During Diwali week last year, we asked people on our Facebook page to name their favourite author from South-Asia/ Indian sub-continent, after all we love to expand our reading lists, and translated works can often open up entire new genres to us. There are many great authors around the world and they often get overshadowed by Western authors who dominate the bestsellers list. If you like something away from the norm, then we hope we have something here for you.
Khaled Housseini
He might be from Afghanistan but Housseini has already become a global sensation with books like the Kite Runner. A wonderful author who writes wonderful stories and well deserving of our top spot.
Rabindranath Tagore
In second place is classic Indian author Rabindranath Tagore, known for his profoundly sensitive, fresh and beautiful verse. Many of prose and verse works are translated and we’re suggesting Stories from Tagore.
Salman Rushdie
Salman Rushdie is in third place, another author who has already transcended the boundaries of India, his country of birth. However, rather than being known for his beautiful prose, it’s often been controversy that has kept Rushdie in the public eye. We’re suggest Midnight’s Children of the author’s works.
Chetan Bhagat
Contemporary Indian author, Chetan Bhagat takes fourth place in our list. The New York Times have cited him as ‘The biggest selling English language novelist in India’s history” and that’s some accolade! We’re suggesting Two States: The Story of my Marriage from his works.
Two States: The Story of My Marriage (US)
Two States: The Story of My Marriage (UK)
Jhumpa Lahiri
Pulitzer Prize winner Jhumpa Lahiri was actually born in London in England and is the daughter of immigrants from the state of West Bengal. Winner of an O. Henry Award and Pulitzer Prize, we’re suggesting Interpreter of Maladies from her works.
The next five authors, voted by you are:
Rohinton Mistry
Prem Chand
Amish Tripathi
Rumi
Ahrundti Roy
We hope that’s given your reading scope a bit of a boost, and if you have any other suggestions feel free to make them in the comments!
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Chetan Bhagat hardly deserve to be in the list..never read such series of pathetic pulp fiction
Amitav Ghosh should have been a part of it.
Anita Nair, Devdutt Pattanaik- for Indian mythology, Chitra Banerji , Divakaruni Amish, R.K. Narayan, Shashi Tharoor, sudha Murthy, and so many many more!