India has a unique literary history and tradition that spans over 3,000 years.  To begin your reading journey, we have prepared a list of books of authors of India, which have greatly influenced the course of literature of the country.

White Tiger

Arvind Adiga's Man-Booker-Prize-winning novel was widely praised for its fresh response to the inequalities and contradictions of social class in contemporary India. The book is an exciting first-person narrative told from the perspective of Balram Halwai, a young man from a small village struggling with poverty who goes to Delhi to work for the elite.

Nectar in a sieve

Acclaimed Indian writer Kamala Markandeya's first novel, Amrit in a Strain, is the story of a rapidly changing India in the mid-20th century, told from the perspective of Rukmini, a woman from rural and poor India. About the changes from his estranged marriage to Nathan, a farmer, to the arrival of a large terry in his village, the novel features a rich range of themes with uniquely entertaining prose.

Great Indian novel

This satirical novel by Shashi Tharoor has become one of the most exciting reading in contemporary Indian literature, in the context of the Indian independence movement, the Hindu epic Mahabharata and the decades that followed.

Train to Pakistan

This historical Indian book by Khushwant Singh was widely released during the release in 1956 to bring a humanistic outlook to the partition of British India into India and Pakistan. While most accounts of Partition at the time focused primarily on political aspects, Singh described the incident in terms of human damage and terror.

Palace of illusion

Chitra Banerjee takes Divakaruni's award-winning novel Hindu mythological epic Mahabharata from the perspective of Draupadi, its leading female character. Draupadi is famous for marrying all five of the Pandava brothers - the heroes of the Mahabharata - and is a current, central character through her journey in exile and war.

The Guide

RK Narayan is one of the most read and respected writers in Indian books and literature. Based on the famous fictional city of Malgudi in South India, The Guide is the story of a railway Raju, a corrupt tour guide, and a strange sequence of events, who go on to make him a spiritual guide and eventually as a revered holy man Comes.

The god of small things

The Booker-Award winning debut film by Arundhati Roy tells the story of a family in Kerala in the 1960s. Talking in depth on many issues ranging from caste system to state encounters with communism, the story follows two fraternal twins, their parents and their extended family as they explore life in this acclaimed work by the famed activist and writer Let's travel.