5 Famous Indian Authors and their Books that you Must Read

Famous Authors in India

There are several well-known English-language novelists from India. R. K. Narayan was the first prominent Indian author of English-language literature, but many other authors also tried their hand at the genre and were successful. Arundhati Roy, Kiran Desai, and Aravind Adiga, who won the Booker Prize, are three renowned contemporary authors. For many of us who grew up reading their works, they didn’t just tell stories; they showed us how to think differently about our world. And isn’t that what great literature is supposed to do? Chetan Bhagat and Jeet Thayyil are two such Indian authors who made a name for themselves in a short period.

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Must Read Books by Indian Authors 

These aren’t just authors who happened to write books – they’re storytellers who captured the soul of India in their pages. Their words have traveled beyond borders, showing the world that Indian literature isn’t just about ancient epics and colonial tales. It’s alive, kicking, and as relevant as ever. Whether you’re sitting in a coffee shop in New York or a library in New Delhi, their stories have a way of making you feel like you’re part of something bigger – a grand narrative that connects us all.

Untouchable – by Mulk Raj Anand

He is a well-known Indian author who discusses the deplorable customs that have their origins in India. Traditional Indian society is an essential topic in his writings. India’s rigid caste system is a practice that only hurts the populace. Anand boldly addresses the mistreatment of members of society’s lower classes in his writings.

That is evident in Anand’s first novel, Untouchable. The plot revolves around the abolition of the caste system. This novel, written in 1935, follows the life of Bakha, a sweeper from the lowest level of the outcast Untouchables. He accepts it as a normal part of life for the most part. After all, that’s how he was brought up. However, a series of events occur that cause him to question his existence and the role he plays in society.

Bakha spends more than half of the book going to work and doing his job while daydreaming about various ideas. The book’s final section takes on a more political tone, with encounters with missionary groups and rallies featuring famous political figures.

The Train to Pakistan – by Khushwant Singh

Khushwant Singh has established himself as one of the most well-known Indian authors of English-language works. He was not only a distinguished writer but also a superb citizen. He also holds the second-highest civilian honor in India, the Padma Vibhushan. He also works to promote humanity and compassion through his writing.

He was inspired to write his outstanding novel, “The Train to Pakistan,” by the brutality of India’s partition. The Portrait of a Lady, The Voice of God and Other Stories, The History of Sikhs, and other noteworthy works are among his other accomplishments.

Compared to other Indian authors, his writing is very particular and distinctive. Singh’s writings have a hint of wit, humor, and sarcasm.

The Guide – by R.K Narayan

R.K. Narayan is well-known for inventing the fictional city of Malgudi, which is located in South India. He was a notable early Indian author who contributed to English-language Indian writings. 

‘The Guide,’ by R.K. Narayan, stands out among his novels in that it is aimed at a more mature audience. The novel’s plot twists and turns are very relatable.

The novel explores various periods in the protagonist Raju’s life, and it is this element that makes the story so beautiful. The innocence of the child that reflects in most of his life is endearing, and readers may feel pitiful for Raju’s lack of luck, which is not the same as ill luck. Many times, he is an inch away from success, but when he fails, the chasm is so wide that he falls from the sky to the ground.

The Namesake – by Jhumpa Lahiri

Lahiri is a prolific writer who established a name for herself through her short stories, novels, and essays. The start of her life, however, was not as easy as she had hoped, and she faced challenges. She was born in London but moved to the US shortly after to attend Boston University for her master’s degree. After numerous rejections, she finally experienced success, and her name was added to the list of notable authors.

In her book ‘The Namesake,’ Lahiri expands on the themes that made her collection an international bestseller: the immigrant experience, cultural clashes, assimilation conflicts, and, most poignantly, the tangled ties between generations. Lahiri’s deft touch for the perfect detail — the fleeting moment, the turn of phrase — opens up whole worlds of emotion and is on display once more.

The Namesake follows the Ganguli family from their traditional Calcutta life to their perilous transformation into Americans. Following their arranged marriage, Ashoke and Ashima Ganguli relocated to Cambridge, Massachusetts. Ashoke, an engineer by training, adapts far more easily than his wife, who despises everything American and pines for her family. When their son is born, the task of naming him reveals the perplexing outcomes of bringing old ways to the new world.

Pinjar – by Amrita Pritam

Amrita began her career very young and had a strong passion for writing. She was also fascinated by literature and poetry. She developed into one of India’s greatest poets and novelists thanks to her intense desire to express herself through writing. Her writing exhibits a subtle but noticeable blend of tenacity and fearlessness throughout. Notably, her contentious papers, particularly those written before the partition of India, deeply moved her readers.

Nevertheless, after the partition, circumstances changed, which inspired her to write her all-time favorite novel, “Pinjar,” which illustrates the abject helplessness of women during the Indian section. Pinjar focuses on the women’s suffering, exploitation, and sacrifices as a result of their displacement and abduction during partition. The novelist critically examines how the fate of its protagonist, Puro, eventually becomes the fate of thousands of women during the partition.

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Top 5 Famous Indian Writers

These aren’t just writers who put words on paper – they’re storytellers who changed how we see the world, one page at a time.

• Rabindranath Tagore 

Picture walking through the streets of early 20th century Calcutta, where you might have encountered Rabindranath Tagore, a revolutionary spirit who dared to break from tradition. Instead of writing in the stuffy, formal language of his time, he chose to speak to people’s hearts in everyday Bengali. His masterpiece “Gitanjali” didn’t just win him the Nobel Prize in 1913 – it opened the world’s eyes to Indian literature. Think about it: here was a man who could have stuck to the safe path of conventional writing but instead chose to forge his own.

• Suzanna Arundhati Roy 

Then there’s Arundhati Roy, whose journey reads like a movie script itself (fitting, since she started in film!). Before she became the literary sensation who gave us “The God of Small Things,” she was crafting stories for the screen. But Roy isn’t just about creating beautiful prose – she’s got fire in her belly. When she won the Booker Prize in 1997, she didn’t just rest on her laurels. Instead, she used her voice to fight for what she believed in, eventually earning the Sydney Peace Prize for standing up for non-violence and social justice.

• Amitav Ghosh 

And let’s talk about Amitav Ghosh – imagine someone who can take you from the bustling ports of ancient Egypt to the rising seas of our climate crisis, all while making you question everything you thought you knew about identity and belonging. His books aren’t just stories; they’re journeys through time and space. When he won India’s highest literary honor, the Jnanpith Award, in 2018, it wasn’t just for his masterful storytelling – it was for showing us how the past shapes our present and future. No wonder Foreign Policy magazine called him one of the decade’s most important thinkers!

• Shashi Tharoor 

Imagine being in the halls of the United Nations, where a young Indian diplomat named Shashi Tharoor would hold rooms spellbound with his eloquence. Before he became the Twitter-savvy politician we know today, he was crafting stories that bridged worlds. There’s something almost poetic about how his words traveled from the pages of his books to the lips of President Clinton, echoing through the Indian parliament in 2000. Whether he’s writing about history, politics, or culture, Tharoor has this remarkable gift for making complex ideas feel like a fascinating conversation over chai.

• Khushwant Singh 

Then there’s Khushwant Singh – Picture a man who carried the weight of Partition’s memories yet somehow managed to find humor in life’s darkest corners. His masterpiece “Train to Pakistan” wasn’t just another historical novel; it was born from the chaos and heartbreak he witnessed firsthand. Known for his sharp wit and even sharper pen, Singh was that rare writer who could make you laugh and think deeply in the same sentence. His iconic short story “The Portrait of A Lady” probably reminds many of us of our own grandmothers, while his other works like “The Sikhs Today” showed us how to talk about serious subjects without losing our humanity.

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Top 10 Famous Books And Authors In India

Famous Indian Authors of the 21st Century

The famous Indian Authors of the 21st century are:

1. Aravind Adiga
2. Salman Rushdie
3. Arundhati Roy
4. Neelam Saxena Chandra
5. Rakhi Kapoor
6. Jhumpa Lahiri
7. Kiran Desai
8. Dr. Sumit Goel
9. Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
10. Ravi Subramanian
11. Sandeep Balakrishnan
12. Mayaa SH
13. Amitav Ghosh
14. Abhishek Kapoor
15. Ashwin Sanghi
16. Preeti Shenoy
17. Shishira Srinivasa
18. Samir Basu
19. Sekar Bandyopadhyay
20. Krishna Udayasankar
21. Novoneel Chakraborty

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List of Indian Authors and their Books

Check out this list of the best-selling Indian Authors and their books.

Key Takeaways

• Since ancient times, India has been praised for its writing, literature, and art. In India, literature is written in more than twenty different languages.
• Even though R. K. Narayan was the first prominent Indian author of an English-language book; many other authors have tried their hand at English fiction and succeeded.
• The two new age English authors who quickly rose to fame are Chetan Bhagat and Jeet Thayyil.

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FAQs

Ques 1: Who Won The Prestigious Onassis Award Of Greece For One Of Her Plays?

Answer 1: Playwright Manjula Padmanabhan also writes novels and does artwork and cartoons. She is best known for the plays Lights Out and Harvest, which won the first-ever Onassis Award for Theatre.

Ques 2: Which Indian Politician wrote the novel ‘The Insider’?

Answer 2: P.V.Narasimha Rao

Ques 3: Which Two Languages Are Regarded As The Origin Of The English Language?

Answer 3: Greek and Latin

Ques 4: What are the best global novels telling about human conditions?

Answer 4: These are the best novels offering a unique glimpse into the human condition and the power of story telling. 

WRITTEN BY

Aastha

Study Abroad Expert

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