Following is my list:
This does not include the Bengali Authors. I probably need to write another review devoted totally to them.
I would try to give a very brief description of the author and the book I love most.
John le Carré
Born in 1931 attended the universities of Berne and Oxford and had a career with the British Foreign Service. He became famous when The Spy Who Came In from the Cold, his third book was published.
The Spy Who Came In from the Cold: The best spy novel I have read so far. This is a classic, a novel packed with suspense. The novel narrates the story of an undercover agent, someone who is desperate to end his career of espionage - to come in from the cold.
Joseph Heller
An American novelist and dramatist Heller was born in 1923. Began his career as a short story writer but shot to fame with his incredible book Catch-22.
Catch-22: This is a novel filled with dark humour. The book satirizes the horrors of war and modern society, especially bureaucratic institutions, and describes how they destroy the human spirit.
Graham Greene
Born in 1964 Graham Greene is my favourite author. Many of Greene’s novels are based on his travels during World War Two, when he worked for the Ministry of Information and MI6.
The Quiet American: This is one of the most read novels by him. It is about the Vietnam War-not the’American War, ’ but the’French War’ that preceded it. The story describes a love triangle involving a naive American spook, a jaded English journalist and a young Vietnamese girl amidst the tension and turbulence that rocks the country.
Gabriel García Márquez
A Colombian-born writer and considered to be many as one of the world’s greatest living authors. This Nobel Prize recipient in Literature in 1982 was born in 1928 in the small town of Aracataca, Colombia. His grandparents, who would often tell him wonderful stories, fables and fairy tales, raised him. This without doubt has acted as an inspiration for him in his literary career. The best example of that can be seen in One Hundred Years of Solitude.
One Hundred Years of Solitude: The story follows 100 years in the life of Macondo, a village founded by José Arcadio Buendía. Intricately woven the story narrates the life of the residents of Macondo amidst Civil war, hearts break, shattered dreams, lost lives etc. It is magic realism at its very best.
Chinua Achebe
One of the best African writers of all time, Chinua Achebe was born in Nigeria in 1930. Widely acclaimed as the pioneer in modern Africa literature and one of its most powerful, prominent and respected authors. His classics include Things Fall Apart(1958), No Longer at Ease(1960), Arrow of God(1964), Anthills of the Savannah(1987), and Home and Exile(2001).
Things Fall Apart: The novel portrays the Nigerian tribal life before and after the coming of colonialism. The book sketches a turbulent world filled with violence, war, and suffering. Tradition, ritual, and social coherence are also present which act as a balancing rock.
Things Fall Apart is a power packed story where the main protagonist Okonkwo, the proud man stand firm as his beloved culture gets crushed.
Anton Chekhov
Chekhov, one of the greatest playwrights of modern times was born in Tanarog, Russia, near the Sea of Azov, on January 17, 1860.
The Cherry Orchard: Russia saw two major developments in the 19th century. These two events act as the theme of this play. The events, which acted as a major catalyst in the lives of the Russian people, were: Arrival of Railroads in 1830’s and the serf population of Russia getting liberated in 1861.These two dimensions, social change and the growing importance of the international community, pervade the play and even drive the plot.
Luigi Pirandello
Luigi Pirandello was born in 1867. His first novel The Outcast was published in 1893 and gave indications of his writing prowess.
Six Characters in Search of an Author: A group of actors are preparing to rehearse for a Pirandello play. Six characters suddenly interrupt them. The leader, the father, tells the manager that they are looking for an author. He informs that the author who created them did not finish their story, and consequently they are waiting to be fully brought to life.The manager initially tries to throw them out of the theater, but they persist, plead and finally make the manager interested as they start to describe their story.
Paul Theroux
Paul Theroux was born on April 10, 1941 in Medford, Massachusetts. One of the finest travel writers who became well known around the world with The Great Railway Bazaar(his first travel novel).
The Great Railway Bazaar: This is a travelogue, which you should relish. This is in short an entertaining railway odyssey. It makes you feel that you are part of the journey and is in constant touch with new people, places, and landscapes. Exotic train names like the Orient Express, the Khyber Mail, and the Trans-Siberian Express transports you to countries like Turkey, Iran, India, Southeast Asia, Japan, and the Soviet Union.
Roald Dahl
Roald Dahl was born on September 13, 1916 in Llandaff, Wales. Many of his stories, such as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and James and the Giant Peach, have been loved by Children of all ages.
He wrote books for the parents of those children too. Masterpieces include Uncle Oswald, short stories etc.
Uncle Oswald: Please read this book. It is impossible to write a summary of this novel. In one sentence the nameless narrator has dedicated solely to the diaries of the lovable, lascivious Uncle Oswald.
Upamanyu Chatterjee
One of the first Indian authors to have tasted critical and popular success for a book written in English, Upamanyu Chatterjee made a great debut with English, August, published by Faber and Faber.
English, August is the story of young civil servant Agastya(’August’) Sen. It narrates his experiences, his shocks of exploring a new world hitherto unexplored and so on.
Hope you like the list. Look forward for comments.