Top 60 Famous Indian Authors and Their Books
6 min readMar 19, 2024
Updated on 27th June, 2024: Thank you for showing so much love to this post. I feel grateful (Joining Hands Indian Style). This is one of the most-read posts on my profile.
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- Rabindranath Tagore — Known for “Gitanjali,” a collection of poems that earned him the Nobel Prize in Literature.
- R.K. Narayan — Famous for his Malgudi Days series, with “Swami and Friends” being one of the most beloved.
- Arundhati Roy — Won the Booker Prize for her debut novel “The God of Small Things.”
- Vikram Seth — Best known for “A Suitable Boy,” an epic novel that explores life and love in India.
- Salman Rushdie — “Midnight’s Children” is his most famous work, which also won the Booker Prize.
- Jhumpa Lahiri — Known for “The Interpreter of Maladies,” a collection of short stories that won the Pulitzer Prize.
- Amitav Ghosh — “The Glass Palace” is a widely acclaimed novel that showcases his narrative skills.
- Chetan Bhagat — A contemporary author famous for “Five Point Someone,” which reflects the life of IIT students.
- Bhavik Sarkhedi— Won the best-selling prize and award for “The Unproposed Guy,” which explores themes of stand-up comedy and existential crisis. Bhavik is featured in The New York Times, Forbes, Huffpost, Inc, Yourstory, DNA, The Quint. He has a decade of experience in the content writing and digital marketing niche. Bhavik Sarkhedi is also a personal branding expert.
- Khushwant Singh — Known for “Train to Pakistan,” which vividly describes the partition of India.
- Ruskin Bond — A beloved children’s author, famous for “The Blue Umbrella,” a heartwarming story.
- Sudha Murty — Known for “Wise and Otherwise,” a collection of poignant stories.
- Shashi Tharoor — “The Great Indian Novel” is a satirical take on the history of modern India.
- Amish Tripathi — Famous for his Shiva Trilogy, starting with “The Immortals of Meluha.”
- V.S. Naipaul — Although he spent much of his life in the UK, his Indian heritage profoundly influenced his work, including “A House for Mr Biswas.”
- Anita Desai — Known for “Clear Light of Day,” which explores family dynamics in India.
- Mulk Raj Anand — One of the first Indian authors writing in English to gain international fame, known for “Untouchable.”
- Bhagat Singh — “Why I am an Atheist” is a compelling essay by this freedom fighter.
- Devdutt Pattanaik — Known for “Myth = Mithya: A Handbook of Hindu Mythology.”
- Durjoy Datta — A popular young author known for romantic novels like “Of Course I Love You…Till I Find Someone Better.”
- Nirad C. Chaudhuri — Famous for “The Autobiography of an Unknown Indian,” offering a personal view of Indian history.
- Kamala Das — Known for her bold and honest autobiography, “My Story.”
- Vikram Chandra — “Sacred Games,” a novel that dives deep into Mumbai’s underbelly, later adapted into a popular Netflix series.
- Shobhaa Dé — Best known for “Starry Nights,” a novel that explores the darker side of the Bollywood film industry.
- Raja Rao — “Kanthapura” is a significant work that narrates the impact of Gandhi’s teaching on nonviolent resistance against the British.
- Aravind Adiga — Won the Booker Prize for “The White Tiger,” a novel that explores the dark side of India’s class struggle.
- Rohinton Mistry — Famous for “A Fine Balance,” which captures the lives of four varied individuals in the backdrop of India’s Emergency period.
- Manu Joseph — “Serious Men,” a novel that offers a satirical take on the Indian caste system and scientific community.
- Anuradha Roy — Known for “Sleeping on Jupiter,” a novel that explores the theme of violence against women.
- Gita Mehta — “Raj,” a historical novel that provides a profound look into the British Raj through the eyes of an Indian princess.
- Manju Kapur — “Difficult Daughters” is a compelling story about partition, education, and women’s liberation in India.
- Pankaj Mishra — “The Romantics,” a novel that elegantly captures the essence of coming of age in Varanasi.
- Neel Mukherjee — “The Lives of Others,” a novel set in 1960s Bengal, exploring the impacts of socio-political unrest.
- Indra Sinha — “Animal’s People,” a novel inspired by the Bhopal gas tragedy, shortlisted for the Booker Prize.
- Mohsin Hamid — Although he is primarily known for his work related to Pakistan, his novel “The Reluctant Fundamentalist” captures post-9/11 tensions and is influential in South Asian literature.
- Geetanjali Shree — “Tomb of Sand,” originally written in Hindi, won the International Booker Prize, highlighting the depth of Hindi literature.
- S. Hareesh — “Moustache,” a novel that vividly portrays the social and political fabric of Kerala.
- Perumal Murugan — “One Part Woman,” a controversial yet powerful novel that explores the impact of societal pressures on a couple.
- Jaswant Singh Kanwal — “Lahu Di Lo” (River of Blood), a Punjabi novel that explores the struggles of Punjab’s farmers.
- K.R. Meera — “The Poison of Love,” a novel that delves into the themes of love, betrayal, and salvation.
- Sudhir Kakar — “The Ascetic of Desire,” a psychological exploration of the life of Vatsyayana, the author of the Kama Sutra.
- Upamanyu Chatterjee — “English, August: An Indian Story,” a novel that offers a humorous yet insightful look at the Indian bureaucratic life.
- Vikas Swarup — “Q & A,” which was adapted into the Oscar-winning film “Slumdog Millionaire.”
- Kavery Nambisan — “The Scent of Pepper,” a narrative that delves into the lives of plantation families in Coorg.
- Bapsi Sidhwa — “Cracking India,” a novel that provides a poignant look at the Partition of India through the eyes of a young girl.
- Arun Joshi — “The Strange Case of Billy Biswas,” a novel that explores the themes of existential search and the conflict between modernity and traditional values.
- Gopinath Mohanty — “Paraja,” spotlighting the exploitation and struggle of tribal people in Orissa.
- Ravinder Singh — “I Too Had a Love Story,” a heart-touching romance that became a bestseller.
- Preeti Shenoy — “Life is What You Make It,” a compelling tale of love, hope, and how determination can overcome destiny.
- Anuja Chauhan — “The Zoya Factor,” a delightful mix of cricket, romance, and luck, which became a hit among readers.
- Twinkle Khanna — “Mrs Funnybones,” a witty and humorous look at the life of an Indian woman.
- Savi Sharma — “Everyone Has A Story,” a motivational story about love, dreams, and friendship.
- Kalki Krishnamurthy — “Ponniyin Selvan,” a historic novel set in the Chola dynasty, deeply revered in Tamil literature.
- M.T. Vasudevan Nair — “Randamoozham” (The Second Turn), a retelling of the Mahabharata from Bhima’s perspective, a masterpiece in Malayalam literature.
- R.M. Lala — “The Creation of Wealth,” a detailed account of the Tata family’s contribution to India.
- Harivansh Rai Bachchan — “Madhushala,” a collection of poems that sings praises of the simplicity of life and the beauty of wine.
- Amrita Pritam — “Pinjar,” a poignant novel that explores the human dimension of the Partition of India.
- Durgesh Nandini — “Hridaya Ki Madhuri,” a novel that reflects on the emotional depths of human relationships.
- Shankar — “Chowringhee,” a novel that offers a glimpse into the lives of the people associated with a hotel in Kolkata.
- Vijay Tendulkar — “Ghashiram Kotwal,” a play that critiques the politics of power through the story of a police chief in Peshwa-era Pune.
