(Disclaimer: This article contains affiliate links to Amazon)
A lot of women authors have made a deep impact on literary history either through their books or the characters they created. We list 20 such writers, arranged chronologically, along with their notable works, that should definitely make it to your reading bucket-list.
Jane Austen (1775-1817)
Jane Austen’s works mainly focused on the social status of women and their economic security. An author of six major novels, she had brilliantly captured the transitions between 18th and 19th century that resonated with literary realism and social commentary.
Emma, Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility are amongst her popular works.
Mary Shelly (1797-1851)
Popularly known as the creator of Frankenstein, Mary Shelly was also a dramatist, essayist, biographer and a travel writer. Most of her works were prominently influenced by historic and gothic genres.
Her other important works also include Mathilda (not to be confused with Roald Dahl’s Matilda), The Last Man (an apocalyptic fantasy of the end of human civilization), and Rambles in Germany and Italy.
Charlotte Brontë (1816-1855)
Charlotte Brontë was the eldest of the three Brontë sisters, whose works are considered to be classics in English literature. She was an English novelist and a poet who wrote under the pen name Currer Bell.
Charlotte Brontë was best known for her novel, Jane Eyre. She also co-authored Poems by Currer, Ellis and Acton Bell with her sisters Emily and Anne Brontë.
Emily Dickenson (1830-1866)
Emily Dickenson is considered one amongst America’s significant poets, and wrote as many as 1800 poems of which only less than a dozen were published. Her poems were unconventional and lacked titles forcing the publishers to alter them, befitting the conventional rules of poetry.
Her poems prominently featured two of the most recurring themes – death and immortality, which were also a part of frequent letters to her friends.
Toru Dutt (1856-1877)
Toru Dutt has consistently featured as one of the most prominent women poets of India even to this day. She wrote in Indian and French languages and was best known for two of her translated works – a French volume of poems into English and a collection of Sanskrit translations to English.
Her poem Our Casuarina Tree is still one of the classics in modern English literature, often taught in schools in India.
Sarojini Naidu (1879-1949)
Known as the Nightingale of India, Sarojini Naidu played active roles in poetry and politics. She first wrote at the age of twelve. Apart from two of her popular collection of poems – The Golden Threshold and The Feather of the Dawn, she also wrote numerous other poems on various subjects.
She was the first woman to become the governor of an Indian state and the second woman to preside as the President of the Indian National Congress.
Agatha Christie (1890-1976)
Agatha Christie is best known as the creator of two popular characters, Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple through her ingenious collection of 66 detective novels and 14 short stories. She was also a popular playwright.
According to the Guinness World Records, she is still the best-selling novelist of all time. Her works have been adapted into numerous plays, television and radio shows and video games.
Amrita Pritam (1919-2005)
One of the prominent faces during 20th century, Amrita Pritam wrote in Punjabi and Hindi. She had written over 100 books that included collection of poems, fictions, biographies and essays.
Her works became the voice of Punjabi women and her experiences through words were mainly influenced by the incidents during the partition. Pinjar remains of her prominent works even to this day which was made into a movie in 2003.
Maya Angelou (1928-2014)
Apart from being a poet, Maya was a noted memoirist and civil rights activist. She has written various autobiographies, essays, poetry and plays with themes based on racism, identity, family and travel.
The first of the seven autobiographies, I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings won her critical acclaim and international recognition. She is the recipient of over 50 honorary degrees.
Ismat Chugtai (1915-1991)
Ismat Chugtai is an award-winning Indian Urdu novelist, short story writer, liberal humanist and filmmaker, who wrote extensively on themes drawn from femininity, middle-class gentility and class conflict.
Her story, A Very Strange Man, is drawn from the life of director and actor – Guru Dutt. Her list of works also include short story collections, children’s novellas and plays. She is the recipient of the prestigious Padma Shri award from the Government of India.
Vaidehi (1945)
Janaki Srinivasa Murthy is popularly known as Vaidehi to her fans in the literary world. She is an accomplished writer of fiction in Kannada language. She is the winner of many prestigious awards in the state and national levels.
Her work spans across various genres like, short story and poem collections, essays, children’s plays, translations and biographies. She is also the winner of the Sahitya Academy award for her short story collection, Krauncha Pakshigalu.
Shobhaa De (1948)
Shobhaa De is a prominent columnist and novelist, and is known as the Jackie Collins of India in the literary circuit. Her works predominantly portray the lifestyle of socialites and celebrities.
She works as a freelance writer and columnist for various magazines and newspapers. Her opinions and works have been the subject of criticisms very often.
Sudha Murthy (1950)
Better known as the Chairperson of Infosys Foundation, Sudha Murthy is known for her philanthropic works and also for her writings in English and Kannada. She initiated the facility of computers and libraries to all government schools in Karnataka.
Recipient of numerous awards and accolades, she has authored several books in Kannada and English.
Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni (1956)
Chitra B Divakaruni is a an Indian-American author and poet, and Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Houston. She writes for both children and adults on various genres like, historical fiction, fantasy and magical realism.
Her popular works include, Arranged Marriage for which she won the American Book Award, Mistress of Spices which was made into a movie and The Palace of Illusions, a retelling of Mahabharata.
Arundathi Roy (1961)
Recipient of the prestigious Man Booker Prize for Fiction for her novel God Of Small Things, Arundathi Roy is one of the important writers of modern literature. Apart from writing, she is also an active political activist for human rights and environmental causes.
Her second novel, The Ministry of Utmost Happiness is due to be published by June 2017. She has also authored various non-fictions, essays and articles.
J K Rowling (1965)
She is popularly known as the creator of Harry Potter and other famous characters through her Harry Potter series of books. Also a screen-writer and film producer, J K Rowling also wrote under the pen name, Robert Galbraith.
The Harry Potter series became all-time bestsellers and she was hailed as UK’s best-selling writer. She is an active supporter of numerous charity causes.
Kavita Kané (1966)
An acclaimed writer in the genre of mythological fiction, Kavita Kané’s novels are the retellings of the great Indian epics, Ramayana and Mahabharata through the perspectives of female protagonists.
She has written four novels thus far, each of them based on significant female characters showcasing a strong and spirited persona.
Anita Nair (1966)
Anita Nair is a popular Indian writer of English who hails from Kerala. Anita Nair received a fellowship for her first collection of short stories, Satyr of the Subway from the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts.
She is one of the best-selling authors of fiction and poetry and her works have been translated into many languages. She is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Kerala Sahitya Academy Award.
Jhumpa Lahiri (1967)
An American author and currently a professor of Creative Writing at Princeton University, Jhumpa Lahiri is the recipient of the prestigious Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and her work was also nominated for the Man Booker Prize.
Her debut work, Interpreter of Maladies is a portrayal of societal sensitivities, immigrant issues, marital difficulties and many other themes. Her works are known for simple language and prominent characterizations.
Who are your favorite women authors? Let us know in the comments section below.
—