List of Indian women writers
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This is a list of women writers who were born in India or whose writings are closely associated with that country.
A
- Varsha Adalja (born 1940), Gujarati novelist, playwright
- Smita Agarwal (born 1958), poet, educator
- Meena Alexander (born 1951), poet, memoirist, essayist, novelist, critic, educator
- Samina Ali, contemporary Indian-American novelist, feminist, author of Madras on Rainy Days
- Balamani Amma (1909–2004), poet, published many collections of poetry in Malayalam
- K. Saraswathi Amma (1919–1975), short story writer, novelist, feminist
- Lalithambika Antharjanam (1909–1987), Malayalam short story writer, poet, children's writer, novelist, author of Agnisakshi
- Temsula Ao (born 1945), short story writer, poet, educator
- Ashitha, since c.1986: Malayalam short story writer, poet
B
- Jasodhara Bagchi (1937–2015), leading feminist critic, essayist, activist
- Sushmita Banerjee (c.1963–2013), memoirist
- Bani Basu (born 1939), Bengali novelist, essayist, critic, poet
- Malati Bedekar (1905–2001), Marathi feminist writer, short story writer, screenwriter
- Sujata Bhatt (born 1956), Gujarati poet, also writing in English
- Rajlukshmee Debee Bhattacharya, since the 1990s: poet in Bengali and English
- Suchitra Bhattacharya (born 1950), Bengali novelist, short story writer
- Nirmal Prabha Bordoloi (1933–2003), Assamese poet, lyricist, children's writer
- Urvashi Butalia (born 1952), feminist, publisher, non-fiction writer
C
- Neelam Saxena Chandra (born 1969), poet, children's writer, novelist
- Chandramathi (born 1954), novelist writing in Malayalam and English
- Rimi B. Chatterjee (born 1969), novelist, short story writer, non-fiction writer, translator
- Anuja Chauhan (born 1970), advertiser, novelist, author of The Zoya Factor
- Subhadra Kumari Chauhan (1904–1948), Hindi poet
- Prem Chowdhry (born 1944), social scientist, feminist, non-fiction writer, essayist
- Rita Chowdhury (born 1960), poet, novelist, educator
- Ismat Chughtai (1915–1991), Urdu novelist, screenwriter
- Ajit Cour (born 1934), Punjabi novelist, short story writer
D
- Abha Dawesar (born 1974), novelist, short story writer, author of Babyji
- Shobha De (born 1947), journalist, novelist
- Eunice de Souza (born 1940), English-language poet, critic, novelist
- Anita Desai (born 1937), novelist, author of In Custody
- Kiran Desai (born 1971), novelist, author of The Inheritance of Loss
- Gauri Deshpande (1942–2003), novelist, short story writer, poet, wrote in Marathi and English
- Shashi Deshpande (born 1938), novelist, short story writer, children's writer
- Sunita Deshpande (1926–2009), Marathi memoirist, letter writer
- Nabaneeta Dev Sen (born 1938), poet, novelist, educator
- Ashapoorna Devi (1909–1995), Bengali novelist, poet
- Leela Devi (1932–1998), novelist, non-fiction writer, playwright, translator, writing in Malayalam and English
- Mahasweta Devi (born 1926), Bengali-Indian journalist, novelist
- Maitreyi Devi (1914–1989), Bengali poet, novelist
- M. K. Binodini Devi (1922–2011), Manipuri memoirist, essayist, short story writer, novelist
- Nalini Bala Devi (1898–1977), Assamese poet
- Nirupama Devi (1883–1951), novelist
- Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni (born 1956), Indian-American poet, novelist, short story writer, author of The Mistress of Spices
- Nirupama Dutt (born 1955), Punjabi poet, journalist, translator
- Toru Dutt (1856–1877), poet, novelist, writing in English and French
G
- Gangadevi (14th century), Telugu princess, poet, author of Madura Vijayam
- Mridula Garg (born 1938), novelist, short story writer, playwright, essayist, writing in Hindi and English
- Sagarika Ghose (born 1964), journalist, TV presenter, novelist
- Namita Gokhale (born 1956), English-language novelist, short story writer
- Padma Gole (1913–1998), Marathi poet
- Mamoni Raisom Goswami (1942–2011), Assamese poet, novelist, short story writer, editor, educator
- Santhini Govindan (born 1959), children's writer
- Kodagina Gowramma, pen name of B. T. Gopal Krishna (1912–1939), short story writer, feminist
H
- Baby Halder (born 1973), domestic servant, autobiographer
- Githa Hariharan (born 1954), novelist
- Chandrakala A. Hate (1903–1990), feminist writer, educator
- Krishna Hutheesing (1907–1967), biographer, non-fiction writer
I
- M. K. Indira (1917–1994), Kannada novelist
J
- Manorama Jafa (born 1932), prolific children's writer
- Rashid Jahan (1905–1952), Urdi short story writer, playwright
- Jana Begum (17th century), early female writer of a commentary on the Qur'an
- Pupul Jayakar (1915–1997), biographer, non-fiction writer on handicrafts
- Ruth Prawer Jhabvala (1927–2013), acclaimed German-born British novelist, short story writer, screenwriter, grew up in India
- Sarah Joseph (born 1946), Malayalam novelist, short story writer, author of Aalahayude Penmakkal
- Isha Basant Joshi (born 1908), poet, short story writer
- Anees Jung (born 1944), journalist, columnist, non-fiction writer
K
- Meena Kandasamy (born 1984), poet, biographer, novelist, feminist
- Amita Kanekar (born 1965), novelist, educator
- Kanhopatra (15th century), Marathi saint-poet
- Bhanu Kapil (born 1968), British-Indian novelist
- Manju Kapur, since 1998: novelist
- Swati Kaushal, since 2005: young adult novelist
- Girijabai Kelkar (1886–1890), Marathi-language playwright, feminist writer
- Habba Khatoon (1554–1609), Kashmiri mystic poet
- Mridula Koshy (born 1969), short story writer, novelist
- Sumati Kshetramade (born 1915), novelist
- Rajam Krishnan (1925–2014), Tamil novelist, playwright, short story writer, feminist
L
- Jhumpa Lahiri (born 1967), British-born American-Indian short story writer, novelist, author of The Lowland
- Lalleshwari (1320–1392), Kashmiri mystic poet
- Bem Le Hunte (born 1964), British-Indian novelist, now in Australia
- Lalitha Lenin (born 1946), acclaimed Malayalam poet, educator
M
- Akka Mahadevi (12th century), poet writing in Old Kannada
- Tilottama Majumdar (born 1966), Bengali novelist, short story writer, poet, essayist
- Anju Makhija, since 1990: poet, playwright, translator
- Amita Malik (1921–2009), film and television critic, radio journalist
- Kamala Markandaya, pen name of Kamala Purnaiya Taylor (1924–2004), best selling novelist, journalist
- C K Meena (born 1957), novelist, journalist, educator
- Meera (15th century), Hindu mystic poet
- K. R. Meera (born 1970), journalist, novelist, short story writer, children's writer
- Rama Mehta (1923–1978), sociologist, novelist, non-fiction writer
- Indu Menon (born 1980), Malayalam novelist, short story writer, screenwriter, sociologist
- Jaishree Misra (born 1961), best selling novelist
- Molla (1440–1530), poet, translated the Ramayana into Telugu
- Muddupalani (18th century), Telugu poet
- Chitra Mudgal (born 1944), Hindi novelist
- Bharati Mukherjee (born 1940), Indian-American novelist, short story writer, non-fiction writer, author of Jasmine
- Khadija Mumtaz (born 1955), medical doctor, novelist, author of Barsa (novel)
- Sudha Murthy (born 1950), Kannada novelist, short story writer, children's writer, sociologist, businesswomen
- Seema Mustafa: since 1990s: journalist, biographer, newspaper editor
N
- Sarojini Naidu (1879–1949), child prodigy, Indian independence activist, poet
- Anita Nair (born 1966), English-language poet, novelist, author of Ladies Coupé
- Suniti Namjoshi (born 1941), poet, short story writer, children's writer
- Meera Nanda (born 1954), Indian-American historian, religious writer
- Anupama Niranjana (1934–1991), medical doctor, Kannada novelist, short story writer
P
- Manjula Padmanabhan (born 1953), playwright, journalist, comic strip artist, children's writer
- Mrinal Pande (born 1946), television presenter, journalist, novelist, non-fiction writer, newspaper editor
- Dhiruben Patel (born 1926), Gujarati novelist, short story writer, playwright, translator
- Savitribai Phule (1831–1987), poet, social reformer
- Gita Piramal (born c.1954), magazine editor, businesswoman, non-fiction writer
- Gudibande Poornima (born 1951), poet, novelist, non-fiction writer
- Manjiri Prabhu (born 1964), novelist, filmmaker
- Manasi Pradhan (born 1962), novelist, women's rights activist
- Amrita Pritam (1919–2005), poet, novelist, essayist, first prominent Punjabi woman poet
- Neelkamal Puri (born 1956), Punjabi novelist, short story writer, columnist, educator
R
- Rajalakshmi (1930–1965), Malayalam poet, novelist
- Rajashree, author of the chick lit best seller Trust Me (2006)
- Anuradha Ramanan (1947–2010), prolific novelist, short story writer
- Ramanichandran, contemporary best selling Tamil novelist
- Ravinder Randhawa (born 1952), British-Indian novelist, short story writer
- Bhargavi Rao (1944–2008), specialist in Telugu literature, translator, anthologist
- Malathi Rao (born 1930), novelist, short story writer
- Santha Rama Rau (1923–2009), Indian-American novelist, playwright
- Anusree Roy (born 1982), Indo-Canadian playwright, actress
- Arundhati Roy (born 1961), novelist, author of The God of Small Things
- Nilanjana S. Roy (born c.1971), journalist, children's writer
- Kamini Roy (1864–1933), leading Bengali poet, essayist, feminist
S
- Padma Sachdev (born 1940), Dogri poet, novelist, also writing in Hindi
- Nayantara Sahgal (born 1927), novelist, memoirist, letter writer, author of Rich Like Us
- Sarojini Sahoo (born 1956), feminist writer, novelist, short-story writer, author of Sensible Sensuality
- Nandini Sahu (born 1973), English-language poet, folklorist, academic
- Indira Sant (1914–2000), Marathi poet
- Krupabai Satthianadhan (1862–1894), early English-language Indian novelist
- Mallika Sengupta (1960–2011), Bengali poet, novelist, feminist, sociologist
- Poile Sengupta (born 1948), English-language playwright, children's writer, poet
- Teesta Setalvad (born 1962), journalist, civil rights activist
- Shanta Shelke (1922–2002), Marathi poet, novelist, short story writer, educator
- Preeti Shenoy (born 1971), novelist, non-fiction writer
- Namita Singh (born 1944), magazine editor, poet
- Sunny Singh (born 1969), journalist, novelist, short story writer
- Sunny Singh (1931–1999), Bengali poet, novelist, feminist
- Kabita Sinha (1931–1999), Bengali poet, novelist, feminist
- Mridula Sinha (born 1942), state governor of Goa, Hindi novelist, short story writer
- Sivasankari (born 1942), Tamil novelist
- Krishna Sobti (born 1925), Hindi novelist, essayist
- Atima Srivastava (born 1961), short story writer, novelist, screenwriter, film director
- Arundhathi Subramaniam, since c.2003: poet, journalist, biographer
- Vidya Subramaniam (born 1957), prolific novelist, short story writer
- Sugathakumari (born 1934), Malayalam poet, activist
- Kamala Surayya (1934–2009), English-language poet, Malayalam short story writer, columnist, autobiographer
T
- Shweta Taneja (born 1980), novelist, comic writer, journalist
- Sooni Taraporevala (born 1957), screenwriter, photographer
- Romila Thapar (born 1930), historian, non-fiction writer
- Susie Tharu (born 1943), non-fiction writer, educator, women's rights activist
- Manjit Tiwana (born 1947), Punjabi poet, educator
- Madhu Trehan, since mid 1970s: journalist, magazine editor
- Ira Trivedi, since 2006: non-fiction writer, novelist, columnist
U
- O. V. Usha (born 1948), Malayalam poet, novelist, short story writer
V
- Urvashi Vaid (born 1958), Indian-American LGBT activist, non-fiction writer
- Vaidehi (born 1945), acclaimed Kannada short story writer, essayist, novelist, poet, children's writer
- P. Valsala (born 1938), novelist, short story writer, social activist
- Mahadevi Varma (1907–1987), Hindi poet, women's rights activist
- Kapila Vatsyayan (born 1928), art historian, non-fiction writer
- Reetika Vazirani (1962–2003), Indian-American poet, educator
- Vijayalakshmi (born 1960), prolific Malayalam poet
- Pinki Virani (born 1959), journalist, best selling novelist, non-fiction writer
- Susan Visvanathan (born 1957), sociologist, non-fiction writer, novelist, essayist
Y
- Mallika Yunis, since 1980s: novelist
Z
- Shama Zaidi (born 1938), art critic, screenwriter, filmmaker