List of Indian women writers

This is a list of women writers who were born in India or whose writings are closely associated with that nation.

A

 * Arundhati Roy (born 1961), Indian author best known for her novel The God of Small Things (1997), which won the Booker Prize for Fiction in 1997 and became the best-selling book by a non-expatriate Indian author
 * Varsha Adalja (born 1940), Gujarati novelist, playwright
 * Smita Agarwal (born 1958), poet, educator
 * Vinita Agrawal (born 1965), poet, editor
 * Sheetal Agashe (born 1977), poet, essayist, businesswoman
 * Meena Alexander (1951–2018), 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

 * Begum Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain (1880-1932), the first woman Muslim writer from colonial Bengal.
 * Jasodhara Bagchi (1937–2015), leading feminist critic, essayist, activist
 * Anuttama Banerjee, psychologist, poet, author, and public health advocate
 * Sushmita Banerjee (c.1963–2013), memoirist
 * Rashmi Bansal (born 1985), non-fiction best-seller writer on entrepreneurship
 * Bani Basu (born 1939), Bengali novelist, essayist, critic, poet
 * Barkha Dutt (born 1971), TV journalist
 * Malati Bedekar (1905–2001), Marathi feminist writer, short story writer, screenwriter
 * Sheila Bhatia (1916–2008), poet, playwright, theatre director
 * Sujata Bhatt (born 1956), Gujarati poet, also writing in English
 * Rajlukshmee Debee Bhattacharya, since the 1990s: poet in Bengali and English
 * Suchitra Bhattacharya (1950–2015), 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
 * Jayasri Chattopadhyay (born 1945), Sanskrit poet, educator
 * 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
 * Raghavan Chudamani (1931–2010), novelist, short story writer, writing in Tamil and English
 * Ismat Chughtai (1915–1991), Urdu novelist, screenwriter
 * Ajit Cour (born 1934), Punjabi novelist, short story writer
 * C. S. Chandrika (born 1967), novelist, short story writer, essayist in Malayalam

D

 * Esha Dadawala (born 1985), Gujarati poet, journalist
 * Sukanya Datta (born 1961), scientist and science fiction writer
 * Abha Dawesar (born 1974), novelist, short story writer, author of Babyji
 * Shobha De (born 1947), journalist, novelist
 * Eunice de Souza (born 1940–2017), English-language poet, critic, novelist
 * Pitambari Debi (1904–?), writer of Odia literature
 * Anita Desai (born 1937), novelist, author of In Custody
 * Kamal Desai (1928–c.2011), novelist, writing in Marathi
 * Kiran Desai (born 1971), novelist, author of The Inheritance of Loss
 * Dhanashree Deshpande-Ganatra (born 1970), poet, singer, and music producer
 * 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 (1938–2019), 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 (1926–2016), 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
 * Sneha Devi (1916–1990), writer of Assamese literature
 * Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni (born 1956), Indian-American poet, novelist, short story writer, author of The Mistress of Spices
 * Varsha Dixit, novelist
 * Nirupama Dutt (born 1955), Punjabi poet, journalist, translator
 * Toru Dutt (1856–1877), poet, novelist, writing in English and French

E

 * Bondina Elangbam, writer, poet and artist

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
 * Ellen Lakshmi Goreh (1853–1937), poet, Christian missionary, deaconess and nurse
 * Nirmala Govindarajan, English-language novelist, journalist
 * 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
 * Teji Grover (born 1955), poet, novelist, translator, painter
 * Neelum Saran Gour (born 1955), writer, academic
 * Ganga Bharani Vasudevan (born 1990), novelist, script writer

H

 * Baby Halder (born 1973), domestic servant, autobiographer
 * Githa Hariharan (born 1954), novelist
 * Chandrakala A. Hate (1903–1990), feminist writer, educator
 * Nistula Hebbar (born 1975), journalist, columnist, novelist
 * Vera Hingorani (1924–2018), gynaecologist, medical writer
 * Saliha Abid Hussain, 20th-century Urdu-language novelist, children's writer
 * Krishna Hutheesing (1907–1967), biographer, non-fiction writer

I

 * M. K. Indira (1917–1994), Kannada novelist
 * Ismat Chugtai (1915-1991),Indian Urdu novelist, short story writer, liberal humanist and filmmaker

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, date of death unknown), poet, short story writer
 * Anees Jung (born 1944), journalist, columnist, non-fiction writer
 * Kirthi Jayakumar (born 1987), author, non-fiction writer, women's rights activist, feminist
 * Jyoti Arora (born 1977) Blogger, novelist

K

 * Neha Kakkar (born 1988), singer
 * Madhur Kapila (1942–2021), writer, journalist, art critic
 * Shakuntala Karandikar (1931–2018), biographer, essayist and philanthropist
 * Meena Kandasamy (born 1984), poet, biographer, novelist, feminist
 * Amita Kanekar (born 1965), novelist, educator
 * Kanhopatra (15th century), Marathi saint-poet
 * Kota Neelima, writer, journalist, artist
 * Lakshmi Kannan (born 1947), Tamil poet and novelist, translates her works into English
 * 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
 * Sumana Kittur (active since 2007), journalist, film director, lyricist
 * Habba Khatoon (1554–1609), Kashmiri mystic poet
 * Mridula Koshy (born 1969), short story writer, novelist
 * Sumati Kshetramade (1913–1997), novelist
 * Rajam Krishnan (1925–2014), Tamil novelist, playwright, short story writer, feminist
 * Priya Kumar (born 1974), novelist
 * Twinkle Khanna (born 1973), author, columnist

L
Monica Lakhmana, Indian history writer, author of “Women In Pre & Post Independent India 75 Victories Visionaries Voices
 * 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
 * Ritu Lalit (born 1964), Indian novelist

M

 * Akka Mahadevi (12th century), poet writing in Old Kannada
 * Megha Majumdar, novelist, A Burning
 * 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
 * Kiran Manral (born 1971), novelist, blogger, non-fiction writer
 * 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
 * Baisali Mohanty (born 1994), author, columnist, non-fiction writer
 * Molla (1440–1530), poet, translated the Ramayana into Telugu
 * Muddupalani (18th century), Telugu poet
 * Chitra Mudgal (born 1944), Hindi novelist
 * Bharati Mukherjee (1940–2017), 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
 * Meher Pestonji, (born 1946), freelance journalist, author

N

 * Sarojini Naidu (1879–1949), child prodigy, Indian independence activist, poet
 * Anita Nair (born 1966), English-language poet, novelist, author of Ladies Coupé
 * Nalini Priyadarshni (born 1974), poet, writer, critic
 * 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
 * Meghna Pant (born 1980), award-winning novelist, non-fiction writer, journalist, feminist, columnist, speaker
 * Rashmi Parekh (born 1976), poet, computer scientist
 * Dhiruben Patel (born 1926), Gujarati novelist, short story writer, playwright, translator
 * Savitribai Phule (1831–1897), 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
 * Deanne Pandey (born 1968), fitness and lifestyle writer

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
 * 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
 * Usha Rao-Monari (born 1959), economist and non-fiction writer
 * Santha Rama Rau (1923–2009), Indian-American novelist, playwright
 * Rashid-un-Nisa (1855 – 1929), the first Indian women Urdu novelist, known for her first Novel Islah un Nisa.
 * Nuchhungi Renthlei (1914–2002), poet, singer, school teacher, women's rights activist
 * Anusree Roy (born 1982), Indo-Canadian playwright, actress
 * Anuradha Roy (born 1967), novelist
 * 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
 * Sumana Roy, Indian poet, novelist, short story writer
 * Rita Kothari, Author, Professor, Translation Studies and Partition http://www.iitgn.ac.in/faculty/humanities/rita.htm

S

 * Padma Sachdev (1940–2021), 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
 * Mala Sen (1947–2011), writer and human rights activist, author of India's Bandit Queen
 * 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
 * Madhuri R. Shah (fl. 1970-80s), educationist, non-fiction writer
 * Shantichitra (born 1978), novelist, short story writer, educator
 * Sarjana Sharma (born 1959), journalist, broadcaster
 * Shanta Shelke (1922–2002), Marathi poet, novelist, short story writer, educator
 * Preeti Shenoy (born 1971), novelist, non-fiction writer
 * Melanie Silgardo (born 1956), poet
 * Chandramani Singh (1940–2022), art historian and writer
 * 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 (1942–2020), state governor of Goa, Hindi novelist, short story writer
 * Shumona Sinha (born 1973), Indian born French writer, novelist, feminist
 * Sivasankari (born 1942), Tamil novelist
 * Krishna Sobti (1925–2019), 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 (1934–2020), Malayalam poet, activist
 * Kamala Surayya (1934–2009), English-language poet, Malayalam short story writer, columnist, autobiographer
 * Sunita Jain (1940–2017), English and Hindi fictionist

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
 * Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari (born 1979), author, filmmaker

U

 * Krishna Udayasankar, Singapore-based Indian author
 * 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
 * Aparna Vaidik (born 1975), historian
 * P. Valsala (born 1938), novelist, short story writer, social activist
 * Mahadevi Varma (1907–1987), Hindi poet, women's rights activist
 * Kapila Vatsyayan (1928–2020), art historian, non-fiction writer
 * Reetika Vazirani (1962–2003), Indian-American poet, educator
 * Kaajal Oza Vaidya (born 1966), screenwriter, novelist, journalist
 * Vijayalakshmi (born 1960), prolific Malayalam poet
 * Sharifa Vijaliwala, (born 1962), Indian writer and translator
 * Pinki Virani (born 1959), journalist, best-selling novelist, non-fiction writer
 * Susan Visvanathan (born 1957), sociologist, non-fiction writer, novelist, essayist
 * Vrinda Singh, novelist writing on themes related to women

Y

 * Mallika Yunis, since 1980s, novelist

Z

 * Shama Zaidi (born 1938), art critic, screenwriter, filmmaker
 * Zahida Zaidi (1930–2011), poet, playwright, critic, educator
 * Zeenuth Futehally (1904-1992), author, feminist, novelist