Poetry & Verse
Mirza Asadullah Beg Khan (27 December 1797 –“ 15 February 1869), commonly known as Mirza Ghalib, was an Indian poet and letter writer of the Mughal Empire. Writing in Persian and Urdu during the final years of the Mughal Empire and the rise of British colonial rule, his poetry often addressed themes of love, loss, philosophy, the human condition, and socio-political disturbances with a depth and complexity that influenced the literary traditions of his time.
Poetry & Verse
Sheikh Muhammad Ibrahim Zauq (1789 –“ November 1854) was an Urdu poet and scholar of literature, poetry and religion. He wrote poetry under the pen name "Zauq", and was appointed poet laureate of the Mughal Court in Delhi at the age of just 19. Later he was given the title of Khaqani-e-Hind (The Khaqani of India) by the last Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar who was also his disciple in poetry.
Philosophical Fiction
Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky (11 November [O.S. 30 October] 1821 –“ 9 February [O.S. 28 January] 1881) was a Russian philosopher, novelist, short story writer, essayist and journalist. He is regarded as one of the greatest novelists in both Russian and world literature, and many of his works are considered highly influential masterpieces.
Recommended reading:
The Idiot
Literary Fiction
Ernest Miller Hemingway (July 21, 1899 –“ July 2, 1961) was an American novelist, short-story writer, and journalist. Known for an economical, understated style that influenced later 20th-century writers, he has been romanticized for his adventurous lifestyle and outspoken, blunt public image. Some of his seven novels, six short-story collections and two non-fiction works have become classics of American literature, and he was awarded the 1954 Nobel Prize in Literature.
Recommended reading:
The Old Man and the Sea
Literary Fiction
Joseph Heller (May 1, 1923 –“ December 12, 1999) was an American author of novels, short stories, plays, and screenplays. His best-known work is his debut novel Catch-22 (1961), a satire on war and bureaucracy, whose title has become a synonym for an absurd or contradictory choice. He was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature twice, in 1972 and 1975.
Recommended reading:
Catch-22
Historical & Cultural
Khushwant Singh (1915–“2014) was an Indian journalist, writer, and politician. He is known for his autobiographical works and his contributions to Indian literature.
Recommended reading:
Train to Pakistan
Poetry & Verse
Gulzar (Sampooran Singh Kalra) is an Indian Urdu poet, lyricist, author, screenwriter, and film director known for his works in Hindi cinema. He is regarded as an important Urdu poet of this era.
Recommended reading:
Mirza Ghalib
Do Log
Historical & Cultural
Stories that weave memory, family, and history across Afghanistan and the immigrant experience.
Recommended reading:
The Kite Runner
A Thousand Splendid Suns
Philosophical Fiction
Public intellectual and popular science writer. He is a professor of history at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.His first bestselling book, Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind (2011) is based on his lectures to an undergraduate world history class.
Contemporary & Experimental
Journalist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate. She is the co-founder and CEO of Rappler. She previously spent nearly two decades working as a lead investigative reporter in Southeast Asia for CNN.
Recommended reading:
How to Stand Up to a Dictator
Contemporary & Experimental
Matt Haig (born 3 July 1975) is an English author and journalist. He has written both fiction and non-fiction books for children and adults, often in the speculative fiction genre.
Philosophical Fiction
Paulo Coelho de Souza is a Brazilian lyricist and novelist. He has been a member of the Brazilian Academy of Letters since 2002. His 1988 novel The Alchemist is an international best-seller.
Recommended reading:
The Alchemist: A Fable About Following Your Dream
Literary Fiction
Salman Rushdie is a British Indian novelist and non-fiction writer. He is known for his novels "Midnight's Children" which , won the Booker Prize in 1981 and was deemed to be "the best novel of all winners" on two occasions that marked the 25th and the 40th anniversary of the prize.
Recommended reading:
Midnight's Children
Contemporary & Experimental
Mitch Albom is an American author, journalist, and radio host. He is known for his novels "Tuesdays with Morrie" and "The Five People You Meet in Heaven."
Recommended reading:
Tuesdays with Morrie
Contemporary & Experimental
Manav Kaul is an Indian theatre director, playwright, author, actor and filmmaker. Kaul is a writer who writes on themes of isolation, nostalgia, rootlessness and existentialism etc. Some of his notable books include Chalta Phirta Pret, Antima, Bahut Door Kitna Door Hota hai, Theek Tumhare Peeche. Kaul's recently published novel Rooh explores his journey back to his lost motherland, Kashmir