list of the greatest indian novels

8/11/2019 List of the Greatest Indian Novels

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This is a list of the greatest Indian novels ever written. It might feel incomplete (onlybooks written in English or translations of works in Hindi and other regional languagesfigure here). It might seem biased (they're personal picks from the best literary minds of our time). It might even appear as though we've missed your personal favourite (liststend to do that). ut for anyone looking to !ump into the rich world of Indian writing" it's a

beautiful and imperative start. #ur !ury of eight $ writers" publishers" academics andbook critics $ nominated %& books each. ot surprisingly" there were overlaps" surprisesand works we knew would never be ignored. In our masterlist of these books" you'llknow nearly everything there is to know about this great land of ours through thedecades. nd by the end" you'll know more than what you've read.

THE JURY: mitava umar " *hiki +arkar " ,avid ,avidar " Harish Trivedi " -eet thayil "-erry into " /avi +ingh and +unil +ethi.

The books are listed alphabetically by author's name.1. Cutting For Stone (2009) by Abra a! "erg e#e

This bestselling novel (with more than one million copies sold) is written by anauthor who is also a physician and a professor. It is about twins" 0arion and+hiva" born to an Indian nun and ritish surgeon" who are orphaned with theirmom's death and dad's disappearance in ddis baba. +et in Ethiopia and

ew 1ork" it is about famil y" betrayal and medicine2. T$i%ig t &n 'e% i (19 0) by A !e A%i

li's most important book was published when E0 2orster convinced thepublishers that it was not seditious. It is the story of an upper$class 0uslimfamily in ,elhi. 0ir ahal" a nationalist" vividly remembers the ritish crueltyduring the /evolt of %345. ut now" in %6%%" 7 firangi 7 elements have begun toappear8 his sons' government !obs" English boots... #ld ,elhi making way for

the new.Extract:People all around were talking:'Is that the King on the horse?' said one.'Don't be mad,' another ridiculed him. 'he is a mere soldier or officer. Kingswear fine and flowering robes.' 'That's all ou know,' a third butted in. 'The !nglish wear onl those uniforms."nderstand?' #an passed caustic and humorous remarks on the dress and faces of thenati$e chiefs, laughing at their retinues, calling them tin soldiers or made ofstraw. The children were e%cited b the sight, and gloated o$er li$eries and

uniforms and so man white faces as the had ne$er seen before. Theshouted and asked &uestions from people who either did not know the rightanswers or were too bus themsel$es watching the fun*. So +any Hunger# by ,abani ,atta- aryaThis masterpiece depicts Indian freedom struggle" partition" and the engalfamine as the ma!or themes of 9+o 0any Hungers:. The novel pictures theinherent nature of human beings of different strata of society based on thegreat tragedy of ;&th century < engal famine in which lives of two million
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innocent people of engal were sacrificed. abani attacharya depictsagonies" cruelties" frustrations" privations" and uncertainties of common manduring great tragedies in which they have no control.

. T e &!!orta%# (2009) by A!it C au uri+et in the ombay of the %65&s and '3&s" mit *haudhuri's book looks at two

families whose fortunes are connected by music (he himself is a talentedmusician). +hyam =al" the son of a singer" teachesmusic to support his family. His student 0allika +engupta's musical ambitionsare dulled by lu>ury. Her son" irmalya" is captivated by philosophy andincredulous of +hyam!i's material pursuits. This is about music in a modernworld" a debate on +hyam's comment that 7you cannot practice art on anempty stomach.7

. T e Hungry Ti e (200 ) by A!ita/ o#iyali /oy is a young marine biologist from +eattle in search of an endangered

river dolphin. +he is aided by anai ,utt" a businessman and translator from,elhi" and 2okir" a young fisherman. This is their !ourney through the

+underbans.

. T e S a o$ ine# (1933) by A!ita/ o#Two families $ one English and one engali $ and their lives through threegenerations. +et in *alcutta" =ondon and ,haka" this book is shadowed by thefreedom movement" the +econd ?orld ?ar and the *alcutta riots of %[email protected]. Fire 5n T e +ountain (1944) by Anita 'e#ai,esai is one of only two authors to appear three times on this list (the other is/ arayan). The part$Berman writer has written %@ novels" been shortlistedfor the ooker riCe three times and has changed ;D addresses in 54 years.This +ahitya kademi ward$winning novel is about anda aul" who

renounces city life and leaves her family behind" to live in the hills. ntil oneday" her great$granddaughter comes to live with her.3. &n Cu#to y (193 ) by Anita 'e#ai,even is a small$town Hindi lecturer with a broken dream of becoming a poet.He lives an insignificant" unhappy life. ut then" he is asked to interview one of the country's greatest rdu poets. ,even takes great pains to put together thelogistics. 1et" this pro!ect ends in misery.9. ,au!gartner6# ,o!bay (1933) by Anita 'e#aiHugo aumgartner" a Berman -ew" flees the Holocaust by coming to India.This is the story of the wandering -ew in ombay after ?orld ?ar II.10. T e 7 ite Tiger (2003) by Ara/in A iga

diga's debut novel won the 0an ooker riCe for fiction. In the book" theprotagonist" alram Halwai" narrates his life to the *hinese remier ?en-iabao8 how the son of a rickshaw puller works as a chauffeur in ,elhi andthen flees to angalore after killing his employer" stealing his money andbecoming a successful businessman.11. T e o 58 S!a%% T ing# (1994) by Arun ati RoyThe first Indian novel to win the ooker riCe" /oy's only novel so far has soldmore than si> million copies. +et in erala" it is about family and social
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in!ustices" about relationships that cross lines and how things fall apart in thebargain.Extract:

()ut what was there to sa ? *nl that there were tears. *nl that +uietnessand !mptiness fitted together like stacked spoons. *nl that there was a

snuffling in the hollows at the base of a lo$el throat. *nl that a hard honecolored shoulder had a semicircle of teethmarks on it. *nl that the heldeach other close, long after it was o$er. *nl that what the shared that nightwas not happiness, but hideous grief.*nl that once again the broke the -o$e -aws. That la down who should belo$ed. nd how. nd how much.( 12. T e Fig Tree (19 9) by Aubrey +enenThis book by an Indian$Irish writer with an English upbringing is about a ritishscientist" who accidentally invents aphrodisiac figs.1*. a a!bari (in San# rit; 4t -entury CE) by ,anab atta; tran#%ate by>a (2010)

?ritten in the 5th century" this is one of the oldest novels in the world(although it is not a novel in the strictest sense). arrated by a parrot" it hasstories within stories within stories. t its heart" it is the love story of thebeautiful Bandharva princess" adambari" and the moon god" *handrapida.

fter ana's death" his son hushanabhatta completed the tale.1 . Anan a!at (in ,enga%i; 1332) by ,an i! C an ra C atter=i;tran#%ate by ,a#anta u!ar Roy (1992)/oughly based on the +annyasi /ebellion of %55%" this was banned by the

ritish. Fande 0ataram was originally written as part of the book. The story isabout a couple who meet a group of sanyasis" revolting against the ritish"and !oin them. Incidentally" *hatter!i's /a!mohan's ?ife (%3@A) is considered

the first Indian novel in English.1 .1 . A%% About H. Hatterr (19 3) by " 'e#ani,esani's only novel. nthony urgess" introducing the novel in %6@6" wrote" 7Itis not pure EnglishG it is like +hakespeare" -oyce" and ipling" gloriouslyimpure7. +alman /ushdie called it 7the first great stroke of the decolonisingpen7. It is about H Hatterr" who grew up in *alcutta" and is looking forenlightenment $ and so he visits seven #riental cities and consults sevensages.14. T e Trotter?@a!a: A C roni-%e (1933) by &r$in A%%an Sea%yThis is a mock epic" an account spanning the lives of seven generations of

The Trotters" an ever$e>panding nglo$Indian family" starting with -ustinTrottoire" the Breat Trotter" a 2rench mercenary who came to India in the%54&s and worked with the ritish East India *ompany" and ending withEugene" the +eventh Trotter" in the late ;&th century.13. E! An T e ,ig Hoo! (2012) by Jerry


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+ome critics consider this as the first rdu novel (novel" in the strict sense ofthe term novel). The memories of a girl kidnapped and sold to a kotha" and her life as a courtesan in %6th century =ucknow.23. Coo%ie (19* ) by +u% Ra= Anan

founding member of rogressive ?riters ssociation" nand's work often

looked at the layers of colonialism within India. *oolie is about the adventuresof 0unoo" a boy forced to leave his village in the hills and move to towns andcities" from ombay to +imla" working as servant" factory worker and rickshawdriver.Extract:

(.../e 0#ulk 1a2 nand3 has other fads. /e eats half boiled eggs for breakfast./e keeps a bottle of brand hand to ha$e a swig whene$er he is in themood.45: 6hat's our credo?#1 : To speak up for the down and out. To work for their uplift, and presentthem with dignit in m fiction. !$en an untouchable has his dignit , or a

coolie. The same dignit as a king perhaps greater.( 29. o an (in Hin i; 19* ) by +un# i


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who renounces an academic career and love for an ascetic life. Builty ofcommitting incest with his stepmother" he decides to live in hasak asatonement for his sin. He starts a new life setting up a single teacher schooland lives with the village folk. ,espite the new life" the dichotomies still drivehis life.

* . Ri/er 58 Fire (Aag a 'arya in U ru; 19 9) by urratu%ain Hy er;tran#%ate by t e aut or (1999) magnum opus by the 7Brande ,ame7 of rdu literature" this books spans aperiod of ;&&& years $ from the fourth century *E to post$IndependenceIndia and akistan. It is divided into four sections" and four interlinkedcharacters $ Bautam" *hampa" amal" and *yril $ reappear in every section.* . T e Feu ing Fa!i%ie# 58 "i%%age angau%i; (Aa a aon in Ur u;19 ) by Ra i +a#oo! RaBa; tran#%ate by i%%ian 7rig t (199 )/aCa" an rdu poet" was also a ollywood lyricist and wrote the screenplay for

/ *hopra's 0ahabharat. This book" set in the decade before Independenceand during the artition" it is about the +aiyid Camindars in Bangauli" a village

in ttar radesh. It sketches out rural life in transition.* . ant a>ura (19*3) by Ra=a Rao?hen /ao wrote this novel" very little was known about Indian writing abroad.E0 2orster called it 7perhaps the best novel to come out of India7. It's abouthow Bandhism made its way into anthapura" a small casteist village insouthern India.*4. T e Ser>ent An T e Ro>e (19 0) by Ra=a Rao*onsidered a masterpiece" it is a philosophical somewhat esoteric accountof a young rahmin boy and his 2rench wife seeking spiritual truth. +et inIndia" 2rance and England" the dialogue between #rient and #ccident" a clashbetween Indian and ?estern cultures.

*3. T e Eng%i# Tea- er (19 ) by R @arayanThe only other author (apart from nita ,esai) to feature thrice in this list isone of the forerunners of Indian literature in English (along with /a!a /ao"0ulk /a! nand and hmed li). Braham Breene greatly admired arayanand was instrumental in getting him published. The English Teacher" these uel to +wami and 2riends (%6D4) and The achelor of rts (%6D5)" is semi$autobiographical. It is about how rishna" an English teacher" deals with lifewhen his wife dies of typhoid.*9. T e Finan-ia% ED>ert (19 2) by R @arayanThe story of 0argayya" who sits under a banyan tree and offers financialadvice to the people of 0algudi.

0. T e ui e (19 3) by R @arayanarayan's best known novel" is about /a!u" the tour guideJcon man and /osie"the neglected housewife. nd /a!u's spiritual !ourney $ how he becomes a holyman.

1. A Fine ,a%an-e (199 ) by Ro inton +i#try+hortlisted for the ooker riCe" this novel set in ombay during theEmergency is about ,ina ,alal" a widow" who takes in a boarder in her flat in

ombay8 0aneck" the young son of a friend. +he also hires two tailors" Ishvar
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and his nephew #mprakash" for piecework. This is about how the four cometogether and form a sort of accidental family.

2. T e Roo! 5n T e Roo8 (19 ) by Ru# in ,on/uskin ond's first novel $ he wrote it when he was %5 is about %@$year$old/usty" the orphaned nglo$Indian boy who lives in ,ehradun with his strict

English guardian.*. +i nig t6# C i% ren (1930) by Sa%!an Ru# ieIt won The est of the ooker" a celebratory ooker award in ;&&3. artmagic$realism" part historical fiction" this is the story of +aleem +inai" one ofthe %"&&% children born at the e>act moment of India's independence. +inaihas e>traordinary powers" like the rest of the other 'children'. His life is areflection of the course the Indian nation eventually takes.

. T e reat &n ian @o/e% (1939) by S a# i T aroorThis is satire at its best. Take the 0ahabharat" insert the Indian freedommovement and all that followed over the ne>t few decades. dd some puns.The result is a great Indian novel8 The Breat Indian ovel.

. Raag 'arbari (in Hin i; 19 3) by S ri%a% S u %a; tran#%ate by i%%ian7rig t (1991)This +ahitya kademi ward winning novel by a master satirist e>amines theidea of power. It's about a rahmin ayurvedic doctor" the political mastermindof a village in ttar radesh in the %64&s" who struggles to control the village.

.4.3. Sa!# ara (in anna a; 19 ) by UR Anant a!urt y; tran#%ate by A

Ra!anu=an (194 ) nanthamurthy is one of the most important voices in the avya (new)movement in annada. =ast year" the writer was shortlisted for the 0an

ooker International riCe for overall contribution to fiction. +amskara is thestory of aranappa" who lives in a community of rahmins but re!ects theirway of life8 he eats meat" lives with a prostitute. t his death" when the novelbegins" the community is confused $ they don't want to perform his last ritesbut then" the community itself gets 'polluted' as his corpse rots.

9. Sa-re a!e# (200 ) by "i ra! C an raThe criss$crossing paths of a cop" Inspector +arta! +ingh" and the country'smost$wanted gangster" Banesh Baitonde. This is a book about the 0umbaiunderworld and about the city itself.

0. T e o% en ate (1933) by "i ra! SetThe novel in verse is about the lives of yuppies in +an 2rancisco in the %63&s.

1. A Suitab%e ,oy (199 ) by "i ra! SetThis tome is several things at once. It is a love story" a family drama" anintroduction to Indian politics and all things desi. +et in a newly IndependentIndia" it is 0rs /upa 0ehra's uest to find a suitable boy for her daughter =ata.
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delightful novel chronicles the religious" vegetarian Bopal's comic adventuresand misadventures in the land of hot dogs" *oca$*ola" neon lights" ande>plicit advertising.

3. a ie# Cou> by Anita @air 0eet khila8 forty$five and single" an income$ta> clerk" and a woman who has

never been allowed to live her own life $ always the daughter" the sister" theaunt" the provider $ until the day she gets herself a one$way ticket to theseaside town of anyakumari. In the intimate atmosphere of the all$womensleeping car $ the '=adies *oupe' $ khila asks the five women the uestionthat has been haunting her all her adult life8 can a woman stay single and behappy" or does she need a man to feel completeL This wonderfullyatmospheric" deliciously warm novel takes the reader into the heart ofwomen's lives in contemporary India" revealing how the dilemmas that womenface in their relationships with husbands" mothers" friends" employers andchildren are the same world over.

9. &n t e Con/ent o8 itt%e F%o$er# by &n u Sun are#an

Here is a candid and stunning collection of stories about contemporary Indiansand the cutting$edge issues surrounding them M where ancient tradition andmodernity can often clash. young woman who was adopted by an mericanfamily in +eattle receives a letter from +ister 0ary Theresa" nun at the*onvent of =ittle 2lowers in *hennai wher

list of the greatest indian novels

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