I am always looking for good fiction and non fiction books to keep my voracious readers well satisfied . Lately the challenge has been to find good Indian English Writings. My kids are exposed to the Indian Epics along with the magazines like Chandamama, Gokulam, Indradhanush, Dimdima , Amar Chitra Katha, to name a few. My dad carefully packages these magazines along with Ramayana, Mahabharatha, Tenali Raman Stories and whatever he finds at the time in such a way that the package wouldn't be lost or stolen en route to reaching his loving grandkids; (And once the packages arrive here, how it falls on me to cut through the thick glue and layers and layers of packaging material made of starched clothing and rags is a topic for another post for another day). BUT, these books are consumed in no time by my children and then they are hungry for more. Of course kids re-read them on and off, but they always look for 'new' materials to read.
For the past couple of years, dd has been tasting Indian English literature by modern authors after she got a taste of R.K. Narayan's books. Both kids also have immensely enjoyed the Autobiography: The Story of My Experiments with Truth by Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. Dd in addition has read books such as Rickshaw Girl , The Sunita Experiment by Mitali Perkins; Naming Maya by Uma Krishnaswami; Bindi Babes by Narinder Dhami; Koyal Dark, Mango Sweet, Blue Jasmine, Keeping Corner by Kashmira Sheth; and then enjoyed Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri; Ofcourse we are very glad to have found Salman Rushdie's books a couple of which we have liked--Haroun and the Sea of Stories and Midnight's Children: A Novel. Since it dawned to me pretty late that my dd has been reading and processing some of the novels that were meant for teens, that too for a while now, I had to do something about finding her some more decent titles along with some worthy classics.
After searching high and low, I was able to find some books and authors to list here that are not necessarily geared towards kids (due to societal, relationships and mature issues), but can be enjoyed by a high school level kid and adults. Although I think my dd would be able to enjoy quite a lot from the list, I am also confident of finding something fitting for my ds. And I plan to pick some for my own reading pleasure.
I would suggest that you pre-screen or read the reviews in the links before deciding on the books for your own children. I am listing some modern/contemporary authors along with the famous classic old timers here. I am listing the ones that were translated to English (where it is appropriate) along with the ones written originally in English. Also I have included both fiction and non fiction where relevant. I expect this list to be an ongoing one. I am also listing children's books and stories at the bottom. I must admit that it has been such a wonderful learning experience personally for me to hunt for these resources and I immensely enjoyed doing the same.
See also Indian books and Comics for kids' books
List of TOP Authors today:
Salman Rushdie
Arundathi Roy
Vikram Seth
V.S. Naipaul
Rohinton Mistry
Amitav Gosh
Jhumpa Lahiri
Shashi Tharoor
Upamanyu Chatterji
- Salman Rushdie(1947)
Anglo-Indian novelist, who uses in his works tales from various genres - fantasy, mythology, religion, oral tradition. Rushdie's narrative technique has connected his books to magic realism, which includes such English-language authors as Peter Carey, Angela Carter, E.L. Doctorow, John Fowles, Mark Helprin or Emma Tennant. Salman Rushdie was condemned to death by the former Iranian spiritual leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini on February 14, 1989, after publishing SATANIC VERSES. Naguib Mahfouz, the winner of the 1988 Nobel Prize in Literature, criticized Khomeini for 'intellectual terrorism' but changed his view later and said that Rushdie did not have 'the right to insult anything, especially a prophet or anything considered holy.' The Nobel writer V.S. Naipaul described Khomeini's fatwa as "an extreme form of literary criticism." (read more here).
More on Salman Rushdie and his works here
Midnight's Children: A Novel by Salman RushdieMore on Salman Rushdie and his works here
The Satanic Verses: A Novel by Salman Rushdie(free download here)
The Enchantress of Florence: A Novel by Salman Rushdie
Shalimar the Clown: A Novel by Salman Rushdie
***For complete book reviews of Salman Rushdie, see here
The Enchantress of Florence: A Novel by Salman Rushdie
Shalimar the Clown: A Novel by Salman Rushdie
Shame: A Novel by Salman Rushdie
Haroun and the Sea of Stories by Salman Rushdie
Haroun and the Sea of Stories by Salman Rushdie
- V.S.Naipaul(1932)
The Nobel Prize for literature has gone to someone who deserves it. Like the great masters of the past, V.S. Naipaul tells stories which show us ourselves and the reality we live in. His use of language is as precise as it is beautiful. Simple, strong words, with which to express the humanity of all of us.
Born in Trinidad in 1932, the descendant of indentured labourers shipped from India, this dispossessed child of the Raj has come on a long and marvellous journey. His upbringing familiarised him with every sort of deprivation, material and cultural. A scholarship to Oxford brought him to this country. Nothing sustained him afterwards except the determination, often close to despair, to become a writer. Against all likelihood, a spirit of pure comedy flows through his early books. It is a saving grace.(see more here).
- Amitav Ghosh(1956)
Amitav Ghosh was born in Calcutta in 1956. He studied in Dehra Dun, New Delhi, Alexandria and Oxford and his first job was at the Indian Express newspaper in New Delhi. He earned a doctorate at Oxford before he wrote his first novel, which was published in 1986.( more here Amitav Ghosh's website) His blog Indipepal.
The Shadow Lines (King Penguin)
The Calcutta Chromosome
The Glass Palace
The Hungry Tide
Sea of Poppies
In an Antique Land: History in the Guise of a Traveler's Tale
- Arundathi Roy(1961)
The God of Small Things. ISBN 0-00-655068-1.
The End of Imagination. ISBN 8171308678.
The Cost of Living. ISBN 0375756140. Contains the essays "The Greater Common Good" and "The End of Imagination."
The Greater Common Good. ISBN 8173101213.
The Algebra of Infinite Justice. ISBN 0-00-714949-2. Collection of essays: "The End of Imagination," "The Greater Common Good," "Power Politics", "The Ladies Have Feelings, So...," "The Algebra of Infinite Justice," "War is Peace," "Democracy," "War Talk", and "Come September."
Power Politics. ISBN 0-89608-668-2.
War Talk. ISBN 0-89608-724-7.
Foreword to Noam Chomsky, For Reasons of State. ISBN 1-56584-794-6.
An Ordinary Person's Guide To Empire. ISBN 0-89608-727-1.
Public Power in the Age of Empire Seven Stories Press, 2004. ISBN 1-58322-682-6.
The Checkbook and the Cruise Missile: Conversations with Arundhati Roy. Interviews by
David ISBN 0-89608-710-7.
Introduction to 13 December, a Reader: The Strange Case of the Attack on the Indian
Parliament. ISBN 014310182X.
The Shape of the Beast: Conversations with Arundhati Roy ISBN 9780670082070.
The End of Imagination. ISBN 8171308678.
The Cost of Living. ISBN 0375756140. Contains the essays "The Greater Common Good" and "The End of Imagination."
The Greater Common Good. ISBN 8173101213.
The Algebra of Infinite Justice. ISBN 0-00-714949-2. Collection of essays: "The End of Imagination," "The Greater Common Good," "Power Politics", "The Ladies Have Feelings, So...," "The Algebra of Infinite Justice," "War is Peace," "Democracy," "War Talk", and "Come September."
Power Politics. ISBN 0-89608-668-2.
War Talk. ISBN 0-89608-724-7.
Foreword to Noam Chomsky, For Reasons of State. ISBN 1-56584-794-6.
An Ordinary Person's Guide To Empire. ISBN 0-89608-727-1.
Public Power in the Age of Empire Seven Stories Press, 2004. ISBN 1-58322-682-6.
The Checkbook and the Cruise Missile: Conversations with Arundhati Roy. Interviews by
David ISBN 0-89608-710-7.
Introduction to 13 December, a Reader: The Strange Case of the Attack on the Indian
Parliament. ISBN 014310182X.
The Shape of the Beast: Conversations with Arundhati Roy ISBN 9780670082070.
- Jhumpa Lahiri(1967)
Jhumpa Lahiri was born in London, England in 1967. She is the daughter of parents who emigrated from India . She was then raised in Rhode Island where her father worked as a librarian and her mother as a teacher. Lahiri received a B.A in English Literature at Barnard College , and later received her M.A in English, Creative writing, and Comparative Studies in Literature and the Arts, as well as a Ph.D in Renaissance Studies from Boston University . Her debut work, Interpreter of Maladies, won several awards, including the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 2000. Her second publication, The Namesake , was her first novel and spent several weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. In addition to receiving the 2000 Pulitzer Prize, she has also received a PEN/Hemmingway Award, an O. Henry Award, The New Yorker's best debut of the year award, and an Addison Metcalf award from the American academy of arts and letters. Her books have also been recognized as the New York Times Notable Book, Publishers Weekly Best Books of the Year, a New England book show selection, Los Angeles Times best book, and Los Angeles Times book prize Finalist. Currently, Lahiri lives in New York City with her husband and son and is working hard on her second novel.(read more here).
***Jhumpa between two cultures(article)
Short stories:
Interpreter of Maladies (1999)
Unaccustomed Earth (2008)
Novel:
The Namesake (2003)
"Nobody's Business" (11 March 2001, The New Yorker) ("The Best American Short Stories 2002")
"Hell-Heaven" (24 May 2004, The New Yorker)
"Once In A Lifetime" (1 May 2006, The New Yorker)
"Year's End" (24 December 2007, The New Yorker)
- Vikram Seth(1952)
Born in 1952 in Calcutta, India, Vikram Seth was educated at Corpus Christi College, Oxford, Stanford University and Nanjing University. He has traveled widely and lived in Britain, California, India and China. His first novel, The Golden Gate: A Novel in Verse (1986), describes the experiences of a group of friends living in California. His acclaimed epic of Indian life, A Suitable Boy (1993), won the WH Smith Literary Award and the Commonwealth Writers Prize (Overall Winner, Best Book). Set in India in the early 1950s, it is the story of a young girl, Lata, and her search for a husband. An Equal Music (1999), is the story of a violinist haunted by the memory of a former lover.(read more here).
A Suitable Boy: A Novel (Perennial Classics) by Vikram Seth
An Equal Music: A Novel by Vikram Seth
The Golden Gate by Vikram Seth
Two Lives: A Memoir by Vikram Seth
Beastly Tales from Here and There by Vikram Seth
From Heaven Lake Travels Through Sinkiang and Tibet (Abacus Books) by Vikram Seth
The Humble Administrator's Garden by Vikram Seth
Arion and the Dolphin by Vikram Seth and Jane Ray
Her mother is Anita Desai, author of many books, three of which have been short listed for the Booker Prize (Clear Light of Day (1980), In Custody (1984) and Fasting, Feasting (1999). Anita Desai currently teaches writing at MIT. Her maternal grandmother was German, but left before the World War II and never returned. Her grandfather was a refugee from Bangledesh. Her paternal grandparents came from Gujarat, and her grandfather was educated in England. Although Kiran has not lived in India since she was 14, she returns to the family home in Delhi every year. (read more here).
An Equal Music: A Novel by Vikram Seth
The Golden Gate by Vikram Seth
Two Lives: A Memoir by Vikram Seth
Beastly Tales from Here and There by Vikram Seth
From Heaven Lake Travels Through Sinkiang and Tibet (Abacus Books) by Vikram Seth
The Humble Administrator's Garden by Vikram Seth
Arion and the Dolphin by Vikram Seth and Jane Ray
- Kiran Desai (1971)
Kiran Desai was born in India in 1971, she lived in Delhi until she was 14, then spent a year in England, before her family moved to the USA. She completed her schooling in Massachusetts before attending Bennington College; Hollins University and Columbia University, where she studied creative writing, taking two years off to write Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard.
Her mother is Anita Desai, author of many books, three of which have been short listed for the Booker Prize (Clear Light of Day (1980), In Custody (1984) and Fasting, Feasting (1999). Anita Desai currently teaches writing at MIT. Her maternal grandmother was German, but left before the World War II and never returned. Her grandfather was a refugee from Bangledesh. Her paternal grandparents came from Gujarat, and her grandfather was educated in England. Although Kiran has not lived in India since she was 14, she returns to the family home in Delhi every year. (read more here).
- Aravind Adiga(1974)
Aravind Adiga was born in Madras (now Chennai) in 1974 to Dr. K. Madhava Adiga and Usha Adiga, Kannadiga parents hailing from Mangalore, Karnataka. He grew up in Mangalore and studied at Canara High School, then at St. Aloysius High School, where he completed his SSLC in 1990. He secured first rank in the state in SSLC[5][4]. After emigrating to Sydney, Australia, with his family, he studied at James Ruse Agricultural High School. He studied English literature at Columbia College, Columbia University in New York, where he studied with Simon Schama and graduated as salutatorian in 1997.[6] He also studied at Magdalen College, Oxford, where one of his tutors was Hermione Lee.(read more here).
The White Tiger: A Novel (Man Booker Prize) by Aravind Adiga
Between the Assassinations by Aravind Adiga
- Rohinton Mistry(1952)
Rohinton Mistry was born in Bombay (now Mumbai), India in 1952. He graduated with a degree in Mathematics from the University of Bombay in 1974, and emigrated to Canada with his wife the following year, settling in Toronto, where he worked as a bank clerk, studying English and Philosophy part-time at the University of Toronto and completing his second degree in 1982.
Mistry wrote his first short story, 'One Sunday', in 1983, winning First Prize in the Canadian Hart House Literary Contest (an award he also won the following year for his short story 'Auspicious Occasion'). It was followed in 1985 by the Annual Contributors' Award from the Canadian Fiction Magazine, and afterwards, with the aid of a Canada Council grant, he left his job to become a full-time writer. (read more here).
Mistry wrote his first short story, 'One Sunday', in 1983, winning First Prize in the Canadian Hart House Literary Contest (an award he also won the following year for his short story 'Auspicious Occasion'). It was followed in 1985 by the Annual Contributors' Award from the Canadian Fiction Magazine, and afterwards, with the aid of a Canada Council grant, he left his job to become a full-time writer. (read more here).
A Fine Balance (Oprah's Book Club) by Rohinton Mistry
Family Matters by Rohinton Mistry
Swimming Lessons: and Other Stories from Firozsha Baag by Rohinton Mistry
The Scream by Rohinton Mistry and Tony Urquhart
Such a Long Journey by Rohinton Mistry
- Upamanyu Chatterji (1959)
Upamanyu Chatterjee, born in 1959 at Patna, Bihar, is one of the new talented Indian writers of the contemporary generation. After studying English literature at Delhi University, he joined the Indian Administrative Service in 1983. In 1990, he lived as Writer in Residence, at the University of Kent, U.K. In 1998, he was appointed Director (Languages) in the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India.(see more here).
English August: An Indian Story
The Last Burden by Upamanyu Chatterjee
- R.K.Narayan(1906-2001)
(One of our personal favorites. Dh and I grew up reading his books and watching the shows 'Malgudi Days' . We highly recommend them).
"But the greatest point about Narayan’s writing is its use of language. His talent goes beyond mere aptitude with words or a maverick Malgudi. Narayan stands for the immense flexibility, adaptability and élan of English; he uses the language of Bible, Shakespeare and American Constitution to an amazing effect while dealing in subjects vastly removed. His creatures squat on the floor for meals, wear dhoti with a coat, read the Ramayana, regard mothers as sacred, rebel against fathers, marry for love over money, and aspire for eternal life. The author writes all this without a single footnote, without any discernible twang of the foreign, with a sense of disarming familiarity.
Narayan represents the synthesis that is English, a language evolving through the synergy of civilizations, known and unknown; a language in continual quest.
"But the greatest point about Narayan’s writing is its use of language. His talent goes beyond mere aptitude with words or a maverick Malgudi. Narayan stands for the immense flexibility, adaptability and élan of English; he uses the language of Bible, Shakespeare and American Constitution to an amazing effect while dealing in subjects vastly removed. His creatures squat on the floor for meals, wear dhoti with a coat, read the Ramayana, regard mothers as sacred, rebel against fathers, marry for love over money, and aspire for eternal life. The author writes all this without a single footnote, without any discernible twang of the foreign, with a sense of disarming familiarity.
Narayan represents the synthesis that is English, a language evolving through the synergy of civilizations, known and unknown; a language in continual quest.
R.K.Narayan passed away on May 13, 2001. Malgudi lives on. And so does his writing." (Read more here).
Malgudi Days (Penguin Classics) by R. K. Narayan and Jhumpa LahiriSwami and Friends, The Bachelor of Arts, The Dark Room, The English Teacher (Everyman's Library Classics & Contemporary Classics) by R. K. Narayan
The Guide: A Novel (Penguin Classics) by R. K. Narayan and Michael Gorra
A Tiger for Malgudi (Twentieth-Century Classics) by R. K. Narayan
The Grandmother's Tale and Selected Stories by R. K. Narayan
The Man-Eater of Malgudi (Twentieth-Century Classics) by R. K. Narayan
Gods, Demons, and Others by R. K. Narayan and R. K. Laxman
The Mahabharata: A Shortened Modern Prose Version of the Indian Epic by R. K. Narayan
The Vendor of Sweets (Penguin Twentieth-Century Classics) by R. K. Narayan
Under the Banyan Tree and Other Stories (Penguin Modern Classics) by R.K. Narayan
The Financial Expert (Phoenix Fiction Series) by R. K. Narayan
Memories of Malgudi: The Dark Room, The English Teacher, Waiting for the Mahatma, The Guide and The World of Nagaraja by R. K. Narayan and S. Krishnan
Swami and Friends by R.K. Narayan
The Guide: A Novel by R. K. Narayan
The Painter of Signs (Penguin Classics) by R. K. Narayan and Monica
(from wiki more below)
Mr Sampath - The Printer of Malgudi
Waiting for the Mahatma
The Dark Room
The Financial Expert
Swami and Friends
The Guide
The Man-Eater of Malgudi
The Vendor of Sweets
The Painter of Signs
A Tiger for Malgudi
Gods, Demons and Others
The Ramayana
The Mahabharata
The World of Nagaraj
The Bachelor of Arts
Talkative Man
The English Teacher
(Also check below link)
From amazon list of Faves
Also check Malgudi Days at the Internet Movie Database
- Nirad C. Choudhuri(1887-1999)
The Autobiography of an Unknown Indian
- Rabindranath Tagore(1861-1901)
Greatest writer in modern Indian literature, Bengali poet, novelist, educator, who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1913. Tagore was awarded the knighthood in 1915, but he surrendered it in 1919 as a protest against the Massacre of Amritsar, where British troops killed some 400 Indian demonstrators protesting colonial laws. Tagore's reputation in the West as a mystic has perhaps mislead his Western readers to ignore his role as a reformer and critic of colonialism. "When one knows thee, then alien there is none, then no door is shut. Oh, grant me my prayer that I may never lose touch of the one in the play of the many." (from Gitanjali) Rabindranath Tagore was born in Calcutta in a wealthy and prominent Brahman family. His father was Maharishi Debendranath Tagore, a religious reformer and scholar. His mother Sarada Devi, died when he was very young - her body carried through a gate to a place where it was burned and it was the moment when he realized that she will never come back. Tagore's grandfather had established a huge financial empire for himself, and financed public projects, such as Calcutta Medical College. The Tagores were pioneers of Bengal Renaissance and tried to combine traditional Indian culture with and Western ideas. However, in My Reminiscenes Tagore mentions that it was not until the age of ten when he started to use socks and shoes. Servants beat the children regularly. All the children contributed significantly to Bengali literature and culture. Tagore, the youngest, started to compose poems at the age of eight. He received his early education first from tutors and then at a variety of schools. Among them were Bengal Academy where he studied Bengali history and culture, and University College, London, where he studied law but left after a year without completing his studies. Tagore did not like the weather. Once he gave a beggar a gold coin - it was more than the beggar had expected and he returned it. In England Tagore started to compose the poem Bhagna Hridaj (a broken heart). (see more here).
Short Stories from Rabindranath Tagore by Rabindranath TagoreSelected Short Stories of Rabindranath Tagore by Rabindranath Tagore
Mystic Moods: Short Stories of Rabindranath Tagore by Rabindranath Tagore
She: Short Stories of Rabindranath Tagore by Rabindranath Tagore
The Home and the World & 16 Short Stories (Collected Works of Rabindranath Tagore, Volume 6) by Rabindranath Tagore
The Cabuliwallah and Other Stories (Rupa Kahani) by Tagore
Glimpses of Bengal life,: Being short stories from the Bengali of Rabindranath Tagore by Rabindranath Tagore
Tales from Tagore (Macmillan's stories to remember) by Rabindranath Tagore
The Hidden Treasure and Other Stories by Rabindranath Tagore
Selected Poems (Tagore, Rabindranath) (Penguin Classics) by Rabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore: An Anthology by Rabindranath Tagore
The Prince and Other Modern Fables by Rabindranath Tagore
The Home and the World (Penguin Classics) by Rabindranath Tagore
The Heart of God: Prayers of Rabindranath Tagore by Rabindranath Tagore
5 Indian Masters by Rabindranath Tagore
Show Yourself to My Soul: A New Translation of Gitanjali by Rabindranath Tagore
The Tagore Omnibus: Volume 1 (Penguin Classics) by Rabindranath Tagore
Gitanjali: A Collection of Indian Songs by Rabindranath Tagore
Selected Writings for Children (Oxford Tagore Translations) by Rabindranath Tagore
Selected Letters of Rabindranath Tagore (University of Cambridge Oriental Publications) by Rabindranath Tagore
Gandhi An Autobiography: The Story of My Experiments With Truth by Mohandas Karamchand (Mahatma) Gandhi
Mahatma Gandhi: Selected Political Writings by Mahatma Gandhi
The Penguin Gandhi Reader by Mohandas K. Gandhi
The Bhagavad Gita According to Gandhi by Mahatma Gandhi
All Men are Brothers(read online)
Selections from Gandhi(read online)
The Mind of Mahatma(read online)
Ethical Religion(read online)
Glimpses of World History by Jawaharlal Nehru
- Sarojini Naidu(1879-1949)
Sarojini Naidu was truly one of the gems of the 20th century India. She was known by the sobriquet "The Nightingale of India". Her contribution was not confined to the fields of politics only but she was also a renowned poet. The play "Maher Muneer", written by Naidu at an early age, fetched a scholarship to study abroad. She briefed the struggles of freedom for independence to the political stalwarts of European nations, she had visited. She married Dr. Muthyala Govindarajulu Naidu, a South India. The marriage took place at a time when inter-caste marriage was not acceptable in the society. Her acts helped in raising many eyebrows. In 1905, a collection of poems, she had composed, was published under the title of "Golden Threshold".(more here)
The Golden Threshold (Dodo Press) by Sarojini Naidu
The Broken Wing: Songs Of Love, Death, And Destiny, 1915-1916 (1917) by Sarojini Naidu
The Mahatma and the poetess: Being a selection of letters exchanged between Gandhiji and Sarojini Naidu (Bhavan's book university) by Gandhi
The sceptred flute; songs of India by Sarojini Naidu by Sarojini
Sarojini Naidu, selected poetry and prose by Sarojini Naidu
The sceptred flute;: Songs of India, by Sarojini Naidu
The feather of the dawn;: [poems] by Sarojini Naidu
The bird of time;: Songs of life, death & the spring, by Sarojini Naidu
All poems of Sarojini Naidu here
Short Story Archives
The Broken Wing: Songs Of Love, Death, And Destiny, 1915-1916 (1917) by Sarojini Naidu
The Mahatma and the poetess: Being a selection of letters exchanged between Gandhiji and Sarojini Naidu (Bhavan's book university) by Gandhi
The sceptred flute; songs of India by Sarojini Naidu by Sarojini
Sarojini Naidu, selected poetry and prose by Sarojini Naidu
The sceptred flute;: Songs of India, by Sarojini Naidu
The feather of the dawn;: [poems] by Sarojini Naidu
The bird of time;: Songs of life, death & the spring, by Sarojini Naidu
All poems of Sarojini Naidu here
Short Story Archives
- Raja Rao(1908-2006)
Indian writer of novels and short stories, whose works are deeply rooted in Brahmanism and Hinduism. Raja Rao's semi-autobiographical novel, The Serpent and the Rope (1960), is a story of a search for spiritual truth in Europe and India. It established him as one of the finest Indian stylists. "Writing is my dharma," he once said.
I hear you saying that liberation is possible
and that Socratic wisdom
is identical with your guru's.
No, Raja, I must start from what I am.
I am those monsters which visit my dreams
and reveal to me my hidden essence.
(Czeslaw Milosz in 'To Raja Rao')
Raja Rao was born on November 8, 1908 in Hassan, in the state of Mysore in south India, into a well-known Brahman family. His native language was Kanarese, but his post-graduate education was in France, and all his publications in book form were in English. Like the Nigerian novelist Chinua Achebe, writing in English, Rao was concerned with language and consciousness. In the foreword to Kanthapura (1938) he admitted the difficulties in using "a language that is not one's own the spirit that is one's own," and conveying "the various shades and omissions of certain thought-movement that looks maltreated in an alien language."(more here)
Kanthapura (Oxford India Paperbacks) by Raja Rao
The Cow of The Barricades and Other Stories by Raja Rao
The Serpent and the Rope by Raja Rao
The cat and Shakespeare: A tale of modern India by Raja Rao
The Chessmaster and His Moves by Raja Rao Comrade Kirilov, 1976
On the Ganga Ghat by Raja Rao
Best of Raja Rao by Makarand R. Paranjape
- Premchand (1880-1936)
The Illustrated Premchand: Selected Short Stories (Oxford India Collection) by Munshi Premchand
The World of Premchand: Selected Short Stories by Premchand
The Oxford India Premchand (Oxford India Collection) by Premchand, David Rubin
The World of Premchand: Selected Short Stories by Premchand
The Oxford India Premchand (Oxford India Collection) by Premchand, David Rubin
Widows, Wives and Other Heroines: Twelve Stories by Premchand by Premchand and David Rubin
Nirmala (Oxford India paperbacks) by Premchand and Alok Rai
The Gift of a Cow, Second Edition: A Translation from the Hindi Novel by Premchand
The Second Wife (Nirmala). by Premchand, Translated from Hindi by David Rubin by Premchand and Rubin
The Great Stories of Munshi Premchand by Premchand
Stories From Premchand by Munshi Premchand
Nirmala (Oxford India paperbacks) by Premchand and Alok Rai
The Gift of a Cow, Second Edition: A Translation from the Hindi Novel by Premchand
The Second Wife (Nirmala). by Premchand, Translated from Hindi by David Rubin by Premchand and Rubin
The Great Stories of Munshi Premchand by Premchand
Stories From Premchand by Munshi Premchand
Courtesans' Quarter (Classics from the South Asia and the Near East) by Munshi Premchand
Godan; A Novel of Peasant India by PREMCHAND and ed. Jai Ratan
More books here
For anyone interested in looking up at his Hindi and Urdu books, take a look at this site.
Godan; A Novel of Peasant India by PREMCHAND and ed. Jai Ratan
More books here
For anyone interested in looking up at his Hindi and Urdu books, take a look at this site.
- Dharamvir Bharati(1926-1997)
Dr. Dharamveer Bharti was born on 25th December 1926 in Prayaag. He completed his M.A. from the Prayaag University with a first class and later did his doctoral thesis under the guidance of Dr. Dheerendra Varma. He was awarded the Padmashri in 1972. In 1984, he received the Haldi Ghati Shreshth Patrakaarita Puraskaar by the Maharana Mewad Foundation. In 1988, he was awarded the Sarvashreshth Naatakkaar (Best playwright) Puraskaar from the Sangeet Naatak Academy- Delhi. He received the Bhaarath Bhaarthi Award from the Uttarpradesh Hindi Sansthaan in 1989. The Maharashtra Government gave him the title of Maharashtra Gaurav in 1990 and in 1994; the Birla Foundation honoured him with the Vyaas Samman.(more here)
Andha Yug by Dharamvir Bharati and Alok Bhalla
The other notable book, not translated is Gunaho Ka Devta
Andha Yug by Dharamvir Bharati and Alok Bhalla
The other notable book, not translated is Gunaho Ka Devta
- Nirmal Verma(1929-2005)
A well-known name in Hindi literature, Nirmal Verma is known mainly for his fictional works. Born on April 3, 1929, he obtained a M.A. in history from Delhi University. He studied Czech at the Oriental Institute in Prague, and has been a Fellow with the International Institute for Asian Studies. Nirmal Verma is a recipient of India's highest literary award, the Jnanpith, and his short stories Kavve aura kala pani won the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1985. Some of his more popular novels are Antima aranya, Rata ka riportara, Eka citaraha sukha, and Lala tina ki chata.(read more here).
The Last Exit by Nirmal VermaThe Crows of Deliverance: Stories by Nirmal
The World Elsewhere and Other Stories by Nirmal Verma
Mayan Darpan and Other Stories (Three Crowns Books) by Nirmal Verma
Red Tin Roof by Nirmal Verma and Kuldip Singh
Such a big yearning & other stories by Nirmal Verma
The lost stream by Nirmal Verma (short story)
A Day's Guest by Nirmal Verma (short story)
Dhage (धागे) by Nirmal Verma(Hindi)
- Mulk Raj Anand(1905-2004)
Indian novelist, short-story writer, and art critic writing in English. Mulk Raj Anand was among the first writers to render Punjabi and Hindustani idioms into English. Called the Zola or Balzac of India, Anand drew a realistic and sympathetic portrait of the poor of his country. With Raja Rao and R.K. Narayan he has been regarded as one the "founding fathers" of the Indian English novel......(more here).
Selected short stories of Mulk Raj Anand by Mulk Raj Anand
Novels of Mulk Raj Anand by R. K. Dhawan
Conversations in Bloomsbury The Village Across the Black Waters The Sword and the Sickle The Private Life of an Indian Prince (more works here).
- Vijay Tendulkar (1920-2008)
Vijay Tendulkar, one of India's most influential playwrights, died on May 19 in Pune. He was among the handful of playwrights along with Girish Karnad, Habib Tanvir, and Badal Sircar who gave a new content and form to Indian theater, writing about contemporary issues and themes in a novel way.
Tendulkar's prolific writing over a period of five decades includes thirty full-length plays, seven one-acts, six collections of children's plays, four of short stories, two novels, and seventeen film scripts. He was, in my view, a giant among these modern Indian playwrights, both in terms of the volume and quality of his dramatic creations -- a subtle observer of Indian social reality, a humanist, an innovative playwright who continuously experimented with form and structures. He was known for his insightful "objectification" in the development of multi-layered characters whose existential angst was held up against the social crises of the society.(read more here).
Silence! The Court Is in Session.Ghashiram Kotwal, 1984 ISBN 817046210X.
The Churning, 1985 ISBN 0856471208.
The Threshold, 1985 ISBN 0861320964.
Five Plays (Various Translators) 1992 ISBN 0195637364.
The Last Days of Sardar Patel and The Mime Players: Two Screen Plays New Delhi, Permanent Black, 2001 ISBN 8178240181.
Modern Indian Drama: An Anthology Sāhitya Akademi, 2001 ISBN 8126009241.
Mitrāchi Goshta : A Friend’s Story: A Play in Three Acts Gowri Ramnarayan (Translator). New Delhi, Oxford University Press, 2001 ISBN 0195653173.
Kanyādān, Oxford University Press, 2002 ISBN 0195663802.
Collected Plays in Translation ISBN 0195662091.
The Cyclist and His Fifth Woman: Two Plays by Vijay Tendulkar Balwant Bhaneja (Translator), 2006 Oxford India Paperbacks ISBN 0195676408.
***South Asian Women Writers
*** Indian Children's Authors
Vandana Singh is a common Indian female name. So, just to clarify, I am not Vandana Singh the plant pathologist, the chiropractor, or the fashion designer. Despite this, I am many things, not least of which are Earthling, human, female, and Indian, but this page is devoted to one aspect of my being: my writing. I'm a writer of speculative fiction, which includes science fiction and fantasy. I love this genre for its imaginative richness, its vast canvas, and the sophistication with which its best practitioners wield their pens. Science fiction and fantasy have come a long way from the lurid caricatures of ray-guns and little green men (which, by the way, I still insist on enjoying, for the most part); in fact no other genre asks deeper questions about the human condition or sets up literary thought experiments about our interaction with the physical world, including other worlds and new technologies.
(more here)
(more here)
The Woman Who Thought She Was A Planet and other stories (ISBN 9788189884048) includes two previously unpublished stories: "Conservation Laws" and "Infinities" (March 2008)
***Children's
Younguncle Comes to Town (March 2004)
Younguncle in the Himalayas by Vandana Singh and B.M. Kamath(2005)
The Woman Who Though She Was A Planet
***Program for teaching Writing
***Children's
Younguncle Comes to Town (March 2004)
Younguncle in the Himalayas by Vandana Singh and B.M. Kamath(2005)
The Woman Who Though She Was A Planet
***Program for teaching Writing
Naming Maya by Uma Krishnaswami
Monsoon by Uma Krishnaswami (Picture book)
The Broken Tusk: Stories of the Hindu God Ganesha by Uma Krishnaswami
The Happiest Tree: A Yoga Story by Uma Krishnaswami (picture book)
Bringing Asha Home by Uma Krishnaswami (picture book)
The Closet Ghosts by Uma Krishnaswami (picture book)
Many Windows by Uma Krishnaswami
Shower of Gold: Women and Girls in the Stories of India by Uma Krishnaswami
Holi (Rookie Read-About Holidays) by Uma Krishnaswami
Chachaji's Cup by Uma Krishnaswami (picture book)
Stories of the Flood by Uma Krishnaswami
Hello flower by Uma Krishnaswami
Remembering Grandpa by Uma Krishnaswami
Monsoon by Uma Krishnaswami (Picture book)
The Broken Tusk: Stories of the Hindu God Ganesha by Uma Krishnaswami
The Happiest Tree: A Yoga Story by Uma Krishnaswami (picture book)
Bringing Asha Home by Uma Krishnaswami (picture book)
The Closet Ghosts by Uma Krishnaswami (picture book)
Many Windows by Uma Krishnaswami
Shower of Gold: Women and Girls in the Stories of India by Uma Krishnaswami
Holi (Rookie Read-About Holidays) by Uma Krishnaswami
Chachaji's Cup by Uma Krishnaswami (picture book)
Stories of the Flood by Uma Krishnaswami
Hello flower by Uma Krishnaswami
Remembering Grandpa by Uma Krishnaswami
***Article about Santhini
***Children's
***Children's
Animal Folk Tales from Around the World: v. 1 by Santhini Govindan
Garden Pixie and Other Stories by Santhini Govindan
71 Golden Tales of Panchatantra by Santhini Govindan
Ice-Cream Dragon and Other Stories by Santhini Govindan
William Learns a Lesson by Santhini Govindan
Also see Meenakshi's Magic Hands
(from elsewhere)
The Angel Who Stammered
The Ice-ceram Dragon And Other Stories
Animal Folk Tales From Around The World - Vol.1,2, 3
71 Golden Tales Of Panchatantra (coll-1,2,3)
Garden Pixie and Other Stories
Where does the Wind Live By
Chocolate Mountain Stories and Poems
Giant Who Looked For His Temper
Counting Clouds
Vijayanagara Lost Kingdom: Lost and Found
Magic Umbrella and Other Stories
Garden Pixie and Other Stories by Santhini Govindan
71 Golden Tales of Panchatantra by Santhini Govindan
Ice-Cream Dragon and Other Stories by Santhini Govindan
William Learns a Lesson by Santhini Govindan
Also see Meenakshi's Magic Hands
(from elsewhere)
The Angel Who Stammered
The Ice-ceram Dragon And Other Stories
Animal Folk Tales From Around The World - Vol.1,2, 3
71 Golden Tales Of Panchatantra (coll-1,2,3)
Garden Pixie and Other Stories
Where does the Wind Live By
Chocolate Mountain Stories and Poems
Giant Who Looked For His Temper
Counting Clouds
Vijayanagara Lost Kingdom: Lost and Found
Magic Umbrella and Other Stories
***Check out her site here
***Vernonics's Lounge
***Guest Column
***Vernonics's Lounge
***Guest Column
***Children's
Novelist, short-story writer and children's author Anita Desai was born in 1937 in Mussoorie, India. She was educated at Delhi University. Her novels include Fire on the Mountain (1977), which won the Winifred Holtby Memorial Prize, and Clear Light of Day (1980), In Custody (1984) and Fasting, Feasting (1999), each of which was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. In Custody was made into a film by Merchant Ivory productions. Her children's book The Village by the Sea (1982), won the Guardian Children's Fiction Award. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, the American Academy of Arts and Letters, Girton College, Cambridge and Clare Hall, Cambridge. Her most recent novel is The Zig Zag Way (2004), set in 20th century Mexico.(read more here).
The Zigzag Way by Anita Desai(2004)Games at Twilight and Other Stories (King Penguin) by Anita Desai
Diamond Dust and Other Stories (2000)
Fasting, Feasting by Anita Desai (1999)
Village by the Sea (New Windmills) by Anita Desai
Journey to Ithaca by Anita Desai (1995)
Baumgartner's Bombay by Anita Desai (1988)
In Custody (1984)
The Village By The Sea (1982)
Clear Light of Day (1980)
Games at Twilight (1978)
In Custody by Anita Desai
Fire on the Mountain (1977)
Cry, the Peacock by Anita Desai (1963)
The Conch Bearer (Brotherhood of the Conch) by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni(Ages 9-12)
Sister of My Heart: A Novel
The Vine of Desire: A Novel by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
The Mistress of Spices: A Novel by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
The Palace of Illusions: A Novel by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
Queen of Dreams by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
The Unknown Errors of Our Lives: Stories by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
The Mirror of Fire and Dreaming (Brotherhood of the Conch) by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni (Ages 9-12)
Arranged Marriage: Stories by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
Full Blooded Fantasy by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
Neela: Victory Song (Girls of Many Lands) by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni (Ages 9-12)
Sister of My Heart: A Novel
The Vine of Desire: A Novel by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
The Mistress of Spices: A Novel by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
The Palace of Illusions: A Novel by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
Queen of Dreams by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
The Unknown Errors of Our Lives: Stories by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
The Mirror of Fire and Dreaming (Brotherhood of the Conch) by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni (Ages 9-12)
Arranged Marriage: Stories by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
Full Blooded Fantasy by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
Neela: Victory Song (Girls of Many Lands) by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni (Ages 9-12)
Mistress: A Novel by Anita Nair
The Better Man: A Novel by Anita Nair
Where the Rain is Born: Writings About Kerala by Anita Nair
Puffin Book of Magical Indian Myths, The by Anita Nair
Kathakali by Anita Nair
How Parvati Won the Heart of Shiva by Harish Johari
How Ganesh Got His Elephant Head by Harish Johari
Little Krishna by Harish Johari
The Monkeys and the Mango Tree: Teaching Stories of the Saints and Sadhus of India by Harish Johari
Ayurvedic Healing Cuisine by Harish Johari
How Ganesh Got His Elephant Head by Harish Johari
Little Krishna by Harish Johari
The Monkeys and the Mango Tree: Teaching Stories of the Saints and Sadhus of India by Harish Johari
Ayurvedic Healing Cuisine by Harish Johari
Invisible Lives by Anjali Banerjee
Looking for Bapu by Anjali Banerjee(Ages: 9-12)
Maya Running by Anjali Banerjee (YA)
The Silver Spell: Knights of the Silver Dragon (Dungeons and Dragons: Knights of the Silver Dragon) by Anjali Banerjee
Imaginary Men by Anjali Banerjee
Bringing Back Grandfather by Anjali Banerjee ( Ages: 9-12)
***Read Reviews of all her works here.
Looking for Bapu by Anjali Banerjee(Ages: 9-12)
Maya Running by Anjali Banerjee (YA)
The Silver Spell: Knights of the Silver Dragon (Dungeons and Dragons: Knights of the Silver Dragon) by Anjali Banerjee
Imaginary Men by Anjali Banerjee
Bringing Back Grandfather by Anjali Banerjee ( Ages: 9-12)
***Read Reviews of all her works here.
The Mango Season by Amulya Malladi (Adult, HS, Teens)
A Breath of Fresh Air by Amulya Malladi (HS/Teens/Adult)
Serving Crazy with Curry by Amulya Malladi (HS/Adult/HS)
Song of the Cuckoo Bird: A Novel by Amulya Malladi (Teens/Adult/HS)
The Sound of Language: A Novel by Amulya Malladi (Teens/Adult/HS)
A Breath of Fresh Air by Amulya Malladi (HS/Teens/Adult)
Serving Crazy with Curry by Amulya Malladi (HS/Adult/HS)
Song of the Cuckoo Bird: A Novel by Amulya Malladi (Teens/Adult/HS)
The Sound of Language: A Novel by Amulya Malladi (Teens/Adult/HS)
Train to Pakistan by Khushwant Singh
Our Favourite Indian Stories by Khushwant Singh
Best Indian Short Stories: vol.2 by Kushwant Singh
(His other works here).
Our Favourite Indian Stories by Khushwant Singh
Best Indian Short Stories: vol.2 by Kushwant Singh
(His other works here).
- Mitali Perkins
- Read reviews here
First Daughter: White House Rules by Mitali Perkins (Ages 11 and up)
First Daughter: Extreme American Makeover by Mitali Perkins(Ages 11 and up)
Monsoon Summer by Mitali Perkins (Ages 11 and up)
The Not-So-Star-Spangled Life of Sunita Sen (Originally published as: The Sunita Experiment) by Mitali Perkins (Ages 10 and up)
Rickshaw Girl by Mitali Perkins and Jamie Hogan(Ages 7-11)
The Sunita Experiment by Mitali Perkins
Ambassador Families: Equipping Your Kids to Engage Popular Culture by Mitali Perkins
Can You Hear the Night Bird Call? Anita Badami
The Hero's Walk by Anita Rau Badami
Tamarind Woman by Anita Rau Badami
The Hero's Walk by Anita Rau Badami
Tamarind Woman by Anita Rau Badami
Keeping Corner by Kashmira Sheth (YA)
Koyal Dark, Mango Sweet by Kashmira Sheth (YA)
Blue Jasmine by Kashmira Sheth(YA)
Monsoon Afternoon by Kashmira Sheth (Ages: 4-8)
My Dadima Wears a Sari by Kashmira Sheth (Ages: 4-8)
Koyal Dark, Mango Sweet by Kashmira Sheth (YA)
Blue Jasmine by Kashmira Sheth(YA)
Monsoon Afternoon by Kashmira Sheth (Ages: 4-8)
My Dadima Wears a Sari by Kashmira Sheth (Ages: 4-8)
Some more books:
(some children's; Pls preview)
The Story of Divaali by Valmiki
Indian Children's Favourite Stories by Rosemarie Somaiah
Indian Tales by Shenaaz Nanji
I Is for India (World Alphabets) by Prodeepta Das
The Road to Mumbai by Ruth Jeyaveeran (Ages 4-8)
Romina's Rangoli by Malathi Michelle Iyengar (Ages 4-8)
Catch That Crocodile! by Anushka Ravishankar(Ages 4-8)
Elephants Never Forget by Anushka Ravishankar (Ages 4-8)
Tiger on a Tree (Ala Notable Children's Books. Younger Readers (Awards)) by Anushka Ravishankar (Ages 4-8)
Roses for Gita by Rachna Gilmore (Ages 4-8)
Lights For Gita by Rachna Gilmore(Ages 4-8)
Gift for Gita by Rachna(Ages 4-8)
My Mother's Sari by Professor Sandhya Rao (Ages 4-8)
Anklet for a Princess: A Cinderella Story from India by Lila Mehta (Ages 4-8)
The Foolish Men of Agra by Rina Singh (Ages 4-8)
Robi Dobi: The Marvellous Adventures of an Indian Elephant by Madhur Jaffrey (Ages 6-10)A Friend Like Zilla by Rachna Gilmore(Ages 9-12)
Mina's Spring Of Colors by Rachna Gilmore (Ages 9-12)
Fangs and Me (First Flight Books Level Four) by Rachna Gilmore (Ages 9-12)
When-I-Was-A-Little-... by Rachna Gilmore(Ages 9-12)
Bollywood Babes by Narinder Dhami (Ages 9-12)
Bindi Babes by Narinder Dhami (Ages 9-12)
Bhangra Babes by Narinder Dhami (Ages 9-12)
Spy Princess: The Life of Noor Inayat Khan by Shrabani Basu
By the River Pampa I Stood by Geeta Abraham Jose
My Story by Kamala Das
English August by Upamanyu Chatterjee
The Sari Shop: A Novel by Rupa Bajwa
Madras on Rainy Days: A Novel by Samina Ali
Bitter Gourd and Other Stories by Talet Abbasi Ravan & Eddie by Kiran Nagarkar
The Blue Bedspread by Raj Kamal Jha
When Bombay Burned by Dileep Padgaonkar
The Idea of India by Sunil Khilnani
Aruna's Journeys by Jyotsna Sreenivasan(Gr 4-7)
Beach Boy by Ardashir Vakil
Ela Bhatt by Jyotsna Sreenivasan
Climbing the Stairs by Padma Venkatraman (YA)
Born Confused by Tanuja Desai Hidier(YA)
Dahling, If You Luv Me, Would You Please, Please Smile by Rukhsana Khan(YA)
Roller Birds of Rampur by Indi Rana(YA)
Sumitra's Story (New Windmills) by Rukshana Smith(YA)
Swimming in the Monsoon Sea by Shyam Selvadurai (YA)
A Group of One by Rachna Gilmore(YA)
Jasmine by Bharati Mukherjee(YA/A)
Gifted: A Novel by Nikita Lalwani(YA)
Funny Boy : A Novel in Six Stories by Shyam Selvadurai (YA)
Motherland by Vineeta Vijayaraghavan (Adult/HS/Teen)
The Hindi-Bindi Club by Monica Pradhan
The Twentieth Wife: A Novel by Indu Sundaresan
The Splendor of Silence: A Novel by Indu Sundaresan
The Feast of Roses: A Novel by Indu Sundaresan
Londonstani by Gautam Malkani
Ramayana Series by Ashok Banker
- Prince of Ayodhya (Ramayana series)by Ashok K. Banker
- Siege of Mithila (Ramayana series) by Ashok K. Banker
- Demons of Chitrakut (Ramayana series) by Ashok K. Banker
- Bridge of Rama (Ramayana series) by Ashok K. Banker
- King of Ayodhya (Ramayana series) by Ashok K. Banker
- Armies of Hanuman (Ramayana series) by Ashok K. Banker
- Ramayana Series Volumes 1, 2, 3: Prince of Ayodhya, Siege of Mithila, Demons of Chitrakut (Ramayana)by Ashok K. Banker
Miscellaneous:
Zuban Books--Some Indian authors
Literary JewelsIndian Magazines:
Children's
Dimdima Online
Champak
Tinkle
Chandama
Gokulam
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Can you post some links for free download of the above books?
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