📌 Introduction
Books are a mirror of society and reflect ideas, philosophies, and cultures. For competitive exams, questions on Famous Books and Authors are very common. This article covers Indian and International writers, Nobel Prize winners, political autobiographies, and evergreen classics.
🇮🇳 Famous Indian Authors and Their Books
- R.K. Narayan – Malgudi Days, The Guide
- Mulk Raj Anand – Untouchable, Coolie
- Khushwant Singh – Train to Pakistan, Delhi: A Novel
- Arundhati Roy – The God of Small Things (Booker Prize, 1997), The Ministry of Utmost Happiness
- Chetan Bhagat – Five Point Someone, 2 States, Revolution 2020
- Amish Tripathi – Shiva Trilogy (Immortals of Meluha, Secret of the Nagas, Oath of the Vayuputras), Ram Chandra Series
- Kiran Desai – The Inheritance of Loss (Booker Prize, 2006)
- Vikram Seth – A Suitable Boy
- Anita Desai – Clear Light of Day, In Custody
- Shashi Tharoor – Why I Am a Hindu, The Great Indian Novel
- Ruskin Bond – The Room on the Roof, The Blue Umbrella
- Dr. B.R. Ambedkar – Annihilation of Caste
- Mahatma Gandhi – The Story of My Experiments with Truth (Autobiography)
- Jawaharlal Nehru – Discovery of India, Glimpses of World History
- A.P.J. Abdul Kalam – Wings of Fire, Ignited Minds, India 2020
🌍 Famous International Authors and Their Books
- William Shakespeare (UK) – Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, Macbeth, Othello
- George Orwell (UK) – Animal Farm, 1984
- Jane Austen (UK) – Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility
- Charles Dickens (UK) – Oliver Twist, Great Expectations, A Tale of Two Cities
- Leo Tolstoy (Russia) – War and Peace, Anna Karenina
- Fyodor Dostoevsky (Russia) – Crime and Punishment, The Brothers Karamazov
- Franz Kafka (Austria-Hungary) – The Trial, The Metamorphosis
- Mark Twain (USA) – The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
- Ernest Hemingway (USA) – The Old Man and the Sea, A Farewell to Arms
- F. Scott Fitzgerald (USA) – The Great Gatsby
- J.K. Rowling (UK) – Harry Potter Series
- Dan Brown (USA) – The Da Vinci Code, Angels and Demons
- Paulo Coelho (Brazil) – The Alchemist
- Harper Lee (USA) – To Kill a Mockingbird
- Gabriel García Márquez (Colombia) – One Hundred Years of Solitude (Nobel Prize)
🏆 Nobel Prize Winners in Literature
- Rabindranath Tagore (India, 1913) – Gitanjali (first Asian Nobel Laureate in Literature)
- Ernest Hemingway (USA, 1954) – The Old Man and the Sea
- Gabriel García Márquez (Colombia, 1982) – One Hundred Years of Solitude
- Orhan Pamuk (Turkey, 2006) – My Name is Red, Snow
- Kazuo Ishiguro (UK, 2017) – The Remains of the Day
- Olga Tokarczuk (Poland, 2018) – Flights
- Annie Ernaux (France, 2022) – The Years
📝 Famous Autobiographies & Biographies
- The Story of My Experiments with Truth – Mahatma Gandhi
- Long Walk to Freedom – Nelson Mandela
- Playing It My Way – Sachin Tendulkar
- Wings of Fire – A.P.J. Abdul Kalam
- My Life – Bill Clinton
- Living History – Hillary Clinton
- The Diary of a Young Girl – Anne Frank
- My Experiments with Truth – Mahatma Gandhi
- Open – Andre Agassi
🎯 Important Books for Competitive Exams (Frequently Asked)
- Indian Polity – M. Laxmikanth
- India After Gandhi – Ramachandra Guha
- The Argumentative Indian – Amartya Sen
- The Clash of Civilizations – Samuel Huntington
- The Discovery of India – Jawaharlal Nehru
- An Era of Darkness – Shashi Tharoor
📊 Quick GK Facts
- First Indian Nobel Laureate in Literature: Rabindranath Tagore (1913)
- First Booker Prize Winner from India: Arundhati Roy (1997)
- Author known as “Father of English Literature”: Geoffrey Chaucer
- Most Translated Book in the World: The Bible, followed by The Quran, then “The Little Prince” by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
- Most Sold Book Series: Harry Potter (J.K. Rowling)
❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q1. Who was the first Indian to win the Nobel Prize in Literature?
👉 Rabindranath Tagore in 1913 for Gitanjali.
Q2. Which Indian author won the Booker Prize in 1997?
👉 Arundhati Roy for The God of Small Things.
Q3. Who is the author of Discovery of India?
👉 Jawaharlal Nehru.
Q4. Which is the most sold book series in the world?
👉 Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling.
Q5. Who wrote Train to Pakistan?
👉 Khushwant Singh.
Q6. Which autobiography is written by A.P.J. Abdul Kalam?
👉 Wings of Fire.
Q7. Who is known as the Father of English Literature?
👉 Geoffrey Chaucer.
Q8. Which book is called the “Bible of Indian Polity” for exams?
👉 Indian Polity by M. Laxmikanth.
Q9. Who wrote The Alchemist?
👉 Paulo Coelho.
Q10. Which Indian cricketer wrote the autobiography Playing It My Way?
👉 Sachin Tendulkar.
📌 Conclusion
Books are not just stories but windows to history, society, politics, and culture. From Tagore’s Gitanjali to J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter, each book has left a mark on the world.
For competitive exams (UPSC, SSC, Banking, Railways, Defence, State PSC, etc.), questions on Famous Books and Authors are asked frequently. Focus especially on:
- Indian authors (R.K. Narayan, Arundhati Roy, Shashi Tharoor, Chetan Bhagat, Amish Tripathi)
- Autobiographies (Gandhi, Kalam, Nehru, Mandela, Tendulkar)
- Prize Winners (Nobel & Booker Prize authors)
- Important reference books (Indian Polity by Laxmikanth, India After Gandhi by Ramachandra Guha).
📚 Mastering these will give you an edge in exams and also expand your general knowledge.
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