Literature – MCQ – GK Questions

Kabir used a mixed vernacular often called 'Sadukkari' or 'Panchmel Khichdi', blending elements of Awadhi, Braj, Bhojpuri, and Punjabi to reach a wide, unlettered audience.

Fearing arrest, Bulgakov burned an early draft. He rewrote it in secret, and it was finally published in a censored form in 1966, 26 years after his death.

The Dastan is a genre of oral and written epic storytelling filled with magic, adventure, and heroic deeds. The Hamzanama is the most famous and voluminous of these.

'A Flight of Pigeons' (1978) is based on a true story of a British family seeking refuge with Indian neighbors during the chaotic 1857 uprising. It was adapted into the film 'Junoon'.

Edith Wharton won the 1921 Pulitzer for 'The Age of Innocence', a brilliant critique of the rigid social codes of New York's Gilded Age aristocracy.

Austrian author Peter Handke won the 2019 Nobel (delayed from 2018). The award sparked debate due to his controversial political stances regarding the Yugoslav Wars.

Georgi Gospodinov is a prominent Bulgarian writer. 'Time Shelter' is the first Bulgarian novel to win the International Booker Prize.

Damodar Mauzo, a renowned Goan short story writer, novelist, and critic, became the first Konkani writer to win the Jnanpith Award in 2022 (announced in 2023).

Norwegian author and dramatist Jon Fosse won the 2023 Nobel Prize. His minimalist, repetitive style is often compared to the slow, rhythmic movement of waves.

Bharavi composed the 'Kiratarjuniya' in the 6th century. It is renowned for its profound philosophical depth and complex linguistic structures.

The Epic of King Gesar is a living oral tradition in Tibet and Mongolia, recounting the magical and martial exploits of the legendary King Gesar of Ling.

Written in Middle High German around 1200, the Nibelungenlied blends historical events (the fall of the Burgundians) with Germanic mythology, featuring heroes like Siegfried and Kriemhild.

The Enuma Elish is the Babylonian epic of creation, detailing the rise of the god Marduk and his victory over the primordial chaos monster Tiamat.

Sankardev composed 'Borgeet' (Great Songs) in Brajavali, a literary language he developed. These songs remain central to the Sattriya culture and Assamese devotion.

Narsi Mehta, a 15th-century mystic and devotee of Krishna, is considered the first major poet of Gujarati literature. His bhajans, including 'Vaishnava Jana To', are world-renowned.

The Vachana movement, spearheaded by Basavanna and Allama Prabhu, rejected caste and ritualism. Akkamahadevi's passionate Vachanas are dedicated to her divine lover, Chennamallikarjuna (Shiva).

Sarala Das wrote the 'Sarala Mahabharata', adapting the Sanskrit epic into Odia but infusing it with local folklore, Odia culture, and regional deities.

Habba Khatoon (born Zoon) was the wife of Yusuf Shah Chak, the last independent ruler of Kashmir. Her poetry expresses the deep sorrow of her separation from him.

Born Ricardo Eliécer Neftalí Reyes Basoalto, the Chilean poet chose 'Pablo Neruda' to honor the Czech poet Jan Neruda and to hide his poetry from his strict father.

To bypass the prejudice against female authors, the Brontë sisters published under the Bell brothers pseudonyms: Charlotte (Currer), Emily (Ellis), and Anne (Acton).