Historically it is divided into the early period, the devotional period, the scholastic period, and the modern period. Various forms of writing were adapted by authors overtime and have produced great works of literature
Here, we will see the ten best modern Hindi Literature books to keep the reader in you busy and curious.
1) Godaan by Munshi Premchand
Godaan is first published in 1936 by famous Hindi novelist Munshi Premchand. The book revolves around the story of a farmer in a very orthodox village in the pre-independence period. The protagonist of the story Horiram is an honest and hardworking man who lives with his family.
The story pictures the tragic life situations of a poor farmer and the hardships faced by him to fulfill his simple goal dream of owning a cow. Caste differences, exploitation of women, exploitation of poor people by high-class people, family relations, and issues in the time of colonial era are depicted in their spiteful glory.
The book is a must-read if you are interested in Hindi classical literature. If you are just starting, then I recommend starting from here.
2) SevaSadan by Munshi Premchand
Seva Sadan or Bazaar-e-Husn is a novel written by Munshi Premchand published in 1919. Later in 1924, it was published in Urdu. Seva Sadan talks about the most ignored social issue during his time and created a rampage in society.
The story revolves around a girl who lives her childhood days without any worries. Later due to some circumstantial situations the young girl is trapped in a marriage relationship with a middle-aged man. With shattered dreams, she starts her married life which turns out to be distasteful.
Facing many battles accompanied by some twists and turns she enters into prostitution. Later she devoted her life to teaching the children of the prostitutes. This story discusses the social taboos and sparked debates during that time among the people.
The book is a very good read if you liked the writings of Munshi Premchand. He is a well-known author during his time and has written many good books.
3) Gunaahon Ka Devta by Dharamvir Bharati
Gunaahon Ka Devta is a very famous romantic novel written by Dharamvir Bharathi in 1949. The story majorly revolves around four main characters Chander, Sudha, Vinti, and Pammi. The protagonist of the story Chander is madly in love with Sudha who is the daughter of his college professor. Despite his unrequited love for Sudha, he asks her to marry another man which leads to serious consequences in his life.
Unable to bear his failed love, he involves in an affair with a woman. But things get twisted and he is left questioning his life and the meaning of love. The story is the biggest hit among the readers.
If you are in the mood for reading a unique love story, this is for you. I have read this book in English which is to date one of my favorites.
4) Raag Darbari by Srilal Shukla
Raag Darbari published in 1968 is a satirical Hindi novel that depicts the socio-political conditions in the post-independence period and the corruptive and influential practices of the politicians, businessmen, and other people in power.
Shivpalganj, a village in Uttar Pradesh is where the story revolves around the viewpoint of Ranganathan, a history research scholar who visits his uncle’s village. The author captures the misconduct and the corrupted mindset of the authority with great wit and humor.
This book is still relevant to the current times explaining the roots of the now-existing corrupted politics with a humorous tone. I suggest everyone should read this book at least once in their life.
5) Chandrakantha by Devaki Nandan Khatri
Chandrakantha is an epic novel by Devaki Nandan Khatri in 1888 and this book has movie adaptations later due to its popularity. The love story of princess Chandrakantha of Vijaygarh and prince Virendra Singh of Naugarh who was rival kingdoms.
As in every love story, this story also has an epic villain Krur Singh who joins hands with a powerful rival king to capture Chandrakantha. The story goes around many tragic events and the love of Virendra Singh and Chandrakantha is put to a test.
This epic love story should be on your bookshelves if you are looking for a mixture of love, fantasy, adventure, and tragedy. Once you pick up this book you will not be able to leave it without finishing it.
6) Madhushala by Harivansh Rai Bachchan
Madhushala is a compilation of 135 poems of four-line verses written by Harivansh Rai Bachchan published in 1935. It is a part of a trilogy and the other two books are ‘Madhubala’ (1936) and ‘Madhukalash’ (1937).
The complexities of life are explained by the author in his poems with the use of the words Madhu (wine), sake (server), paella (cup), and madhushala (bar). These four words are used in every one of his poems.
7) Kalindi by Shivani
Kalindi was published in the year 1991 and authored by Shivani. She was one of the best story writers of the 20th century. The heroine of the story Kalindi faces hardships thrown her way and deals with them.
The story throws light into women’s exploitation and the hardships faced by a single woman who struggles at every point in her life in this male-centric world. Overall, this is a very inspirational story of a woman.
The book is simple and yet beautifully written by the best woman author of that time. It is available to buy online in Hindi. The book has 4.5 ratings on Goodreads and has very good reviews.
8) Mrityunjay by Shivaji Sawant
Mrityunjay by Shivaji Sawant is one of the best books written ever. It was originally written in Marathi and translated into Hindi. This novel is about the story of Karna’s life and viewing Mahabharata from Karna’s eye.
The story has nine chapters and each chapter is written from the viewpoints of Karna, Kunti, Duryodhana, Vrushali, Sharon, and Shri Krishna, respectively. This novel does not cover the whole Mahabharata as Karna dies on the 17th day the story ends there.
When you are reading this book, you can see that the author has done lots of research and it reflects in the novel. If you are one of those mythology readers then this book is for you. It has amazing plotlines that will make you fall in love with the book.
9) Kitne Pakistan by Kamleshwar
Kitne Pakistan by Kamleshwar is one of the best works of the author. The novel has taken in hand realistic historical politics and judges the actions of great leaders who have been responsible for many important political events.
The aftermath of the partition of India brought up violence, and bloodbath which is captured with its originality in the book. This book is an interesting read of all time and it can be closely related to modern-day politics.
10) Mujhe Chand Chahiye by Surendra Verma
Mujhe Chand Chahiye is the story of a girl breaking all stereotypes of society with a rebellious attitude at every step of her journey following her aspirations and still managing to achieve her goals.
The protagonist of the story was born into a normal family and dreams to become an actress. She also manages to achieve her goal and becoming a great actress and even after becoming a successful actress she was bold enough to lead her life as an unmarried mother.
The book is a gem and the author won ‘The Sahithya Academy Award’ for this book. Five stars rating for the book as well as the author.
Web stories – Best Books to Read in Hindi
