GK Questions

Albert Camus published 'The Stranger' in 1942. It explores themes of absurdity and alienation through its protagonist, Meursault.

Dandin, a 7th-century Sanskrit scholar, wrote 'Dashakumaracharita', which narrates the adventures of ten princes.

'Aparajito' (The Unvanquished) continues the story of Apu, the protagonist of 'Pather Panchali'.

'Toba Tek Singh' uses the setting of a lunatic asylum to highlight the madness of the Partition and the arbitrary drawing of borders.

Bhisham Sahni wrote 'Tamas' in 1974. It won the Sahitya Akademi Award and was adapted into a TV series by Govind Nihalani.

'Interpreter of Maladies' explores the lives of Indians and Indian expatriates navigating cultural displacement.

R.K. Narayan won the Sahitya Akademi Award for 'The Guide', which was later adapted into a successful film.

Ashapoorna Devi was the first woman to win the Jnanpith Award (1976). Mahadevi Varma won it later in 1982.

Donna Tartt's 'The Goldfinch' follows a boy who survives a terrorist attack at an art museum and takes a famous painting.

Satire is a literary technique used to provoke change or highlight societal flaws. Jonathan Swift's 'A Modest Proposal' is a classic example.

An allegory uses symbolic figures and actions to convey deeper truths. Examples include George Orwell's 'Animal Farm' and John Bunyan's 'The Pilgrim's Progress'.

Sancho Panza is the pragmatic and humorous squire to the delusional knight-errant Don Quixote in Miguel de Cervantes' novel.

Written in the 14th century, 'The Canterbury Tales' features a storytelling contest among a group of pilgrims traveling to Canterbury Cathedral.

The 'Odyssey' follows Odysseus, King of Ithaca, and his ten-year journey home after the fall of Troy.

Dante's 'Divine Comedy' is divided into three parts: Inferno (Hell), Purgatorio (Purgatory), and Paradiso (Paradise).

Kambar composed the 'Kamba Ramayanam' (Ramavataram) in the 12th century. It is a masterpiece of Tamil literature.

Banabhatta, the court poet of Emperor Harsha, wrote 'Harshacharita' in the 7th century. It is a biographical account of Harsha's early life and rise to power.

Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay wrote 'Devdas' in 1917. It tells the tragic love story of Devdas and Paro.

Mirza Ghalib, one of the most prominent figures of Urdu poetry, compiled his ghazals in 'Diwan-e-Ghalib'.

Agyeya published 'Shekhar: Ek Jivani' in 1941. It is considered the first Hindi novel to delve deeply into the psychoanalytic aspects of its protagonist.