Dear aspirants, Books and Authors is one of the most important topics in Static General Knowledge and is frequently asked in SSC, UPSC, Banking, Railway, Defence, State PSC, JKSSB, Police, CUET, Teaching, and other competitive examinations.
Questions are commonly asked about famous Indian books, ancient and medieval literary works, autobiographies, international classics, Booker Prize-winning books, and Jnanpith Award-related books. This article is prepared completely from the Important Books and Authors for all Competitive exams 2026
Indian Books and Authors
Indian literature has produced numerous masterpieces that have influenced history, society, politics, and culture. The following books and their authors are important from the examination point of view.
| Book | Author |
|---|---|
| Anandamath | Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay |
| Vande Mataram | Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay |
| Gitanjali | Rabindranath Tagore |
| The Home and the World | Rabindranath Tagore |
| Wings of Fire | A. P. J. Abdul Kalam & Arun Tiwari |
| Ignited Minds | A. P. J. Abdul Kalam |
| India 2020 | A. P. J. Abdul Kalam |
| My Journey | A. P. J. Abdul Kalam |
| Discovery of India | Jawaharlal Nehru |
| Glimpses of World History | Jawaharlal Nehru |
| An Autobiography | Jawaharlal Nehru |
| My Experiments with Truth | Mahatma Gandhi |
| Hind Swaraj | Mahatma Gandhi |
| India Wins Freedom | Maulana Abul Kalam Azad |
| Unhappy India | Lala Lajpat Rai |
| Young India | Lala Lajpat Rai |
| Poverty and Un-British Rule in India | Dadabhai Naoroji |
| Gulamgiri | Jyotirao Phule |
| Arthashastra | Kautilya (Chanakya) |
| Rajatarangini | Kalhana |
| Geet Govinda | Jayadeva |
| Kitab-ul-Hind | Al-Biruni |
| Ain-i-Akbari | Abul Fazl |
| Akbarnama | Abul Fazl |
| Baburnama | Babur |
| Tuzuk-i-Jahangiri | Jahangir |
| Harshacharita | Banabhatta |
| Mudrarakshasa | Vishakhadatta |
| Meghaduta | Kalidasa |
| Abhijnanasakuntalam | Kalidasa |
| Raghuvamsha | Kalidasa |
| Malavikagnimitram | Kalidasa |
| Godan | Munshi Premchand |
| Gaban | Munshi Premchand |
| Nirmala | Munshi Premchand |
| Pinjar | Amrita Pritam |
| Train to Pakistan | Khushwant Singh |
| Midnight’s Children | Salman Rushdie |
| The Guide | R. K. Narayan |
| Malgudi Days | R. K. Narayan |
| A Suitable Boy | Vikram Seth |
| The White Tiger | Aravind Adiga |
| The God of Small Things | Arundhati Roy |
| The Argumentative Indian | Amartya Sen |
| Freedom at Midnight | Larry Collins & Dominique Lapierre |
| The Great Indian Novel | Shashi Tharoor |
| Why I Am a Hindu | Shashi Tharoor |
Famous Autobiographies
Autobiographies are frequently asked in competitive examinations because they reflect the life and achievements of eminent personalities.
| Book | Author |
|---|---|
| My Experiments with Truth | Mahatma Gandhi |
| Wings of Fire | A. P. J. Abdul Kalam |
| Playing It My Way | Sachin Tendulkar |
| Long Walk to Freedom | Nelson Mandela |
| Mein Kampf | Adolf Hitler |
| The Story of My Life | Helen Keller |
| An Autobiography | Jawaharlal Nehru |
| The Race of My Life | Milkha Singh |
| Unbreakable | Mary Kom |
| Open | Andre Agassi |
| Sunny Days | Sunil Gavaskar |
| Straight from the Heart | Kapil Dev |
Ancient and Medieval Books
Ancient and medieval literary works form an important part of Indian history and culture and are regularly asked in UPSC, SSC, JKSSB, and State PSC examinations.
| Book | Author |
|---|---|
| Arthashastra | Kautilya |
| Indica | Megasthenes |
| Rajatarangini | Kalhana |
| Harshacharita | Banabhatta |
| Vikramankadevacharita | Bilhana |
| Geet Govinda | Jayadeva |
| Ain-i-Akbari | Abul Fazl |
| Akbarnama | Abul Fazl |
| Baburnama | Babur |
| Tuzuk-i-Jahangiri | Jahangir |
International Books and Authors
Many famous international literary works are also included in the Static GK syllabus for competitive examinations.
| Book | Author |
|---|---|
| Hamlet | William Shakespeare |
| Macbeth | William Shakespeare |
| Othello | William Shakespeare |
| Romeo and Juliet | William Shakespeare |
| Paradise Lost | John Milton |
| Pride and Prejudice | Jane Austen |
| Oliver Twist | Charles Dickens |
| David Copperfield | Charles Dickens |
| A Tale of Two Cities | Charles Dickens |
| War and Peace | Leo Tolstoy |
| Anna Karenina | Leo Tolstoy |
| The Old Man and the Sea | Ernest Hemingway |
| The Adventures of Tom Sawyer | Mark Twain |
| The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn | Mark Twain |
| Don Quixote | Miguel de Cervantes |
| Animal Farm | George Orwell |
| Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984) | George Orwell |
| The Communist Manifesto | Karl Marx & Friedrich Engels |
| The Origin of Species | Charles Darwin |
| The Wealth of Nations | Adam Smith |
Booker Prize Winning Indian Authors
The Booker Prize is one of the world’s most prestigious literary awards. The following Indian authors and their books are important for competitive examinations.
| Book | Author | Year |
|---|---|---|
| The God of Small Things | Arundhati Roy | 1997 |
| The Inheritance of Loss | Kiran Desai | 2006 |
| The White Tiger | Aravind Adiga | 2008 |
Jnanpith Award Related Books
The Jnanpith Award is India’s highest literary honour. The following books are associated with important Jnanpith Award winners.
| Book | Author |
|---|---|
| Odakkuzhal | G. Sankara Kurup |
| Yama | Mahadevi Verma |
| Kitne Pakistan | Kamleshwar |
| Mrityunjaya | Shivaji Sawant |
Important Facts for Quick Revision
- Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay wrote Anandamath and Vande Mataram.
- Rabindranath Tagore wrote Gitanjali and The Home and the World.
- A. P. J. Abdul Kalam authored Ignited Minds, India 2020, and co-authored Wings of Fire.
- Jawaharlal Nehru wrote Discovery of India, Glimpses of World History, and An Autobiography.
- Mahatma Gandhi authored My Experiments with Truth and Hind Swaraj.
- Kalidasa wrote Meghaduta, Raghuvamsha, Abhijnanasakuntalam, and Malavikagnimitram.
- Abul Fazl wrote Akbarnama and Ain-i-Akbari.
- Munshi Premchand wrote Godan, Gaban, and Nirmala.
- R. K. Narayan wrote The Guide and Malgudi Days.
- Shashi Tharoor wrote The Great Indian Novel and Why I Am a Hindu.
- William Shakespeare authored Hamlet, Macbeth, Othello, and Romeo and Juliet.
- Charles Dickens wrote Oliver Twist, David Copperfield, and A Tale of Two Cities.
- George Orwell wrote Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984).
- Arundhati Roy won the Booker Prize (1997) for The God of Small Things.
- Kiran Desai won the Booker Prize (2006) for The Inheritance of Loss.
- Aravind Adiga won the Booker Prize (2008) for The White Tiger.
Conclusion
The Books and Authors topic is a high-scoring section of Static GK for competitive examinations. Candidates should regularly revise famous Indian books, autobiographies, ancient and medieval literary works, international classics, Booker Prize-winning books, and Jnanpith Award-related books.
Important MCQs on Books and Authors Static GK
The following MCQs are most important for all Competitive exams
Q1. Which of the following statements are correct?
- Anandamath was written by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay.
- Vande Mataram was also written by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay.
- Both books played an important role in India’s freedom movement.
A) 1 only
B) 2 only
C) 1 and 2 only
D) 1, 2 and 3
✅ Answer: D
Q2. Which one of the following pairs is incorrectly matched?
A) Gitanjali — Rabindranath Tagore
B) The Home and the World — Rabindranath Tagore
C) Ignited Minds — Jawaharlal Nehru
D) India 2020 — A. P. J. Abdul Kalam
✅ Answer: C
Q3. Which of the following books are authored by A. P. J. Abdul Kalam?
- Wings of Fire
- Ignited Minds
- India 2020
A) 1 only
B) 1 and 2 only
C) 2 and 3 only
D) 1, 2 and 3
✅ Answer: D
Q4. Which one of the following books was co-authored by Arun Tiwari?
A) My Journey
B) Wings of Fire
C) India 2020
D) Ignited Minds
✅ Answer: B
Q5. Which of the following statements are correct?
- Discovery of India was written by Jawaharlal Nehru.
- Glimpses of World History was also written by Jawaharlal Nehru.
- An Autobiography is another work by Jawaharlal Nehru.
A) 1 only
B) 1 and 2 only
C) 2 and 3 only
D) 1, 2 and 3
✅ Answer: D
Q6. Which one of the following pairs is correctly matched?
A) Hind Swaraj — Mahatma Gandhi
B) India Wins Freedom — Lala Lajpat Rai
C) Young India — Dadabhai Naoroji
D) Gulamgiri — Kalhana
✅ Answer: A
Q7. Arrange the following books according to their authors.
- Unhappy India
- Young India
- Poverty and Un-British Rule in India
A) Lala Lajpat Rai – Lala Lajpat Rai – Dadabhai Naoroji
B) Dadabhai Naoroji – Lala Lajpat Rai – Jyotirao Phule
C) Lala Lajpat Rai – Dadabhai Naoroji – Mahatma Gandhi
D) Mahatma Gandhi – Lala Lajpat Rai – Dadabhai Naoroji
✅ Answer: A
Q8. Which one of the following books was written by Jyotirao Phule?
A) Gulamgiri
B) Godan
C) Pinjar
D) Rajatarangini
✅ Answer: A
Q9. Which of the following statements are correct?
- Arthashastra was written by Kautilya.
- Rajatarangini was written by Kalhana.
- Geet Govinda was written by Jayadeva.
A) 1 only
B) 1 and 2 only
C) 2 and 3 only
D) 1, 2 and 3
✅ Answer: D
Q10. Which one of the following pairs is incorrectly matched?
A) Kitab-ul-Hind — Al-Biruni
B) Ain-i-Akbari — Abul Fazl
C) Baburnama — Jahangir
D) Tuzuk-i-Jahangiri — Jahangir
✅ Answer: C
Q11. Which of the following books are written by Kalidasa?
- Meghaduta
- Raghuvamsha
- Abhijnanasakuntalam
A) 1 only
B) 1 and 2 only
C) 2 and 3 only
D) 1, 2 and 3
✅ Answer: D
Q12. Which one of the following books was NOT written by Munshi Premchand?
A) Godan
B) Gaban
C) Nirmala
D) Pinjar
✅ Answer: D
Q13. Which of the following statements are correct?
- Pinjar was written by Amrita Pritam.
- Train to Pakistan was written by Khushwant Singh.
- Midnight’s Children was written by Salman Rushdie.
A) 1 only
B) 2 only
C) 1 and 2 only
D) 1, 2 and 3
✅ Answer: D
Q14. Which one of the following pairs is correctly matched?
A) The Guide — R. K. Narayan
B) A Suitable Boy — Arundhati Roy
C) The White Tiger — Vikram Seth
D) The God of Small Things — Amartya Sen
✅ Answer: A
Q15. Which of the following statements are correct?
- The Argumentative Indian was written by Amartya Sen.
- Freedom at Midnight was written by Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre.
- Why I Am a Hindu was written by Shashi Tharoor.
A) 1 only
B) 2 only
C) 1 and 2 only
D) 1, 2 and 3
✅ Answer: D
Q16. Which one of the following books is the autobiography of Sachin Tendulkar?
A) Sunny Days
B) Playing It My Way
C) Open
D) Straight from the Heart
✅ Answer: B
Q17. Which of the following statements are correct?
- My Experiments with Truth is the autobiography of Mahatma Gandhi.
- Wings of Fire is the autobiography of A. P. J. Abdul Kalam.
- An Autobiography was written by Jawaharlal Nehru.
A) 1 only
B) 1 and 2 only
C) 2 and 3 only
D) 1, 2 and 3
✅ Answer: D
Q18. Which one of the following pairs is incorrectly matched?
A) Long Walk to Freedom — Nelson Mandela
B) Mein Kampf — Adolf Hitler
C) Open — Sunil Gavaskar
D) The Story of My Life — Helen Keller
✅ Answer: C
Q19. Which of the following personalities have written autobiographies related to sports?
- Sachin Tendulkar
- Milkha Singh
- Mary Kom
A) 1 only
B) 1 and 2 only
C) 2 and 3 only
D) 1, 2 and 3
✅ Answer: D
Q20. Which one of the following books was written by Kapil Dev?
A) Open
B) Sunny Days
C) Straight from the Heart
D) Playing It My Way
✅ Answer: C
Q21. Which of the following statements are correct?
- Indica was written by Megasthenes.
- Vikramankadevacharita was written by Bilhana.
- Both belong to Ancient and Medieval literature.
A) 1 only
B) 2 only
C) 1 and 2 only
D) 1, 2 and 3
✅ Answer: D
Q22. Which one of the following pairs is correctly matched?
A) Harshacharita — Banabhatta
B) Baburnama — Abul Fazl
C) Ain-i-Akbari — Babur
D) Rajatarangini — Kautilya
✅ Answer: A
Q23. Which of the following books were written by Abul Fazl?
- Ain-i-Akbari
- Akbarnama
- Tuzuk-i-Jahangiri
A) 1 only
B) 1 and 2 only
C) 2 and 3 only
D) 1, 2 and 3
✅ Answer: B
Q24. Which one of the following pairs is incorrectly matched?
A) Hamlet — William Shakespeare
B) Paradise Lost — John Milton
C) War and Peace — Charles Dickens
D) Pride and Prejudice — Jane Austen
✅ Answer: C
Q25. Which of the following statements are correct?
- Hamlet was written by William Shakespeare.
- Macbeth was written by William Shakespeare.
- Othello was written by William Shakespeare.
A) 1 only
B) 1 and 2 only
C) 2 and 3 only
D) 1, 2 and 3
✅ Answer: D
Q26. Which one of the following books was written by Charles Dickens?
A) Anna Karenina
B) Oliver Twist
C) Animal Farm
D) Don Quixote
✅ Answer: B
Q27. Which of the following statements are correct?
- War and Peace was written by Leo Tolstoy.
- Anna Karenina was written by Leo Tolstoy.
- The Old Man and the Sea was written by Ernest Hemingway.
A) 1 only
B) 1 and 2 only
C) 2 and 3 only
D) 1, 2 and 3
✅ Answer: D
Q28. Which one of the following pairs is correctly matched?
A) Animal Farm — George Orwell
B) Don Quixote — Mark Twain
C) The Wealth of Nations — Charles Darwin
D) The Origin of Species — Adam Smith
✅ Answer: A
Q29. Which of the following statements are correct?
- The God of Small Things won the Booker Prize in 1997.
- The Inheritance of Loss won the Booker Prize in 2006.
- The White Tiger won the Booker Prize in 2008.
A) 1 only
B) 1 and 2 only
C) 2 and 3 only
D) 1, 2 and 3
✅ Answer: D
Q30. Which one of the following pairs is correctly matched?
A) Odakkuzhal — G. Sankara Kurup
B) Yama — Shivaji Sawant
C) Kitne Pakistan — Mahadevi Verma
D) Mrityunjaya — Kamleshwar
✅ Answer: A
