Books and Authors

Master important books and their authors for RRB exam preparation with comprehensive coverage of classic and contemporary literature.

Classic Indian Literature

Hindi Literature

Premchand (Dhanpat Rai)

• Godan: Rural life and farmer struggles
• Nirmala: Story of child marriage and social issues
• Gaban: Financial struggles and moral values
• Kafan: Satire on rural selfishness
• Shatranj ke Khiladi: Chess players during British rule

Mahadevi Varma

• Yama: Collection of poems
• Deepshikha: Poetry collection
• Smriti ki Rekhaen: Autobiographical work
• Himalaya: Nature poetry
• Path ke Sathi: Children’s stories

Jaishankar Prasad

• Kamayani: Epic poem based on Indian mythology
• Jharna: Poetry collection
• Aansoo: Collection of emotional poems
• Titli: Children’s literature
• Kahaniyan: Short stories collection

Sanskrit Literature

Kalidasa

• Meghaduta: Cloud messenger (poem)
• Abhijnanasakuntalam: Shakuntala play
• Raghuvamsa: Epic poem about Raghu dynasty
• Kumarasambhavam: Birth of Kartikeya
• Vikramorvasiyam: Love story of Vikrama and Urvashi

Valmiki

• Ramayana: Epic about Lord Rama
• 7 Kandas: Bala, Ayodhya, Aranya, Kishkindha, Sundara, Yuddha, Uttara
• 24,000 verses: One of the largest epics
• Teachings: Dharma, righteousness, moral values

Vyasa

• Mahabharata: Epic about Pandavas and Kauravas
• 18 Parvas: Books within the epic
• Bhagavad Gita: Part of Mahabharata
• 1 lakh verses: Longest epic poem

Bengali Literature

Rabindranath Tagore

• Gitanjali: Nobel Prize-winning poetry collection
• The Home and the World: Novel (Ghare Baire)
• Gora: Complex novel about identity
• Chokher Bali: A grain of sand (novel)
• Post Office: Play (Dak Ghar)

Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay

• Devdas: Tragic love story
• Parineeta: Married woman
• Srikanta: Autobiographical novel
• Charitraheen: Characterless (novel)
• Pather Dabi: Right of way

English Literature by Indian Authors

Independence Era Literature

Mulk Raj Anand

• Untouchable: Social discrimination
• Coolie: Labor exploitation
• The Village: Rural life trilogy
• The Sword and the Sickle: Third part of trilogy
• Seven Summers: Autobiographical work

R.K. Narayan

• Malgudi Days: Short stories collection
• The Guide: Railway guide becomes spiritual guide
• Swami and Friends: School days story
• The Financial Expert: Financial struggles
• Waiting for the Mahatma: Gandhi’s influence

Raja Rao

• Kanthapura: Village and Gandhi’s influence
• The Serpent and the Rope: Philosophical novel
• The Cat and Shakespeare: Metaphysical novel
• Comrade Kirillov: Russian Revolution
• On the Ganga Ghat: Spiritual themes

Contemporary Indian Authors

Salman Rushdie

• Midnight’s Children: Partition and independent India
• The Satanic Verses: Controversial novel
• The Moor’s Last Sigh: Art history
• Shame: Political satire
• The Golden House: Modern American life

Arundhati Roy

• The God of Small Things: Booker Prize winner
• The Ministry of Utmost Happiness: Contemporary issues
• The End of Imagination: Anti-nuclear essays
• Capitalism: A Ghost Story: Economic critique
• Azadi: Freedom essays

Amitav Ghosh

• The Shadow Lines: Partition and memory
• The Calcutta Chromosome: Medical mystery
• The Glass Palace: Burma and tea gardens
• Sea of Poppies: Opium trade trilogy
• River of Smoke: Second part of trilogy

International Classic Literature

English Literature

William Shakespeare

• Hamlet: Prince of Denmark tragedy
• Romeo and Juliet: Star-crossed lovers
• Macbeth: Scottish tragedy about ambition
• Julius Caesar: Roman political drama
• Othello: Moorish general tragedy

Charles Dickens

• Great Expectations: Pip’s journey
• Oliver Twist: Orphan’s adventures
• A Tale of Two Cities: French Revolution
• David Copperfield: Autobiographical novel
• Hard Times: Industrial revolution criticism

Jane Austen

• Pride and Prejudice: Elizabeth and Darcy
• Sense and Sensibility: Sisters’ choices
• Emma: Matchmaking gone wrong
• Mansfield Park: Morality and social class
• Persuasion: Second chances in love

American Literature

Ernest Hemingway

• The Old Man and the Sea: Cuban fisherman
• A Farewell to Arms: World War I love story
• For Whom the Bell Tolls: Spanish Civil War
• The Sun Also Rises: Lost generation
• To Have and Have Not: Key West adventure

Mark Twain

• The Adventures of Tom Sawyer: Boyhood adventures
• Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: Mississippi journey
• A Connecticut Yankee: Time travel to Camelot
• The Prince and the Pauper: Identity swap
• Life on the Mississippi: River experiences

Russian Literature

Leo Tolstoy

• War and Peace: Napoleon’s invasion of Russia
• Anna Karenina: Tragic love story
• The Death of Ivan Ilyich: Death and meaning
• Resurrection: Moral redemption
• Family Happiness: Early novella

Fyodor Dostoevsky

• Crime and Punishment: Murder and guilt
• The Brothers Karamazov: Patricide and faith
• The Idiot: Pure goodness in corrupt world
• Notes from Underground: Underground man
• Demons: Political nihilism

Non-Fiction and Autobiographies

Indian Autobiographies

“The Story of My Experiments with Truth” - Mahatma Gandhi

• Autobiography: Gandhi’s life and philosophy
• Experiments: Truth and non-violence
• Satyagraha: Spiritual and political journey
• Influence: Civil rights movements worldwide

“Wings of Fire” - Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam

• Autobiography: Missile man’s journey
• Childhood: Poor background to success
• Missile Program: India’s defense development
• Vision: Developed India 2020

“My Experiments with Truth” - Jawaharlal Nehru

• Autobiography: Discovery of India
• Freedom Struggle: Independence movement
• Philosophy: Democratic socialism
• Letters: From prison to daughter

“Playing It My Way” - Sachin Tendulkar

• Autobiography: Cricket career
• Records: 100 international centuries
• World Cup: 2011 victory
• Retirement: Emotional farewell

International Non-Fiction

“The Diary of a Young Girl” - Anne Frank

• Diary: Holocaust victim’s experiences
• Hiding: Secret annex in Amsterdam
• Hope: Despite persecution
• Legacy: Holocaust education

“Long Walk to Freedom” - Nelson Mandela

• Autobiography: Anti-apartheid struggle
• Imprisonment: 27 years in prison
• Presidency: First democratic president
• Reconciliation: Truth and Reconciliation Commission

Important Awards and Recognition

Nobel Prize Winners (Indian)

Literature

• Rabindranath Tagore (1913): Gitanjali
• V.S. Naipaul (2001): A House for Mr. Biswas

Peace

• Mother Teresa (1979): Missionary of Charity work
• Kailash Satyarthi (2014): Child rights activism

Economics

• Amartya Sen (1998): Welfare economics
• Abhijit Banerjee (2019): Experimental economics

Booker Prize Winners

Indian Authors

• Salman Rushdie (1981): Midnight’s Children
• Arundhati Roy (1997): The God of Small Things
• Kiran Desai (2006): The Inheritance of Loss

Children’s Literature

Classic Children’s Books

Indian Authors

• Ruskin Bond: “The Blue Umbrella”, “The Room on the Roof”
• R.K. Narayan: “Malgudi School Days”
• Anushka Ravishankar: “Today I Am!”

International Authors

• Roald Dahl: “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”, “Matilda”
• Enid Blyton: “Famous Five”, “Secret Seven”
• J.K. Rowling: “Harry Potter” series

Practice Questions

Question 1

Who wrote “Discovery of India”?

Question 2

Who is the author of “Godan”?

Question 3

Who wrote “Midnight’s Children”?

Question 4

Who authored “The Guide”?

Question 5

Who wrote “Wings of Fire”?

Question 6

Who is the author of “Gitanjali”?

Question 7

Who wrote “The God of Small Things”?

Question 8

Who authored “Malgudi Days”?

Question 9

Who wrote “War and Peace”?

Question 10

Who is the author of “The Old Man and the Sea”?

Important Literary Terms

Genres

• Epic: Long narrative poem (Ramayana, Mahabharata)
• Novel: Prose fiction
• Short Story: Brief fictional narrative
• Poetry: Rhythmic literary work
• Drama: Theatrical performance

Literary Devices

• Metaphor: Direct comparison
• Simile: Comparison using “like” or “as”
• Personification: Human qualities to objects
• Alliteration: Repetition of initial sounds
• Symbolism: Objects representing ideas

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