To put matters into perspective, choosing 10 authors among the many many good ones around is akin to choosing your favorite sweets when you are very hungry. Though I have read a bit of poetry, I more
often than not, dig for short stories and novels in that order.
The following are my favorite authors and not in any particular order
Terry Pratchett
Douglas Adams
Stephen King
Roald Dahl
O’ Henry
R.K. Narayan
Graham Greene
Iain Banks
K.T. Gatti & Shivaram Karanth & Masti Venkatesha Iyyengar (In Kannada)
Arthur Hailey
Terry Pratchett is God!! Imagine a Tolkein world with a twisted tale and laugh a line riot. A world which is exactly opposite of what we know as ‘our’ world. A flat disk like world supported by 4 elephants, which in turn are supported on the back of a giant turtle (The only animal in the whole universe, which knows exactly where it is going). A sun that revolves around the disk world. A crazy bunch of wizards, witches, dwarfs, trolls (the stone men whose favorite drink is Lava on the rocks) and men. And a host of other interesting characters (an orangutan librarian, a ‘cut-my-own-throat’ dribber, a speaking dog that SAYS “woof” if some one gets suspicious). He is the best of the 20th century Satire.
Douglas Adams is another celebrated author who defied the laws of sci-fi writing when he turned the hyperspace upside down and took readers into gasp-giggle-gasp-giggle routine. His “Hitchhiker’s Guide to Galaxy” (there are 5 books in that series) is the definitive work on how the world would be in a couple of zillion years. He also wrote 2 more books featuring a detective named Dirk and they are also immensely popular. Check out some of his famous quotes below:
“In the beginning the Universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move.”
“There is a theory which states that if ever anybody discovers exactly what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable. There is another theory which states that this has already happened.”
Stephen King. Ever since he wrote that spine tingling book titled “Carrie” and followed it up with “Misery” (who has been voted the second most villainous character after Lector Hannibal), King has had a trail-blazing career in writing goose bumpers. Incidentally, I believe he holds a distinction of having maximum number of books being made into movies (according to me). His short stories as engrossing as his novels are and he is one author one shouldn’t miss. I would recommend Carrie, Misery, Fire Starter, Pet cemetery, Skeleton Crew, Tommy knocker, The shining, and eyes of the dragon to get a feel of his writing. Goose bumps ahead!
Roald Dahl is a master of ‘twist in the tail’ kind of stories. Many of his stories are hardly 2 pages long and they pack a mean punch. Check out his short story. His stories generally start with a simple happening or a narration and pick up pace to end in a totally unexpected way where the hunter become the hunted and the most sane people are the most insane ones. I would recommend a short story collection titled “switch bitch” to begin savoring him.
O’ Henry is the perhaps the most read and the most loved among all the short story writers.Usually with happy endings, his stories are filled with compassion, mild humor, hope and everyday heroes. I guess Jaico/ Blackrose (Indian Publishers) have a paperback edition of all the stories of O’ Henry for about Rs. 150/-. What are you waiting for people!
R.K.Narayan is best remembered for creating the thoroughly enjoyable Malgudi days. With books like Swami and friends, The guide,Waiting for Mahatma, Mithaiwala & Sampath-The printer of Malgudi, he has become one of the most visible faces among Indian writing in English. He is eminently readable.
Graham Greene was the contemporary of R.K.Narayan and his friend/philosopher/Guide. He has written on a wide verity of subjects and can be as funny and as serious as any accomplished author could be. His greatest strength lies in using simple, straightforward English. I would recommend “Travels with Aunt” “The power and the glory” and “The heart of the matter” among several others to check his repertoire.
Iain Banks is the most popular among contemporary British authors. With a vivid imagination, unexpected plots and vast canvas, Iain Banks definitely has made his mark on the writing scene. Although more popular as science fiction writer, he shot into limelight with his very first book titled “The Wasp Factory”. He followed it up with “The Bridge” “The Espidair Street” and “The last Vampire”. His science fiction books are also immensely popular. One reason not many people might have not heard about him in India is that I have not seen his books in the bookstores. But if some one has an access to British Library, you will definitely come across a whole collection of his books.
Coming to Kannada authors, I don’t know how relevant it will be to a broad spectrum of readers because Kannada is a vernacular language.
Shivaram Karanth was a fountain of energy as long as he lived. He worked towards environmental protection, made movies, wrote plays, played Yakshagana (a native dance/music form) and found time to write. And picked up Gyanpeeth Award on the way.( India’s highest literary honour). Kannada till recently had the distinction of having won the maximum number of Gyanpeeth awards (6). He is again eminently readable.
K.T. Gatti is another renowned Kannada author whose books tend be more serious.His writing mostly revolve around ordinary people in everyday life trying to cope up with their emotions and ethics.Like his most recent book where he describes the internal turmoil of a very famous singer who lusts for his female student and struggles with his fame and his drinking habits. Very interesting.
Masti Venkatesh Iyyengar(fondly called “Kannadada Aasti Masti” which means “Masti is Kannada’s treasure”) is the father of short story writing in Kannada. His narrative styles is very simple and very down to earth. And like R.K. Narayan his stories speak of everyday occurances, a bangle misplaced, a jatkawala (horse carriage) loosing his income to automobiles, a temple festival and such things. And he has the power to make to narration powerful enough for the reader to visualise as if the characters are alive.
Arthur Hailey. Why do I like him? Because of his thorough research about the field he writes! His uniqueness lies in the fact that he can just write about almost any profession in the world with the same authority. I got addicted to his books when I read his book called “Overload” which dealt with the power companies in USA. He has a racy style, dry humor, well-etched characters and loads of technical stuff that pertains to the profession he is writing about. I recommend The Wheels, The Moneychangers, Overload, Final Diagnosis and Hotel to start with.
I know I have missed the heavyweights of finest tradition. And yes :)))) women authors. I have read many of them its just a coincidence that they don’t figure in my favorite list. I have immensely enjoyed reading Jane Austin, George Elliot and Amy Tan.
So there people. My favorite Martians. Read them and you’ll know what makes me go gaga over them!