahaniyaan, Trik Bhawnon Ki Gaatha etc. | Love, loss, social issues, feminism, and the human condition. |
| Aravind Adiga | The White Tiger, Last Man in Tower, Between the Assassinations etc. | Social inequality, poverty, corruption, and the Indian diaspora. |
| Khushwant Singh | I Shall Not Hear the Nightingale, A History of the Sikhs, Train to Pakistan etc. | Indian history, culture, politics, and personal experiences. |
| Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay | PALLI SAMAJ, Parineetha, Charitraheen etc. | Social issues, love, family, and the human condition. |
We have got many talented authors from India, here we will talk about all the famous authors of India which we listed above. We will know all the information about them such as their genre, writing style, awards and honours etc.
Jhumpa Lahiri
Jhumpa Lahiri is a well-known Indian American author celebrated for her exploration of immigrant experiences. Lahiri moved to the United States at a young age but she was born in London to Bengali parents. Her writing style led you to explore the complexities of identity, belonging and the delicate balance between tradition and modernity.
Credit: Wikipedia
| About Nilanjana Sudeshna “Jhumpa” Lahiri | |
| Name | Nilanjana Sudeshna “Jhumpa” Lahiri |
| Born | July 11, 1967 (age 57)London, England |
| Age | 57 |
| Occupation | Author |
| Nationality | British, American |
| Education | Barnard College (BA)Boston University (MA, MFA, MA, PhD) |
| Period | 21st century |
| Notable works | Interpreter of Maladies (1999)The Namesake (2003)Unaccustomed Earth (2008)The Lowland (2013) |
| Genre | Novel, short story, postcolonial |
| Notable awards | 1999 O. Henry Award2000 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction2021 Dottorato Ad Honorem, University of Bologna |
Salman Rushdie
Salman Rushdie is a famous novelist and essayist well known for his narrative style and exploration of identity and cultural conflict. His notable works include Midnight’s Children (1981), The Satanic Verses (1988) etc. Salman has published many acclaimed books and received various awards for his efforts in literature. His works reflect the intersection between Eastern and Western culture, employing a unique narrative style that blends history with myth.
Credit: Wikipedia
| About Sir Ahmed Salman Rushdie | |
| Name | Sir Ahmed Salman Rushdie |
| Born | 19 June 1947 Bombay, British India |
| Age | 77 |
| Occupation | Writer, professor |
| Citizenship | India (until 1964)United Kingdom (from 1964)[1]United States (from 2016) |
| Education | King’s College, Cambridge (BA) |
| Genre | Magic, realism, satire, postcolonialism |
| Subject | Historical criticism, travel writing |
Arundhati Roy
Suzanna Arundhati Roy is an Indian author and political activist. She was born on November 24, 1961, in Shillong. She got famous after her debut novel The God of Small Things. This book also won the Booker Prize and became the best book by a non-expatriate Indian author. She also faced legal challenges because of her activism including a conviction for contempt of court in 2002.
Credit: Wikipedia
| About Arundhati Roy | |
| Name | Arundhati Roy |
| Born | 24 November 1961 Shillong, Assam (present-day Meghalaya), India |
| Age | 62 |
| Occupation | Writer, essayist, activist |
| Education | Lawrence School, Lovedale School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi |
| Period | 1997–present |
| Genre | Fiction, non-fiction |
| Notable works | The God of Small Things |
| Notable awards | National Film Award for Best Screenplay (1988)Booker Prize (1997)Sydney Peace Prize (2004)Orwell Award (2004)Norman Mailer Prize (2011)PEN Pinter Prize (2024) |
| Also Read – History of English Literature |
Rabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore also known as Gurudev. He was a Bengali poet, playwright, composer and philosopher who significantly influenced Indian literature and culture. He is well known for his collection Gitanjali, which earned him the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913, making him the first non-European laureate.
Credit: Wikipedia
| About Rabindranath Tagore | |
| Name | Rabindranath Tagore |
| Born | 7 May 1861Jorasanko Thakur Bari, Calcutta, Bengal, British India |
| Died | 7 August 1941 (aged 80)Jorasanko Thakur Bari, Calcutta, Bengal, British India |
| Pen name | Bhanusimha |
| Occupation | Poet, novelist, writer, dramatist, essayist, story-writer, playwright, composer, philosopher, social reformer, educationist, linguist, grammarian, painter |
| Language | Bengali |
| Citizenship | British Raj |
| Literary movement | Contextual Modernism |
| Notable works | Gitanjali, Ghare-Baire, Bharoto Bhagyo Bidhata, Gora, Jana Gana Mana, Rabindra Sangeet, Amar Shonar Bangla, (other works) |
| Notable awards | Nobel Prize in Literature1913 |
Vikram Seth
Vikram Seth was best known for his novel The Golden Gate and his epic novel A Suitable Boy (1993) which explores the lives of four families in post-independence India. He started his career with the poetry collection Mappings(1980) but gained wonder recognition with his travelogue From Heaven Lake(1983). He completed his education at a prestigious institution such as Oxford and Stanford which gave him a diverse background and that can be seen in his writings.
Credit: SchoolBlogs
| About Vikram Seth | |
| Name | Vikram Seth |
| Born | 20 June 1952Calcutta, West Bengal, India |
| Age | 72 |
| Occupation | Novelist, poet |
| Alma mater | Corpus Christi College, OxfordStanford University |
| Period | 1980–present |
| Genre | Novels, poetry, libretto, travel writing, children’s literature, biography/memoir |
| Notable works | A Suitable BoyThe Golden GateAn Equal Music |
| Notable awards | Padma Shri, Sahitya Academy, Stegner Fellowship, Guggenheim Fellowship, Commonwealth Writers’ Prize |
Bhavik Sarkhedi
Bhavik Sarkhedi is an Indian author, entrepreneur and content strategist known for his contributions to the field of writing and digital marketing. Sarkhedi is also known for founding a successful content writing agency, enhancing the quality of online content in India. His expertise extends to many genres which include fiction and non-fiction and he has written extensively on topics related to business, personal development and creativity.
Credit: Bhavik Sarkhedi
| About Bhavik Sarkhedi | |
| Name | Bhavik Sarkhedi |
| Born | 7 September 1992 |
| Age | 32 years |
| Occupation | Author, Writer |
| Also Read- Famous Books and Authors |
R. K. Narayan
R. K. Narayan was born on October 10,1906 in Madras. He is known for his short stories and novels set in the fictional South Indian town of Malgudi, which vividly portray the lives and struggles of ordinary people. His written style has simplicity and humour, often exploring themes of social change and human relationships.
Credit: Hubpages
| About Rasipuram Krishnaswami Iyer Narayanaswami | |
| Name | Rasipuram Krishnaswami Iyer Narayanaswami |
| Born | 10 October 1906Madras, Madras Presidency, British Raj |
| Died | 13 May 2001 (aged 94)Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Alma mater | Maharaja’s College, Mysore |
| Genre | Fiction, mythology and non-fiction |
| Notable awards | Padma VibhushanSahitya Akademi FellowshipBenson Medal |
Amrita Pritam
Born on 31 August 1919, she was a writer and poet. Amrita wrote extensively on feminism and the suffering of women in Punjab during the partition year. She published her first story at the young age of 16. Pritam had written books both in Punjab as well as Hindi. She went on to write around two dozen novels, collections of poetry and short stories. She was awarded the Sahitya Akademi Award as well as the Padma Shri Award. Then, in the year 1981, she also received the Jnanpith Award, considered a top literary award in India. Her famous novel is Pinjar or The Skeleton, which later came as a film adaptation in Bollywood.
Credit: TV9 Bharatvarsh
| About Amrita Pritam | |
| Name | Amrita Pritam |
| Born | Amrita Kaur31 August 1919 |
| Died | 31 October 2005 (aged 86)Delhi, India |
| Occupation | Novelist, poet, essayist |
| Period | 1936–2005 |
| Genre | poetry, prose, autobiography |
| Literary movement | Romantic-Progressivism |
| Notable works | Pinjar (novel)Ajj aakhaan Waris Shah nu (poem)Suneray (poem) |
Aravind Adiga
He belongs in the class of those writers whose books are simply unputdownable. Aravind was born in 1974, in India. He pursued his education in India and then Australia and subsequently went on to attain a degree in English literature at Columbia University. First, he began his career as a journalist in New York and after he came back to India, he was appointed a correspondent for a renowned TIME magazine. He has written in a prolific manner on issues of politics, arts, etc. His first novel, ‘The White Tiger’ was awarded Man Booker in 2008. He has written many other novels, which include, Between the Assassinations, Selection Day and Last Man in the Tower. A movie adaptation of the book “The White Tiger” was also made featuring Adarsh Gourav, Rajkumar Rao and Priyanka Chopra Jonas.
Credit: The Guardian
| About Aravind Adiga | |
| Name | Aravind Adiga |
| Born | 23 October 1974 (age 49)Madras (now Chennai), Tamil Nadu, India |
| Alma mater | Columbia UniversityMagdalen College, Oxford |
| Notable works | The White Tiger, Last Man in Tower, Selection Day |
| Notable awards | 2008 Man Booker Prize(The White Tiger) |
Khushwant Singh
A household name in India who shaped the literary imagination of people in India. His reputation is not only as one of the best Indian authors but also as a historian and a fiercest political observer. Born in undivided India in Hadali in 1915, he began his education journey at Government College in Lahore and completed his higher education at Cambridge University in the UK. His professional career began as a lawyer in Lahore High Court. For many years he was part of the Ministry of External Affairs in India before joining AIR as a journalist. His book, Train to Pakistan, gave him prominence in the literary world. He also published a two-volume, History of the Sikhs and many novels, including, Delhi: A Novel.
Credit: Firstpost
| About Khushwant Singh | |
| Name | Khushwant Singh |
| Born | Khushal Singh2 February 1915 |
| Died | 20 March 2014 (aged 99)New Delhi, India |
| Occupation | Lawyer, journalist, diplomat, writer, politician |
| Alma mater | Government College, Lahore (B.A.)University of London (LL.B.) |
| Notable works | The History of SikhsTrain to PakistanDelhi: A NovelThe Company of WomenTruth, Love and a Little Malice: An AutobiographyWith Malice towards One and AllWhy I Supported the Emergency: Essays and ProfilesKhushwantnama, The Lessons of My LifePunjab, Punjabis & Punjabiyat: Reflections on a Land and its PeopleThe Mark of Vishnu and Other StoriesThe Portrait of a Lady |
| Notable awards | Padma BhushanHonest Man of the YearPunjab Rattan AwardPadma VibhushanSahitya Akademi FellowshipAll-India Minorities Forum Annual – – Fellowship AwardLifetime Achievement AwardFellow of King’s College[2]The Grove Press Award |
Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay
Many great personalities often vanish in the abyss of history, one such figure is that of Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay. Born in 1876 in Bengal in an impoverished family, the financial crunch couldn’t discourage his father who was also a writer, from shaping the imagination of his son, Sarat. It was due to such determined efforts that Sarat Chandra became a popular novelist in Bengal during those times. Even when he was just a teenager he began writing and published several essays. Since he was an ardent advocate of female rights he tore through the fabric of patriarchy. His notable writings include Devdas, Palli Samaj and Biraj Bau which was published
during WW1. let’s explore the inspiring lives of some of these best Indian authors.
Credit: Get Bengal
| About Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay | |
| Name | Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay |
| Born | 16 January 1938 (aged 61)Calcutta, Bengal, British India |
| Language | Bengali |
| Period | 19th century – 20th century |
| Literary movement | Bengali Renaissance |
| Notable works | SrikantaChoritrohinDevdas ParineetaPother Dabi |
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- The Far Field by Madhuri Vijay- HarperCollins India
- Autobiography Of An Unknown Indian – Nirad C. Chaudhuri
- The Atlas of Reds and Blues by Devi S Laskar- Hachette India
- Ib’s Endless Search for Satisfaction by Roshan Ali- Penguin India
- Deadly Shadows- Rajinder Prabhakar
- The Alchemy Of Secrets- Priya Balasubramanian
- Aliens In Delhi- Sami Ahmad Khan
- The Atlas of Reds and Blues- Devi S Laskar
- Ib’s Endless Search for Satisfaction- Roshan Ali
- Timeless Tales From Marwar- Vijaydan Detha, Vishes Kothari
- Future Tense- Nitasha Kaul
- Train to Pakistan – Khushwant Singh
- Curfewed Night – Basharat Peer
- I too Had a Love Story- Ravindra Singh
- The Inheritance of Loss- Author Kiran Desai
- The White Tiger- Aravind Adiga
- The God of Small Things- Arundhati Roy
- You Bring the Distance Near- Mitali Perkins
- The Rule Breaker- Preeti Shenoy
- The Invincible Weapon- Sowmya Putta
- Talking Of Muskaan- Himanjali Sankar
- Faces In The Water- Ranjit Lal
FAQs
Rabindranath Tagore is often considered the most famous author in India.
10 Indian English writers are – R.K. Narayan, Anita Desai, Arundhati Roy, Salman Rushdie, Vikram Seth, Amitav Ghosh, Jhumpa Lahir, Vikram Chandra, Kiran Desai, Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni.
If you’re referring to the father of modern Indian English literature, many scholars point to Rabindranath Tagore.
Relevant Reads
This was all about the famous authors of India. If you want to know more about other Famous Personalities then visit our General Knowledge page!
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Indeed this article was helpful .