EUROPEAN NOVELIST AND THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS
1. Luís de Camões(Portugal) – Os Lusíadas
Os Lusíadas, translated in English as The Lusiads, is regarded as the best Portuguese piece of literature. His writer Luís Vaz de Camões (c. 1524 – 1580) became the major figure of Portuguese culture all over the world. Os Lusíadas is an epic and lyrical poetry in the vein of Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey interpreting the Portuguese voyages of discovery during the 15th and 16th centuries.
2. Miguel de Cervantes( Spain) – Don Quixote.
Miguel de Cervantes (1547 – 1616) left to Spanish culture its most prominent masterpiece, in the name of Don Quixote. Fully entitled as The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha, Cervantes’ emblematic work of Western literature is considered as the first modern novel. The story depicts an idealist dreamer who feels himself as a modern knight.
3. Molière – Tartuffe – L’Avare –Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme – L’école de femmes(France).
Actually, there is not in the theater plays of Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, known by his stage name Molière (x – 1673), a major play more famous than another. The greatest master of comedy in Western literature wrote 33 plays from which almost the half bears a peculiar influence on French culture.
4. Hallgrímur Pétursson(Iceland) – Passíusálmar.
The most influential work of literature in Iceland is without doubt the Passíusálmar, translated in English as the Passion Hymns. Hallgrímur Pétursson (1614 – 1674), a famous poet, priest and minister in Hvalfjörður, wrote a collection of 50 poetic texts exploring the Passion narrative, from the point where Christ enters the Garden of Gethsemane to his death and burial.
5. William Shakespeare (Britain)– Hamlet – Othello – Macbeth – Romeo and Juliet.
World’s most renowned dramatist William Shakespeare (1564 – 1616) became England’s national poet after the success of his renowned tragedies Hamlet, Othllo, Macbeth or even more Romeo and Juliet. There are still a lot of controversies on his life and on the possibility that some of his works were written by others.
INDIAN NOVELIST AND THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS
1. R.K. Narayan: The fictitious town of Malgudi, the Sarayu river and Mempi forests still remains in the heart of all those who have read the marvellous works of this author, who passed away in 2001. Considered to be the best English novelists from India, he defined English literature for the early India. His most popular work, Swami and Friends takes us through the experiences of the ten-year-old mischievous yet adorable, Swaminathan. The two other books of this trilogy, The Bachelor of Arts and ‘The English Teacher’ takes us through Swami’s transformation from a boy to adolescent and then an adult. While the Tiger Of Malgudi makes for an interesting read as it has a tiger talking to the readers in first person, The Guide etches onto our memories, Raju’s transformation from a tour guide to one of the holiest saints of the country. Adapted into hit TV shows and films, all these characters and the ironical plots have been imbibed into the lives of the avid Indian book readers. This man, according to me, is indeed the greatest Indian English writer of all times.
2. Arundhati Roy: For all those who have read The God Of Small Things, Estha’s “silence” and Rahel’s “emptiness” (as described by the author), would have been fascinating. The fact that these twins lived separately their whole lives and yet managed to be close to each other is heart-warming. The themes of betrayal, love, social discrimination and Indian politics are very cleverly included in the plot. Being the only novel she has written so far, Arundhati Roy can be termed as the true Indian ‘Harper Lee’!
3. Kiran Desai: She, like her mother, made the nation proud with The Inheritance of Loss. The writer gained immediate critical success with this book, which dealt with the theme of migration. The book gained prominence when it won the Man Booker Prize in 2006. The Indian readers who enjoy serious works of literature accepted this work of hers, which was done with much confidence and Kiran Desai went on to feature in almost all the lists of ‘India’s best writers’.
4. Chetan Bhagat: If someone could be named as the sole reason for reinstating the position of books and reading in modern India, that person without doubt would be Chetan Bhagat. His ability to relate to the readers and the common wavelength that he shares with the youth makes him one of the most popular writers of our times. Five Point Someone and 2 States clicked with the masses overnight. All his books were done with remarkable aplomb and this is one name which would never be missed out while talking about Indian English writers. Having mastered the art of storytelling, Bhagat is indeed a revolutionary writer who reflected the thoughts of the nation through his work.
5. Amish Tripathi: Having joined the elite group of Indian English writers recently, Amish is more of a storyteller than a writer. Nonetheless, his debut novel The Immortals Of Meluha became a raging success and might soon be adapted into a movie. Mythology and history are the themes of his books and the portrayal of the Hindu god Shiva as a Tibetan tribal is indeed awe-inspiring. How someone could come up with such an interesting idea would remain a mystery. While the second book in the trilogy gained immense success, his ardent fans are eagerly waiting for the release of the final book in the trilogy.
Many other writers have created ripples with their work. And they have all gained commercial and critical success. These writers may belong to different eras and may work on different genres. One might think it unfair to compare these writers with each other as each of them belongs to a different league of their own. However they have all equally impressed us with their works and in a way, helped in shaping the nation for what it is now. Books and novels would always play a vital role in a country like ours. And the work of these and many other writers need to be lauded and highly appreciated!
1. Luís de Camões(Portugal) – Os Lusíadas
Os Lusíadas, translated in English as The Lusiads, is regarded as the best Portuguese piece of literature. His writer Luís Vaz de Camões (c. 1524 – 1580) became the major figure of Portuguese culture all over the world. Os Lusíadas is an epic and lyrical poetry in the vein of Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey interpreting the Portuguese voyages of discovery during the 15th and 16th centuries.
2. Miguel de Cervantes( Spain) – Don Quixote.
Miguel de Cervantes (1547 – 1616) left to Spanish culture its most prominent masterpiece, in the name of Don Quixote. Fully entitled as The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha, Cervantes’ emblematic work of Western literature is considered as the first modern novel. The story depicts an idealist dreamer who feels himself as a modern knight.
3. Molière – Tartuffe – L’Avare –Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme – L’école de femmes(France).
Actually, there is not in the theater plays of Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, known by his stage name Molière (x – 1673), a major play more famous than another. The greatest master of comedy in Western literature wrote 33 plays from which almost the half bears a peculiar influence on French culture.
4. Hallgrímur Pétursson(Iceland) – Passíusálmar.
The most influential work of literature in Iceland is without doubt the Passíusálmar, translated in English as the Passion Hymns. Hallgrímur Pétursson (1614 – 1674), a famous poet, priest and minister in Hvalfjörður, wrote a collection of 50 poetic texts exploring the Passion narrative, from the point where Christ enters the Garden of Gethsemane to his death and burial.
5. William Shakespeare (Britain)– Hamlet – Othello – Macbeth – Romeo and Juliet.
World’s most renowned dramatist William Shakespeare (1564 – 1616) became England’s national poet after the success of his renowned tragedies Hamlet, Othllo, Macbeth or even more Romeo and Juliet. There are still a lot of controversies on his life and on the possibility that some of his works were written by others.
INDIAN NOVELIST AND THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS
1. R.K. Narayan: The fictitious town of Malgudi, the Sarayu river and Mempi forests still remains in the heart of all those who have read the marvellous works of this author, who passed away in 2001. Considered to be the best English novelists from India, he defined English literature for the early India. His most popular work, Swami and Friends takes us through the experiences of the ten-year-old mischievous yet adorable, Swaminathan. The two other books of this trilogy, The Bachelor of Arts and ‘The English Teacher’ takes us through Swami’s transformation from a boy to adolescent and then an adult. While the Tiger Of Malgudi makes for an interesting read as it has a tiger talking to the readers in first person, The Guide etches onto our memories, Raju’s transformation from a tour guide to one of the holiest saints of the country. Adapted into hit TV shows and films, all these characters and the ironical plots have been imbibed into the lives of the avid Indian book readers. This man, according to me, is indeed the greatest Indian English writer of all times.
2. Arundhati Roy: For all those who have read The God Of Small Things, Estha’s “silence” and Rahel’s “emptiness” (as described by the author), would have been fascinating. The fact that these twins lived separately their whole lives and yet managed to be close to each other is heart-warming. The themes of betrayal, love, social discrimination and Indian politics are very cleverly included in the plot. Being the only novel she has written so far, Arundhati Roy can be termed as the true Indian ‘Harper Lee’!
3. Kiran Desai: She, like her mother, made the nation proud with The Inheritance of Loss. The writer gained immediate critical success with this book, which dealt with the theme of migration. The book gained prominence when it won the Man Booker Prize in 2006. The Indian readers who enjoy serious works of literature accepted this work of hers, which was done with much confidence and Kiran Desai went on to feature in almost all the lists of ‘India’s best writers’.
4. Chetan Bhagat: If someone could be named as the sole reason for reinstating the position of books and reading in modern India, that person without doubt would be Chetan Bhagat. His ability to relate to the readers and the common wavelength that he shares with the youth makes him one of the most popular writers of our times. Five Point Someone and 2 States clicked with the masses overnight. All his books were done with remarkable aplomb and this is one name which would never be missed out while talking about Indian English writers. Having mastered the art of storytelling, Bhagat is indeed a revolutionary writer who reflected the thoughts of the nation through his work.
5. Amish Tripathi: Having joined the elite group of Indian English writers recently, Amish is more of a storyteller than a writer. Nonetheless, his debut novel The Immortals Of Meluha became a raging success and might soon be adapted into a movie. Mythology and history are the themes of his books and the portrayal of the Hindu god Shiva as a Tibetan tribal is indeed awe-inspiring. How someone could come up with such an interesting idea would remain a mystery. While the second book in the trilogy gained immense success, his ardent fans are eagerly waiting for the release of the final book in the trilogy.
Many other writers have created ripples with their work. And they have all gained commercial and critical success. These writers may belong to different eras and may work on different genres. One might think it unfair to compare these writers with each other as each of them belongs to a different league of their own. However they have all equally impressed us with their works and in a way, helped in shaping the nation for what it is now. Books and novels would always play a vital role in a country like ours. And the work of these and many other writers need to be lauded and highly appreciated!
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