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10 Famous Russian Authors You Must Read

Russia has produced some of the greatest people in the area of literature. The Golden age of Russian poetry began with Alexander Pushkin who is the founder of Russian literary language and is more commonly known as the ‘Russian Shakespeare’. After the Golden age various genres became popular in Russia, starting from poetry, novels, and short fiction stories to literary realism and symbolism. The work of Russian authors varies from romance, satire, religion and politics. Many have written autobiographies about their interesting lives which have become widely popular, while others wrote about the political conditions of the Soviet Union and its role in the world war. Their work has been published and translated worldwide and has attracted many readers. Here is a list of the top ten greatest Russian authors of all time.

1. Alexander Pushkin

Pushkin was the founder of literary poetry during the Golden era of poetry in Russia. He introduced the genre of romantic poetry and novels. His first poem was published when he was only in his teens and soon he was famous throughout Russia. His major work was his novel, Eugene Ongene. Being a romantic hero he died a heroic life as he succumbed to his wounds in a fight with Georges-Charles who tried to seduce his wife.

2. Alexander Solzhenitsyn

He was a Russian novelist, writer and dramatist. He used his work to spread awareness about the Gulag, the Soviet Union government agency that administered labor camps. His most famous contributions include ‘The Gulag archipelago’ and ‘One day in the life of Ivan Denisovich’.

3. Ivan Turgenev

He was a novelist and short story writer who was initially rejected by many publishers on his work ‘Father and Sons’ which is now considered a classic. His major publication was ‘A sportsman’s sketches’, a short story collection which aimed at the cruelties of surf society.

4. Vladimir Nabokov

He was a Russian-American novelist and entomologist. His first nine novels were in Russian after which he became more prominent and started writing English novels which are very popular worldwide. His much appreciated, controversial novel ‘Lolita’ was written in Russian and English and attained the status of a classic. He was also a finalist for the national book award for fiction seven times.

5. Mikhail Bulgakov

Bulgakov was a writer, physician and playwright active during the early twentieth century. He was claimed as the most controversial writers of his time and was famous for his satires on the society in Soviet Union. Although he received his education in medicine his inclination to literature lured him towards becoming a novelist. His most significant work is his novel ‘The master and margarita’.

6. Anton Chekhov

He is acknowledged as the greatest short fiction writer in history. He was initially a physician but after gaining interest in literature and started writing seriously. Therefore he proceeded with his career in medicine as well as writing books alongside. He once said “Medicine is my lawful wife and literature my mistress; when I get tired of one, I spend the night with the other”. His most influential work was ‘The Seagull’ and ‘Uncle Vanya’.

7. Ivan Bunin

Bunin was the first Russian author who was awarded with the Nobel Prize in literature. He was noted for artistry, realism, poetry and classical traditions. The young writer spent his childhood in some financial crisis due to the head of the family being a gambling addict and therefore could not receive the best of the education. Nonetheless, that did not pull him down and he was able to make way to the top. His most acclaimed work includes; ‘The Village’ and ‘Dry Calley’, his autobiography ‘The life of Arseniev’ and the short stories of ‘Dark Avenues’.

8. Nikolai Gogol

Gogol was a Ukrainian-born Russain dramatist, novelist and short story writer and he was greatly influenced by Ukrainian culture. His masterpiece included romantic sensibility, with strains of surrealism and the grotesque. He is also prominently known for his portrayal of real life characters. The novel Taras Bulba (1835) and the play Marriage (1842), along with the short stories “Diary of a Madman”, “The Tale of How Ivan Ivanovich Quarreled with Ivan Nikiforovich”, “The Portrait” and “The Carriage”, are of his most significant and popular works.

9. Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Dostoyevsky was a Russian novelist, short story writer, essayist, journalist and philosopher. His context explores human psychology, which is the study of behavior and mind, embracing all aspects of conscious and unconscious experience as well as thought. Even though he graduated as a military engineer he resigned and joined a socialist group, he was later captured by the police and sent to Siberia. Due to these life changing incidents he became a writer and talked about his experience in prison time and again in ‘The house of dead’, ‘The Insulted and the Injured,’ and ‘Winter Notes on Summer Impression’. He eventually became one of the most widely read and highly regarded Russian writers. His books have been translated into more than 170 languages.

10. Leo Tolstoy

Count Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy more commonly known as Leo Tolstoy as translated in English was one of the most phenomenal writers in the history of all time. He was a Russian novelist and short story writer, but later in life he also wrote some plays and essays.

His most popular works are War and Peace (1869) and Anna Karenina (1877). He first became popularly known for his semi-autobiographical trilogy, Childhood, Boyhood, and Youth (1852–1856), and Sevastopol Sketches (1855), based upon his experiences in the Crimean War. Later in life he became strongly influenced by the ethical teachings of Jesus and experienced profound moral crisis which urged him to publish some religious scripts. During his last few days he had surprisingly talked about death and a couple of days later passed away due to pneumonia.

10 Famous Indian Authors You Must Read

India has been celebrated for its art, literature and writing since ancient times. There are over twenty languages spoken in India and literature that includes over twenty of these languages. However, not only does Indians take pride in the diversity of their languages but has a great command over the English language as well. Henceforth, a wide variety of authors can be listed when it comes to Indian literature, so here’s an attempt to compress the list down to a simple number of ten; the Indian authors that must be acknowledged and their books that should be read.

1. Chetan Bhagat

Cited by The New York Times in 2008 as the biggest selling English language novelist in India’s history, Chetan Bhagat is author, screenwriter, columnist and TV personality. He is known for Comedy-drama novels about young urban middle-class Indians. Some of his famous work includes Five Point Someone, 2 States, Half Girlfriend and One Indian Girl.

2. Amrita Pritam

Pritam indulged in poetry and literature at a very young age which influenced her to become a poet and novelist later in her life. She was a courageous woman who did not fear writing controversial texts during the pre-partition era. She suffered through tough times during the partition of India which influenced her to write the Punjabi novel ‘Pinjar’ (skeleton) which describes the helplessness of the women during that era and the discrimination they had to go through. The novel later was made into a Bollywood movie which was a hit throughout the nation.

3. Jhumpa Lahiri

Laihiri is well known for her novels, essays and short stories. She was born in London but relocated to the United States to get her education from the Barnard College. She went ahead for her masters and attained her degree from the Boston University. She was a struggling writer and her work was initially rejected by the publishers until her biggest success, ‘The interpreter of Maladies’. This was a compilation of all her short stories about the life of immigrants in post-partition India. After the runaway success she wrote many other novels which are famous throughout the Indian continent and the world. Some of the most famous ones being; The namesake, Unaccustomed Earth and The lowland.

4. Khushwant Singh

He was a journalist, editor and novelist born in Hadli during the time of British India. He received his degree at St. Stephen’s College in New Delhi and King’s College in London. He initially started his career as a lawyer after which he got the opportunity to become the editor of important journals and magazines. As an author he wrote some outstanding novels like Train to Pakistan (1956), Delhi: A Novel (1990), The Company of Women (1999), Truth, Love and a Little Malice (2002), The Good, the Bad and the Ridiculous (2013).

5. R. K. Narayan

He was born in Chennai and due to his father’s transfers had to move around therefore changed many schools. His interest in reading was evident since a very young age and his hobby soon became a habit. He later graduated and decided to become a stay at home writer. His initial books were not that popular until his third novel, ‘The dark room’. Narayan wrote many novels after this which were published and soon became a well renowned author during his time in India.

6. Rabindranath Tagore

Even though Tagore received his education in law he took great interest in Shakespeare and his literature. Therefore following his works he became a poet and author. His first poem ‘Mansai’ was published in 1890 after which he gained immense popularity amongst Bengali readers. His most significant works include ‘Gitanjali’ which was a collection of poems and ‘Galpaguchchha’ which are eighty short stories.

7. Ruskin Bond

Bond was born in Punjab, British Indian and attained his education in Shimla and after completion of high school he moved to the U.K to enhance his writing career. He started his career as a freelance writer and eventually got jobs as editor in various magazines. It wasn’t until 1980 his novel was published which became widely admired amongst readers. His best known work is ‘The blue umbrella’, a heartwarming story read worldwide.

8. Vikram Seth

Seth born in Calcutta, graduated from high school, and studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Corpus Christi College, Oxford and graduated with a B. A. Degree in 1975. From 1975 to 1986, he pursued his Ph.D. at Stanford University, California, U.S.A. He is best known for his epic novel ‘The Suitable boy’.

9. Arundhati Roy

Writer, essayist and political activist, Arundhati Roy, is best known for her novel The God of Small Things which won her the Man Booker Prize for Fiction in 1997. Some of her other works include, The Algebra of Infinite Justice, Kashmir: The Case for Freedom and Capitalism: A Ghost Story.

10. Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay

He belonged to a poverty-stricken family as his father had irregular jobs. However his father was a dreamer and a writer and it was his exuberance that inspired Sarat to become a novelist himself. He wrote his first famous essays only when he was in his teens. Later, he made contributions to magazines from time to time. Since he was a feminist Chattopadhyay seemed it was urgent to write about the bigotry and patriarchal society. His most popular works are; ‘Devdas’ (1901, published 1917), ‘Parineeta’ (1914), Biraj Bau (1914), and Palli Samaj (1916).

10 Famous Canadian Authors You Must Read

Canada is the country most well known for its hospitality, diversity, sports and of course, its maple syrup! Along with all these most valuable contributions Canada has provided the world with some outstanding authors that you must read. Below is a list of the famous Canadian authors which will make you appreciate Canadian literature a little bit better.

1. Margaret Atwood

Atwood is one of the most popular writer not only in Canada but is known for her work globally. She has been awarded the Booker prize, Scotia bank Giller Prize, Arthur C. Clarke Award and Princess of Asturias Award for literature. Her novel The Handmaid’s Tale won her the Arthur C. Clarke Award, 2985 Governor General’s Award and was chosen the finalist for Booker prize. Amongst the many novels written by her these are the few of the ‘must reads’; The Robber Bride, Alias Grace, The blind Assassin, Oryx and Clarke, and last but not the least The year of the flood.

2. Lucy Maud Montgomery

One of her most brilliantly written and appreciated work is Anne of Green Gables. Most of her Anne series were set in the Prince Edward Island of Canada. The books have been made into various films and animated television series.

3. Douglas Coupland

Known for his command over the fiction novels particularly the mystery genre. He is famous for his international bestselling book Generation X: Tales for an accelerated culture. His other work includes Girlfriend in a coma, Miss Wyoming, All families are psychotic and Eleanor Rigby.

4. Robertson Davies

Davies wrote 30 books in total throughout his lifetime. His best book ‘What’s bred in the nine’ was shortlisted for the Booker prize. His books were filled with oddball characters, witty and whimsical. His famous quote says it all: ‘All mothers think their children are oaks, but the world never lacks for cabbages’. Robertson Davies was definitely one of the oaks.

5. Joseph Boyden

He wrote many inspiring books many of which we may even classify as classics. The talented author became interested in the field of literature since a very young age. Boyden’s novel ‘The Orenda’ won the 2013 edition of Canada reads. Three day roads won the 2006 Amazon.ca First Novel Award; it also was defended by filmmaker Nelofer Pazira in Canada Reads. His second novel ‘Through black spruce’ also won the Scotiabank Giller prize award.

6. Yann Martel

The author of Life of Pi, which was made into a Hollywood movie, was a flamboyant success all over the world. This book also won the Man Booker Prize and was an international bestseller published in more than 50 territories. The book portrays the relationship between an Indian boy and a tiger as they are stuck together on a shipwreck and the journey they make, the outcome of their odd affair is rather unusual and it is up to the readers whether to believe the facts or let their imagination take them into the world of Pi.

7. Heather O’Neill
Heather O'Neill
Born in Montreal, O’Neil’s talent is known at international level and her name is widely popular among the literatis universally. Her debut novel Lullabies for little criminals was selected for 2007 Canada reads. The book won the competition and not only that but also won the Hugh MacLennan prize for fiction. It went on to become an international bestseller.

8. Lisa Moore

Born in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, Moore’s first two books, Degrees of Nakedness (1995) and Open (2002), were short story collections. Open was a commercial and critical breakthrough, earning a nomination for the Giller Prize. Her very first novel Alligator was also nominated for the Giller Prize. She was also nominated for 2010 Booker Prize for her novel February.

9. Miriam Toews

Born 1964 in Steinbach, Toews is famous for her two novels ‘A complicated kindness’ and ‘All my puny sorrows’. Her novel ‘All my puny sorrows’ is inspired by true life events leading up to the 2010 suicide of her elder sister, a touching a sorrowful novel that surely is a must read. She has won a series of awards for her work including the Governor General’s Award for Fiction and the Writers’ Trust Engel/Findley Award.

10. Margaret Laurence

Born in Neepawa, she was the founder of Writers trust of Canada which encourages Canada’s writing community. She was Canada’s most esteemed and beloved author. Best known for her book, The Stone Angel, it was made into a featured film directed by Kari Skogland and starring Ellen Burstyn was released in 2017.

Top 10 Christian Authors You Must Read

Famous Christian Authors

Ever since Christianity has evolved since the birth of Jesus Christ there have been writers. They started writing even when paper wasn’t invented using stone, papyrus and strolls as their working grounds. Christianity itself promotes the need for education and introduced as we would like to say, one of the world’s greatest work of literature, the Bible itself. There have been many more books along the lines of Christianity whether it has to do with the life of Jesus or the teachings preached by him, there can be a lot of content one will find in this respect. According to a 2011 Pew Research Center survey, there were 2.2 billion Christians around the world in 2010, up from about 600 million in 1910. By 2050, the Christian population is expected to exceed 3 billion. According to a 2012 Pew Research Center survey Christianity will remain the world’s largest religion in 2050, if current trends continue. Even in the modern day today Christianity happens to be the world’s largest religion. Therefore, it won’t be incorrect to say that there are hundreds of Christian writers who have carried out the preaching of the Christ. However discussing this all will be beyond the scope of this article, hence here’s a short compilation of the top ten Christian authors who have shaped Christianity.

1. John Bunyan

Bunyan sincerely wrote from what touched his soul and from what he observed happening around him. This author from the 17th century did not write to become bestseller but rather wrote selflessly and with no greed and it was perhaps this motivation that his allegory Pilgrim’s Progress is the second bestselling book of all time, trailing only the Bible in the number of copies sold. Although he spent many years in an English dungeon he was probably the most freed man, spiritually, during his era. He wrote many other popular books including; The Holy War, The Life and Death of Mr. Badman, Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners, Saved by Grace and A Holy Life.

2. C. S. Lewis

He is one of the most celebrated Christian authors. The name will be more obvious to the readers with the mention of Chronicles of Narnia. He is the author of the excellent book, now a motion film as well widely watched by Christians and non Christians as well. He was an academic, a radio personality, a scholar, a poet alongside being a novelist. Lewis struggled with exploring his faith which is probably why it attracted modern readers and perhaps non Christian believers as well. His most significant contributions are; The Chronicles of Narnia, Mere Christianity, The Allegory of Love, The Screwtape Letters, The Space Trilogy, Till We Have Faces, Surprised by Joy.

3. Oswald Chambers

Chambers was a Scottish evangelist who is recognized for founding the Holiness movement. His teachings mainly focused on the character of God and how that influenced the faith. He wrote many spiritual and religious books that have been very popular with God-loving people. His publications have never been out of print and translated over 40 different languages! His most notable works are; My Utmost for His Highest, If You Will Ask, Love, a Holy Command, Hope, a Holy Promise.

4. G. K. Chesterton

Chesterton was an English writer, philosopher, lay theologian, poet, dramatist, journalist, biographer, and Christian apologist. He was a humble man who only considered himself a journalist even after his popularity in the literary field. He wrote these phenomenal books; Orthodoxy, The Man Who Was Thursday, The Everlasting Man, Heretics.

5. A. W. Tozer

Tozer was an American pastor whose ministry was marked by intense prayer, selflessness, and devotion. His most influential and popular book was ‘The pursuit of God’ which was of great value amongst the Christian community. He wrote over 40 books many of which are still printed out and bought till date. Tozer was a man of devotion and followed the footsteps of the Lord, Christ.

6. St. Augustine

He was the bishop of Hippo in modern day Algeria, acclaimed to eighteen centuries of popularity. He is known as the greatest author in Christian literature since the ancient times and his salvation stories are still talked about today over a meal at supper. His stories of salvation and sin still hold a great significance today and teach great lessons of faith and belief. His most notable works are; Confessions, City of God, On Christian Doctrine, On the Trinity.

7. Jonathan Edwards

Edwards has portrayed his writings in the most profound and poetic way and his unique style of writing is incomparable to any other authors in his field of art. His all-time most notable work is the sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.” The collection of his work is still present till date and can be found around on book shelves when searching for religious novels.

8. John Foxe

Foxe was present during the controversial time when Christianity was under threat by the kings and queens and religious personalities were executed for their preaching. Therefore it took a lot of commitment to have faith in such delicate times. Foxe exiled himself to Germany where he wrote about the prevailing conditions. His most famous novels are; Book of Martyrs, Acts and Monuments, Essential Christian Classics, Christo Triumphante.

9. John Calvin

Calvin was greatly inspired by Martin Luther and wanted to carry forward the reformation. His knowledge over history, theology and doctrine was so vast that he decided to become a novelist. His theologies include; Institutes of the Christian Religion, Commentaries on most books of the Bible, The Bondage and Liberation of the Will, The Secret Providence of God.

10. John Piper

Thus far, this article has mostly talked about the ancient personalities because, in my opinion, their work exceeds all the other scripts written today. However Piper has proven this wrong as his work has challenged the authors of history. His work has had a tremendous impact on the believers and still continues to inspire us today. His most important contributions are; Desiring God, Don’t Waste Your Life, Recovering Biblical Manhood, Finally Alive.

10 Best Graphic Novels Of All Time

A comic is computerized designs included with text, speech bubble or quotations to express an opinion. As a result, a graphic novel is a book made up of comic’s content. The content can express different views, love, hate, war and politics. This style of writing and illustration enjoys the freedom of speech but may at times be offensive to some people. On the other hand, a lot of graphic novels target the young children because simple novels can be undemonstrative, boring and can get bland and the child is easily distracted. Therefore to attract attention and to keep you fully entertained the graphic novels use the technology of graphic design to keep the reader hooked on at all times. This genre emerged during the 1970s and it wasn’t until the 80s that public became familiar to it and started gaining fame like some of the legendary graphic novels for example, The Dark Knight by Frank Miller, a must read for all ages. Nonetheless, it wasn’t actually until 2001 that bookstores actually started stocking graphic novel as a separate category. Here are some of the best graphic novels of all time.

1. Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
As I have mentioned above, Frank miller, the legend of the genre of graphic novels, wrote this comic in 1997 and it became a universal hit and still is. This novel is about the most loved super hero batman, who is a vigilante and silent protector of Gotham. The dark knight comes out of his ten years of retirement and faces his two greatest enemies, the joker and two-face.(Buy)

2. Alice in Sunderland
This is based on the Alice from the original Alice and wonderland and the character has taken a twist in a different range and various stories revolve around it. The main characters Alice and Lewis Caroll explore the city of Sunderland which is inspired by some of Lewis’s masterpieces.(Buy)

3. Watchmen
The novel is set in the 1980s where they’ve shown the United States at war with the Soviet Union. It is up to this team of super-heros to avert a global apocalypse. The novel introduces outstanding characters with their astonishing outfits and vibrant colors. The art-work is designed brilliantly for the reader to not be able to take their eyes off the page. The comic-artist that inspired this graphic novel was Alan Moore in collaboration with Dave Gibbons.(Buy)

4. From Hell
Another one of Alan Moore’s greatest hit, one after the other, this was one of Moore’s bestselling work. The story revolves around Jack Ripper the notorious serial killer of his time. It is one of the most terrifying and grotesque crime fictions in the history of all time. Therefore if you are into the mystery genre with an overlap of comic and graphic novels this book fits perfectly into your category.(Buy)

5. Ghost world
A dark humorous graphic novel that talks about the adventures of two typical teenage girls who aimlessly explore towns and pass their time gossiping and fantasizing about some odd men they see in local restaurants.(Buy)

6. V for Vendetta
V for vendetta has been made into a movie which is dramatically displayed and excellently executed. The story is set in an imaginative future England where the city has given itself up to fascism which results in the loss of freedom. It is an account of rebellion, oppression and resistance.(Buy)

7. 100 bullets by Brian Azarello
An American graphic novel published by DC comics under Vertigo imprint. The concept of 100 bullets is based on not just a 100 bullets but 100 questions, decisions and conclusions. It is a story of vengeance, murder cases that have somehow been validated. The story involves a mysterious agent, Agent Graves, who approaches an innocent man who has become a victim of a misunderstanding and something terribly wrong. He is given the chance to take revenge with no account of his criminal act and give a hundred bullets. It is up to him to decide what should be the right thing to do. In fact it targets all on mankind and what their instincts would be if given a situation and opportunity to act on the desire of violent revenge.(Buy)

8. Day tripper by Fabio Moon
This story is about a child prodigy, the young Bras de Olivia Domingos, a famous Brazilian writer’s child who is inspired to one day become a world famous author himself. This novel is about life, the unpredictability and uncertainty of life that probably everyone can relate to. Each day is like a blank page and he is the author of an unwritten book which he seems to have to control over. It is a magical, mysterious and adventure graphic novel beautifully written by Fabio Moon.(Buy)

9. The league of extraordinary gentlemen by Alan Moore
Alan Moore has come up in the context time and time again as he happens to be of the most notable authors in this genre of books. He has come up on the top of many lists of best graphic novels. The league of extraordinary gentlemen is yet another masterpiece written by Moore. The set up is around the end of the nineteenth century, the downfall of the Victorian era and the entire set up in a total chaos. Therefore different important figures work together amidst this chaos to face together any threats towards Britain.(Buy)

10. Black Hole by Charles Burns
This novel is set in mid-1970 where a plague has become endemic in an area that is manifested in horrifying different ways. The atmosphere turns ominous as the plague gradually takes over and the infected start showing sinister characteristics which seem to have no cure. The kids who are caught in seem to be stuck because there is no turning back. A series of appalling and alarming events take place that you would’ve never read before. This graphic novel is classified as one of the best horror reads written by Charles Burns.(Buy