Indian Authors Who Have Global Acclaim

Wednesday, September 18, 2013, 18:28 [IST]

Indian authors are a unique breed of people. They occupy a very special position in terms of world literature. This is because Indian authors most often write in English which is the global language. However, English is not their mother tongue. There is also the influence of a rich cultural heritage on these writers. The medium of expression is English, thus it helps Indian authors to get global acclaim very easily.

However, these famous authors are basically of Indian origin and thus their writing is very rooting in the Indian culture. That is why, even a person like Jhumpa Lahiri who is born and brought up abroad shows the traces of Indian culture in her fiction. Other famous Indian authors like Amitv Ghosh and Amartya Sen are settled abroad but continue to explore very Indian themes in their writing.

At one point of time, all of the Indian fiction was labelled as post colonial. But, today we can say proudly say that Indian authors have explored all genres of literature. On one hand we have Salman Rushdie who experiments with magic realism. On the other hand we have Vikram Seth who writes every slice of life contemporary stories.

Here are some of the most famous Indian authors who enjoy global acclaim.

Rabindranath Tagore

We must always begin from the start. Rabindranath Tagore was the first Indian author to get the Nobel Prize for Literature. His extensive work in poetry, drama, lyrics and novels earned him repute all over the world.

Amartya Sen

Amartya Sen too is a Nobel Laurette himself. He relieved the Nobel Prize for Economics. Although he is an economist by profession, Amartya Sen has written several non-fiction books. 'The Argumentative Indian' is his most famous work.

Amitav Ghosh

Amitav Ghosh is one of the most famous Indian authors in English today. His writings are decidedly post colonial. His most famous works are 'Shadow Lines', 'The Glass Palace' and 'The Hungry Tide'.

Jhumpa Lahiri

Jhumpa Lahiri is a British Indian writer whose novels basically talk about Indian who are settled abroad. Her most famous novel is 'Namesake' that was adapted into a successful Hollywood film.

V S Naipaul

VS Naipaul is a British writer of Indian origin. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2001. His most famous work is 'The House Of Mr Biswas'.

R K Narayan

R K Narayan is the quintessential Indian author. His most famous body of work was of course 'Malgudi Days'. We know his writing for wit, humour, satire and essentially Indian experiences.

Salman Rushdie

Salman Rushdie is an ex-patriot author from India who had flee to London due to his controversial writing. Salman Rushdie's style is magic realism and his best work is 'Midnight's Children'.

Vikram Seth

Vikram Seth paints a beautiful picture of Indian society with all its intricacies and complexities. He has received a number of literary awards for his novels and poetry. His most famous work is 'A Suitable Boy'.

Arundhati Roy

Arundhati Roy is a writer who was a one book glory. Her novel 'The God Of Small Things' won the Man Booker Prize and is till date one of the biggest bestsellers.