This post was originally published on Audible.com.
"India," to quote actress and human rights activist Shabana Azmi, "is a country that lives in several centuries simultaneously." Just as those different time periods seem to coexist in one place, so do the voices of brilliant literary talents. Each of these writers and their works have contributed to help the world better understand this expansive country and its beautiful, multifaceted culture, whether it be from within India’s own borders or through the memory of its customs and traditions from distant continents.
The following list begins with highlights of the works of outstanding Indian authors of the past few decades, followed by must-listen debuts from gifted authors of Indian heritage.
Authors
Arundhati Roy
Known for her bold political commentary in works of fiction as well as essays, Arundhati Roy is not afraid to tell it like it is. With a Booker Prize in her corner for her novel The God of Small Things, Roy has effectively merged literary craft with political awareness. Although it’s one of her later works, The Ministry of Utmost Happiness is where you should start. Part commentary on lives in crises and part about the land itself, this listen, narrated by Roy herself, will tug at your heartstrings. Then you should make your way through her essays and the acclaimed The God of Small Things.
The God of Small Things
India
Every author can only communicate her own interpretation of a country, a region, a tiny village. Since each perspective is so personal and rooted in a specific time, it’s impossible for a listener to know if one interpretation encompasses all the nuances of a sprawling, changing landscape. And then comes a book that somehow seems to capture it all. Published 20 years ago, it’s no surprise that Roy’s debut novel won a clutch of prizes: Its portrayal of India (specifically Kerala, in 1969 and 23 years later) through the eyes of a crumbling family and pair of separated twins, is as rich in detail as the country itself.And happy news for fans: Roy has a new novel, The Ministry of Utmost Happiness.
Chetan Bhagat
The incorporation of satire into fiction was made more mainstream in India with the works of Chetan Bhagat. With many of his novels being adapted into Bollywood films, Bhagat’s rise to fame has been swift, and his audio catalog is impressive. Start with Five Point Someone, narrated by Sartaj Garewal, which pokes holes at the elitist and rigid ideologies of one of the leading engineering schools in India.
Five Point Someone
Set in IIT, in the early 90s, this book portrays the lives of protagonist Hari and his two friends Ryan and Alok....
Jhumpa Lahiri
If there is any one author who captures the eternal quest to belong to a physical place, it is Jhumpa Lahiri. With prose that truly casts a spell, Lahiri writes stories of immigrants in a foreign land clinging to parts of their home and elements of their identity. While there is no one right place to start with the Pulitzer Prize-winning author’s body of work, The Namesake, narrated by Sarita Choudhry, is a great first listen. You’ll have some time to enjoy Lahiri's previous works before her newest release comes out in mid-2021—trust me, once you start, you won’t be able to stop until you’ve listened to everything she’s ever written.
The Namesake
I can’t remember exactly when I read this book. I think I was 18, right before I went to college in New York. This was during a time in my life where I was obsessed with the writing of Indian authors. The Namesake is everything everyone says it is — beautiful, moving, humorous — but it’s also about navigation, and specifically, navigating different and new cultures while holding on to past ones in new places.
Indu Sundaresan
Combining in-depth historical research with riveting storytelling, Indu Sundaresan does for India’s Mughal Court what Philippa Gregory did for England’s Tudor Court in The Taj Mahal trilogy. If you’re eager to travel deep into India’s past and fascinated by royal dramas, this epic is sure to satisfy and where you should undoubtedly start with Sundaresan’s work. It tells the captivating story of one of India’s most controversial empresses—a woman whose brilliance and determination triumphed over myriad obstacles and whose love shaped the course of the Mughal Empire. Each volume is eloquently narrated by Sneha Mathan.
The Feast of Roses
In her critically praised debut novel, The 20th Wife, Indu Sundaresan introduced the love story of Emperor Jahangir and Mehrunnisa. The story continues in this lush sequel, when Mehrunnisa comes into Jahangir's harem as his 20th and final wife. This time, Jahangir has married for love, and members of his court are worried that Mehrunnisa could exert control over their futures. Their concerns are well founded.
Despite the rivalry of the imperial harem, which has plotted against her from the beginning, Mehrunnisa soon becomes the most powerful woman in the Mughal Empire. She rules from behind the veil, securing her status by forming a junta of sorts with her father, brother, and stepson and by risking all, even her daughter, to get what she wants. But she never loses the love of the man who has bestowed this power upon her.
Alisha Rai
With stereotypes pervading the romance genre, Alisha Rai breaks convention by presenting characters who are flawed yet fierce. Start with her popular Forbidden Hearts trilogy, and be sure to make time to fully enjoy the sizzle. After those steamy listens, move on to her Modern Love series, featuring strong women falling in love and getting things done.
Hate to Want You
Alisha Rai, one of contemporary romance's brightest stars, makes her Avon Books debut with the first novel in the sexy Forbidden Hearts series!
One night. No one will know.
That was the deal. Every year, Livvy Kane and Nicholas Chandler would share one perfect night of illicit pleasure. The forbidden hours let them forget the tragedy that haunted their pasts - and the last names that made them enemies.
Until the night she didn't show up.
Now Nicholas has an empire to run. He doesn't have time for distractions, and Livvy's sudden reappearance in town is a major distraction. She's the one woman he shouldn't want...so why can't he forget how right she feels in his bed?
Livvy didn't come home for Nicholas, but fate seems determined to remind her of his presence - and their past. Although the passion between them might have once run hot and deep, not even love can overcome the scandal that divided their families.
Being together might be against all the rules...but being apart is impossible.
Salman Rushdie
An expert in blending the historic with the mythic, Salman Rushdie is a writer as brilliant as he is prolific. His seemingly limitless catalog can sometimes overwhelm those trying to decide where to start with his work. A great place to begin is by diving into one of his most approachable works, Midnight's Children, brilliantly narrated by Lyndam Gregory. It tells the story of Saleem and India, two of the children born in the first hour of India's independence from British rule. Though not identical twins, they are nevertheless bound to mirror each other's ambiguous trysts with destiny. Then make your way to Rushdie’s most controversial work, The Satanic Verses, before checking out his Booker Prize-shortlisted Quichotte.
Midnight's Children
This Audible production expertly brings to life Salman Rushdie’s postcolonial masterpiece Midnight’s Children, available for the first time unabridged in audio. A magical tale of discovery and identity, Midnight’s Children explores the wonders and perils of India’s birth through the eyes and actions of a child blessed with extraordinary powers.
About the book
Salman Rushdie’s second novel, Midnight’s Children, was an immediate success following its publication in 1981. The winner of both the Booker Prize and the James Tait Black Memorial Prize that year, it also went on to win the Booker best all-time prize in both 1993 and 2008.
Written in the magical-realist style that Rushdie is renowned for, Midnight’s Children follows Saleem Sinai - a child gifted with extraordinary powers after being born at the exact moment India becomes independent. The captivating events that unfold act as an allegory for India’s transition from colonialism to independence as Saleem finds himself 'handcuffed to history', with his fate entwined with that of his newly independent state.
Midnight’s Children is both comedy and tragedy, blending the real with the surreal as an enthralling family saga unwinds against the backdrop of a postcolonial India. A stunning story, rich with vibrant images and delightful characters, it thoroughly deserves its place as a modern masterpiece and an inspiration for a whole generation of future Indian writers.
About the author
One of the most celebrated and controversial authors in modern literature, Salman Rushdie is a multi-award-winning British Indian novelist whose writings on magical realism and postcolonialism have inspired and enchanted millions of people around the world. Born in Bombay in 1947, his early years were spent in India before moving to England and eventually reading history at King's College, University of Cambridge.
Rushdie first gained fame following the publication of his second novel, Midnight’s Children, but it was the publication of his fourth book, The Satanic Verses, that resulted in global notoriety. Iran’s Ayatollah Khomeini issued a fatwa against him which resulted in death threats and the banning of the book in 13 countries. A winner of dozens of the highest awards in literature, Rushdie was also the recipient of a knighthood in the UK in 2007.
Debuts
This is the audiobook that millions of subscribers to Lilly Singh’s YouTube channel, Superwoman, have been waiting for. Part memoir and part self-development guide, it recounts the story of Singh’s rise to fame as an actress and comedian and what kept her going despite failures and setbacks. The only way to encounter and fully experience this success story and its lessons is in audio, as narrated with confidence and humor by none other than Lilly Singh herself.
In her groundbreaking debut, Deepa Anappara tells a story that vividly evokes the realities of the Indian basti (slum). The novel follows nine-year-old Jai and his friends as they play detective to try to get to the bottom of the disappearance of one of their schoolmates. Woven into the twists and turns of this gritty mystery is social commentary about the pervasive poverty and divisiveness in the community. But within this bleak story, Anappara also delivers humor and hope. As the tale unfolds through the eyes of different characters, it is especially fitting that this audiobook is performed by a full cast of talented narrators, including the fantastic Indira Varma.
At the start of Megha Majumdar’s standout debut novel, Jivan, a young Muslim woman, makes a political comment on social media, which spirals into a chain of events and lands her in prison before the night is over. Featuring a multicast performance including Hall of Fame favorite Vikas Adam, Jivan’s story takes on a life of its own. Fueled by corruption, ambition, and prejudice, the threads of the plot converge with devastating inevitability.
This title by Balli Kaur Jaswal features murder, jealousy, scandal, and, oh, a bit of erotic fiction too, very tastefully thrown into the mix. Failing to meet her family's expectations, Nikki is content living her life and working in a pub till she figures it all out. Then she gets pulled into the lives of a couple of Punjabi widows and finds herself solving a murder. A Reese’s Book Club pick, this is a story you will want to experience only through Meera Syal's expert narration.
Nusrah Javed can be found writing at Book Riot, or doing her job of recommending books to those who ask (and those who don’t).
