THE ALL-TIME GREATS OF INDIAN ENGLISH WRITING

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🌷R.K. NARAYAN
Unarguably the best and foremost Indian writer in English, R.K. Narayan’s novels, and short
stories are the reasons why common middle-class Indians developed an interest in English
stories. Best known for the fictional town of Malgudi, Narayan has written many fiction
books including Swami and Friends, The Guide, A Tiger for Malgud”, The English Teacher,
etc. His most famous and most sold book is his collection of short stories – Malgudi Days.
His is a name which you will find on any list of “Best Indian Authors”.

🌷MULK RAJ ANAND

One of the pioneers of Anglo-Indian fiction, Mulk Raj Anand’s works are remarkable for
their depiction of poorer castes in a conventional Indian society. He is one of the first
Indian writers in English to have gained international readership with his first novel
Untouchable, published in 1935. His other notable works include The Village, Coolie, and
The Private Life of an Indian Prince. Mulk Raj is one Indian author whose every book is
highly recommended.

🌷KHUSHWANT SINGH
Khushwant Singh is one of the greatest Indian writers and journalists of all times. A
versatile genius, he has been a lawyer, an information officer, a journalist, an editor and an
MP. He was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 1974, which he returned in 1984 to protest
against Operation Bluestar. His foremost books include Train to Pakistan, Delhi: A Novel,
Why I Supported the Emergency, There is No God and The Sunset Club, amongst others.

🌷RUSKIN BOND
Renowned for his role in promoting children's literature in India, Ruskin Bond is an Indian
of British descent. He was born in Kasauli and grew up in Shimla and Dehradun. His life in
the different hill stations of Himalayas has greatly influenced his stories and writing style.
With a career spanning over 50 years, he has experimented with many different genres -
children's fiction, short stories, novella, non-fiction, romance, etc. He was awarded the
Padma Shri in 1999 and Padma Bhushan in 2014. 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.

🌷MANOHAR MALGONKAR
A contemporary of R.K. Narayan and Mulk Raj Anand, Manohar Malgonkar is largely
ignored in spite of his stellar contribution to Indian writing in English. At a time when
mysteries and thrillers were not very well read in India, Manohar pioneered the genre and
contributed immensely to it with books like Spy in Amber, A Bend in the Ganges, Bandicoot
Run, Cactus Country, etc. If he were writing today, he would surely be an international
name in the mystery and thriller genres, writing and competing with the likes of Jeffrey
Archer, Clive Cussler, and James Patterson.

🌷NIRAD C. CHAUDHURI
He writes with equal flair in English and Bengali. His books are the foremost authority on
the histories and cultures of India during British colonialism. While working as an
accountant in the Indian Army, he began writing for popular magazines and newspapers. In
1951, his masterpiece The Autobiography of an Unknown Indian was published which put
him on the list of greatest Indian writers. The same book, due to its controversial
acknowledgement, ruined his life - he was terminated from Government service, deprived
of his pension and blacklisted as an author. His other notable works include The Continent
of Circe, The Intellectual in India, Hinduism: A Religion to Live By, Thy Hand, Great Anarch!
and Culture in the Vanity Bag.

TOP INDIAN LITERARY FICTION WRITERS

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🌷ARUNDHATI ROY
She rose to international prominence after winning the Man Booker Prize for Fiction in
1998 for her novel The God of Small Things. Roy began her career writing screenplays for
television and movies and went on become one of the most recognised names in Indian
writing in English.
NOTABLE BOOKS:
The Algebra of Infinite Justice
Listening to Grasshoppers
Broken Republic

🌷ARAVIND ADIGA
Aravind Adiga's debut novel The White Tiger won the Man Booker Prize in 2008 when he
was just 33 years old. He was born in Madras and grew up in Mangalore. He began his
career as a financial journalist at Financial Times. He currently lives in Mumbai.
NOTABLE WORKS:
The White Tiger
Between the Assassinations
Last Man in Tower
Selection Day
🌷KIRAN DESAI
Her critically acclaimed first novel Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard was published in 1998.
Her second book The Inheritance of Loss won the 2006 Man Booker Prize. In 2015, she was
listed as one of 20 most influential global Indian women.

🌷VIKRAM SETH
His 1349 page novel, A Suitable Boy, published in 1993 propelled him into the public
limelight. He has been conferred with many awards like Padma Shri, Sahitya Academy
Award, Pravasi Bharatiya Samman and WH Smith Literary Award.
NOTABLE WORKS:
A Suitable Boy
The Golden Gate
An Equal Music
Two Lives

🌷AMITAV GHOSH
He was born in Calcutta and grew up in India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. This influenced his
books, most of which are set around the Bay of Bengal, the Arabian Sea and the Indian
Ocean. He shone to limelight with his book The Circle of Reason which won the Prix
Médicis Etranger, France's top literary award. He was awarded the Padma Shri in 2007.
NOTABLE WORKS:
Sea of Poppies
The Glass Palace
The Calcutta Chromosome
River of Smoke

🌷JEET THAYIL
His first novel Narcopolis, set in the Bombay of 70s and 80s, won the DSC Prize for South
Asian Literature and was also shortlisted for the 2012 Man Booker Prize. His collection of
poems These Errors are Correct was awarded the Sahitya Academy Award.
NOTABLE WORKS:
Narcopolis
Apocalypso
These Errors are Correct

🌷SHASHI THAROOR
A career United Nations official, he is currently a Lok Sabha MP. His monthly column India
Reawakening is published in 80 newspapers around the world. He began writing at the age
of 6 and getting published at the age of 10. His books are an authority on British atrocities
in India.
NOTABLE WORKS:
The Great Indian Novel
The Five Dollar Smile and Other Stories
Show Business
Riot

BEST HISTORIANS AND WRITERS OF HISTORY BOOKS FROM INDIA

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🌷B.B. LAL
He was the Director General of Archaeological Survey of India from 1968 to 1972. He is an
authority on ancient archaeological excavations and has written extensively on the subject.
NOTABLE WORKS:
The Earliest Civilization of South Asia
The Sarasvatī Flows On
Has the Indus Script Been Deciphered?

🌷R.C. MAJUMDAR
Having spent his childhood in poverty, he completed his education with the help of
scholarships. He started his career as a lecturer, then became the professor of history at
the University of Calcutta and later the Principal of the College of Indology, BHU. He has
researched extensively on Vedic and ancient Indian history.
NOTABLE WORKS:
An Advanced History of India
Ancient India
History of the Freedom Movement in India
Corporate Life in Ancient India

🌷SEKHAR BANDYOPADHYAY
Sekhar Bandyopadhyay is Senior Lecturer and Head of the History Programme, School of
History, Philosophy, Political Science and International Relations, Victoria University of
Wellington, New Zealand. His research interests include the social and political history of
modern India, with special reference to Bengal.
NOTABLE WORKS:
From Plassey to Partition
Nationalist Movement in India
🌷BIPAN CHANDRA
An expert on the economic and political history of modern India, Bipan Chandra's book
India’s Struggle for Independence, is a must-read book on India's freedom movement. He
started his career as a lecturer at Hindu College, Delhi and went to become the Chairman
of National Book Trust India.
NOTABLE WORKS:
India’s Struggle for Independence
Nationalism and Colonialism in Modern India
The Epic Struggle
In the Name of Democracy

🌷SRINATH RAGHAVAN
Srinath Raghavan is Senior Fellow at the Centre for Policy Research, New Delhi, specialising
in contemporary and historical aspects of India’s foreign and security policies.
NOTABLE WORKS:
India's War: The Making of Modern South Asia
1971: A Global History of the Creation of Bangladesh
War and Peace in Modern India

SANJEEV SANYAL
Regarded as one of Asia's leading economists, he is currently the Principal Economic
Adviser in the Ministry of Finance, Government of India. In 2010, he was named Young
Global Leader by the World Economic Forum in Davos.
NOTABLE WORKS:
Land of the Seven Rivers: A Brief History of India's Geography
The Indian Renaissance
The Ocean of Churn

🌷ANUJ DHAR
He is the foremost authority on the life of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose. He has published
several books refuting the air crash theory which promulgates that Netaji died in an air
crash in Taiwan.
NOTABLE WORKS:
India's Biggest Cover-up
Back from Dead: Inside the Subhas Bose Mystery
CIA's Eye on South Asia
No Secrets
BEST INDIAN AUTHORS OF RELIGIOUS/MYTHOLOGY BOOKS
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🌷SWAMI VIVEKANANDA
He is most famously known for his speech at the Parliament of Religions, Chicago in 1893.
He vastly contributed to the rise of nationalism in colonial India. Since his childhood, he
was inclined towards spirituality and was the chief disciple of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa.
His books introduced the concepts of Vedanta and Yoga to the Western world.
NOTABLE WORKS:
My Master
Lectures from Colombo to Almora
The East and the West
Complete Works

🌷C. RAJAGOPALACHARI
Rajaji was the last Governor-General of India. He also served as the Governor of West
Bengal, Minister of Home Affairs and Chief Minister of Madras state. Besides his political
accomplishments, he was a gifted writer. His English translations of Ramayana and
Mahabharata are still considered the best. He often regarded his writings as his best
service to the people.
NOTABLE WORKS:
Mahabharata
Ramayana
Upanishads

🌷PRATIBHA RAY
A professor by profession and a writer by choice, Pratibha Ray undoubtedly is a household
name in Odisha and in most parts of India through her translated works.
NOTABLE WORKS:
Yajnaseni: The Story of Draupadi
Adibhoomi
Shilapadma

🌷ASHOK K. BANKER
The author of several bestsellers, Ashok K. Banker's books span many genres - crime
thrillers, literary, mythology. His Epic India Library aims to retell all the myths, legends and
itihasa of the Indian sub-continent with over 70 volumes.
NOTABLE WORKS:
Ramayana (8-Book Series)
Mahabharata (18-Book Series)

🌷DEVDUTT PATTANAIK
An Indian mythologist, he is famous for his work on ancient Indian scriptures.
NOTABLE WORKS:
Myth = Mithya
My Hanuman Chalisa
Vishnu: An Introduction
The Pregnant King
Sita: An Illustrated Retelling of the Ramayana
Shikhandi: And Other Tales They Don't Tell You

BEST INDIAN AUTHORS OF HISTORICAL FICTION BOOKS

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🌷ASHWIN SANGHI
Ashwin's first book, The Rozabal Line, was rejected by 47 literary agents and publishers
which he then self-published under the pseudonym Shawn Haigins, an anagram of his
name. It was later picked up by Westland and since then he has been publishing one
bestseller after another. His book Chanakya's Chant was on AC Nielsen's Top-10 for over
two years.
NOTABLE WORKS:
The Krishna Key
Chanakya's Chant
The Rozabal Line

🌷INDU SUNDARESAN
Indu Sundaresan was born and brought up in India, on Air Force bases around the country.
She grew up on stories from Hindu mythology told by her father and grandfather. Her first
novel, The Twentieth Wife, won the Washington State Book Award in 2003.
NOTABLE WORKS:
Twentieth Wife
The Feast of Roses
Shadow Princess

🌷VINEET BAJPAI
Basically, an author of self-help books and a motivational speaker, Vineet has been
featured by CNBC TV18 in their popular program ‘Young Turks’, where he was featured as
being among the most successful young entrepreneurs of India. With Harappa: Curse of the
Blood River, he has proved himself to be a historical fiction writer to look forward to.

BEST MYTHOlOGICAL FICTION WRITERS IN INDIA

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🌷AMISH TRIPATHI
India's literary pop star, Amish Tripathi is one of the most sold authors in India today. His
books have collectively sold more than 4 million copies, with gross sales of Rs. 120 crores.
Forbes India has ranked Amish among the top 100 celebrities in India.
NOTABLE WORKS:
The Immortals of Meluha
The Secret of the Nagas
The Oath of the Vayuputras

🌷ANAND NEELAKANTAN
He carved out a totally new genre - the counter-telling of mythology. His debut
mythological fictionAsura: Tale of the Vanquished broke into all the top seller charts within
a week of its launch in 2012.
NOTABLE WORKS:
Asura: Tale of the Vanquished
Ajaya: Roll of the Dice
Ajaya: Rise of Kali

🌷CHITRA BANERJEE DIVAKARUNI

Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni is an award-winning and bestselling author, poet, activist and
teacher of writing. Her work has been published in over 50 magazines and her writing has
been included in over 50 anthologies. Several of her works have been made into films and
plays.
NOTABLE WORKS:
The Palace of Illusions
The Mistress of Spices
Queen of Dreams

🌷KRISHNA UDAYASANKAR
Govinda, Krishna’s bestselling debut novel and the first in the Aryavarta Chronicles series
of mytho-historical novels, received critical acclaim.
NOTABLE WORKS:
Govinda
Kaurava
Kurukshetra

🌷VAMSEE JULURI
Vamsee Juluri received his PhD in Communication from the University of Massachusetts in
1999. His research interest is in the globalization of media audiences with an emphasis on
Indian television and cinema, mythology, religion, violence and Gandhian philosophy.
NOTABLE WORKS:
Saraswati's Intelligence
Rearming Hinduism
The Mythologist

THE BEST WRITERS OF ROMANCE NOVELS IN INDIA

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🌷PREETI SHENOY
She has been consistently nominated for the Forbes List of the 100 most influential
celebrities in India since 2013. India Today calls her 'the only woman in the highest-selling
league'.
NOTABLE WORKS:
It's All in the Planets
The Secret Wish List
The One You Cannot Have
It Happens For A Reason

🌷RAVINDER SINGH
Ravinder Singh lost the love of his life in 2007, a few days before their engagement, which
inspired him to take up writing. Today he is one of the foremost Romance writers in India.
NOTABLE WORKS:
I Too Had a Love Story
Can Love Happen Twice?
Like it Happened Yesterday
Your Dreams Are Mine Now

🌷DURJOY DUTTA
Durjoy Datta's first novel, Of Course I Love You! was released in 2008 while he was still in
college. Today he’s the bestselling author of twelve blockbuster novels.
NOTABLE WORKS:
Of Course I Love You
Ohh Yes, I am Single
When Only Love Remains

🌷SUDEEP NAGARKAR
He is the recipient of the 2013 Youth Achievers' Award for being one of the highest selling
romance writers in India. His book 'She Swiped Right into My Heart' was on No. 1 in
Nielsen bestselling charts for more than 10 consecutive weeks. He quit his management
job in 2012 to devote his entire time to writing.
NOTABLE WORKS:
You're Trending in My Dreams
Our Story Needs No Filter
Sorry You're Not My Type

🌷CHETAN BHAGAT
He needs no introduction. Most of his bestselling books are made into movies which
themselves are blockbusters. A noted public figure, he regularly writes and speaks on
youth, career development and current affairs.
NOTABLE WORKS:
Half Girlfriend
One Indian Girl
The 3 Mistakes of My Life

BEST MYSTERY AND THRILLER AUTHORS IN INDIA

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🌷VIKRAM CHANDRA
Not to be confused with the journalist with the same name, Vikram Chandra is the son of
Kamna Chandra, writer of several Hindi films and plays. His debut novel Red Earth and
Pouring Rain won the Commonwealth Writers Prize for Best First Book.
NOTABLE WORKS:
Sacred Games
Red Earth and Pouring Rain

🌷RAVI SUBRAMANIAN
A banker by profession and an author by choice, Ravi Subramanian has written popular
thrillers on banking and bankers including The Banker Trilogy.
NOTABLE WORKS:
If God Was a Banker
The Incredible Banker
The Bankster
God is a Gamer

🌷NOVONEEL CHAKRABORTY
His speciality lies in romantic thrillers that he writes along with philosophy mixed with it.
His first book “A Thing beyond forever” released in 2008 and won the national bestseller
tag in just a few months of its release. Today, he is a full-time writer and scriptwriter.
NOTABLE WORKS:
Marry Me, Stranger
All Yours, Stranger
Forever is a Lie

🌷BHASKAR CHATTOPADHYAY
Bhaskar Chattopadhyay has had a successful corporate career as a statistician and
a management professional. Today he is a successful writer and translator.
NOTABLE WORKS:
Patang
Penumbra
Here Falls the Shadow

🌷SALIL DESAI
An alumnus of FTII, and a former journalist, Salil Desai is an Indian novelist who writes
murder mysteries. He has also produced films, held creative writing workshops and written
a number of short stories.
NOTABLE WORKS:
The Murder of Sonia Raikkonen
3 And A Half Murders
Murder on a Side Street

🌷MADHUMITA BHATTACHARYA
Madhumita Bhattacharyya wrote for The Telegraph in Calcutta for a decade, followed by a
stint in the nonprofit sector.
NOTABLE WORKS:
Dead in a Mumbai Minute
The Masala Murder
Goa Undercover

🌷ANITA NAIR
She was working as a creative director when she wrote her first book, a collection of short
stories called Satyr of the Subway. The book won her a fellowship from the Virginia Center
for the Creative Arts.
NOTABLE WORKS:
Cut Like Wound
Chain of Custody
The Lilac House

TOP-MOST WRITERS OF SCI-FI/FANTASY NOVELS IN INDIA

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🌷SAMIT BASU
The pioneer in Indian sci-fi writing, Samit published his first sci-fi novel, The Simoqin
Prophecies, when he was just 23. His novel Turbulence, published in 2012, introduced him
to the West. Superheronovels.com called it a contender for best superhero novel of all
time.
NOTABLE WORKS:
The Gameworld Trilogy
Turbulence
Resistance

🌷INDRA DAS
Indra has written about books, comics, TV and film for publications including Slant
Magazine, VOGUE India, Elle India, Strange Horizons and Vancouver Weekly. Indra’s debut
novel The Devourers was the winner of the 2017 Lambda Literary Award for Best LGBQT
SF/F/Horror.

🌷SUKANYA VENKATRAGHAVAN
Sukanya Venkatraghavan is an Indian writer, primarily writing fantasy novels. Her first
brush with fantasy was as a film journalist in Mumbai, covering the glamorous yet daunting
world of Bollywood with publications like Filmfare and Marie Claire. Her debut work Dark
Things is a best-selling Fantasy novel. With just one book to her name, she is still a fantasy
writer to look out for.

🌷SHWETA TANEJA
Taneja's journalism career began with the magazines Femina and Men's Health (where she
was the Assistant Editor of the India edition). She continues to write for several print and
online publications including Mint, Discover India, Swarajya, Scroll and The Huffington Post
(India).
NOTABLE WORKS:
The Matsya Curse
Cult of Chaos
The Skull Rosary

🌷VIKRAM BALAGOPAL
Following his training at the New York Film Academy, New York, Vikram Balagopal has
worked in India with various film-makers, and his screenplay was chosen for Mira Nair’s
Maisha Screenwriter’s Lab. He is also a published poet, illustrator and cartoonist for
several magazines.
NOTABLE WORKS:
Simian (Part-1&2)
Savage Blue

🌷SHOBHA NIHALANI
Shobha Nihalani is the author of The Silent Monument. Her debut novel, Karmic Blues, was
translated and published in Denmark. She has worked as a freelance journalist, copywriter,
bookkeeper, English teacher and salesperson.
NOTABLE WORKS:
Nine: Curse of the Kalingan
Nine: Vengeance of the Warrior
Nine: The Rise of the Kalingan

🌷AROON RAMAN
A self-described cubicle dweller by day and writer by night, Mainak is the author of over a
dozen books, some of which have been bestsellers in India and abroad. These books have
been translated into Turkish, Vietnamese, Japanese, French, German and Portuguese.
NOTABLE WORKS:
Zombiestan
Alice in Deadland
03:02
Chronicler of the Undead

BEST CHICK-LIT AUTHORS IN INDIA

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🌷RAJASHREE
She studied direction at the Film and Television Institute of India and has assisted Mansoor
Khan and Sanjay Leela Bhansali. Her critically-acclaimed debut, Trust Me, is the biggest-
selling Indian chick lit novel.
🌷SWATI KAUSHAL
Kaushal was born and brought up in New Delhi and her stories are based on her personal
experiences. An MBA from IIM Calcutta, she has worked with Nestle India Limited and
Nokia Mobile Phones.
NOTABLE WORKS:
A Piece of Cake
A Girl Like Me

🌷ADVAITA KALA
Famous for writing varied female characters in popular Bollywood movies, Advaita Kala is a
hotelier by profession. Be it Vidya Bagchi from Kahaani or Kiara from Anjaana-Anjaani, she
has a knack for creating strong, courageous and independent female characters.
NOTABLE WORKS:
Almost Single
Almost There!

🌷MEENAKSHI REDDY MADHAVAN

Daughter of the famous Malayalam writer and former IAS officer N. S. Madhavan,
Meenakshi is a blogger an a writer.
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