GK Questions

Anita Desai published 'Clear Light of Day' in 1980. It was shortlisted for the Booker Prize and is celebrated for its psychological depth.

While it primarily recognizes the 22 scheduled languages, the Sahitya Akademi also gives awards for English and Rajasthani, Bhojpuri, and other recognized languages not in the 8th Schedule.

Nigerian playwright and poet Wole Soyinka was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1986.

Isabel Allende published her debut novel 'The House of the Spirits' in 1982. It blends historical events with magical elements, similar to the style of her distant relative's contemporary, García Márquez.

Chinua Achebe published 'Things Fall Apart' in 1958. It is widely considered the archetypal modern African novel in English.

Written in 1972, 'Ghashiram Kotwal' deals with political violence and hypocrisy. It caused significant controversy due to its depiction of the Brahmin elite of Pune.

Girish Karnad wrote 'Tughlaq' in Kannada in 1964 and later translated it to English. It explores the complex character of the Delhi Sultan Muhammad bin Tughlaq.

Thomas Gray completed 'Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard' in 1750. It is one of the most famous poems in the English language, reflecting on death and the unfulfilled potential of the poor.

Edward FitzGerald published his loose translation of the quatrains of Omar Khayyam in 1859. It became one of the most popular poetry collections of the Victorian era.

The Natya Shastra is a foundational text for Indian classical dance, music, and theatre. It is traditionally attributed to Bharata Muni.

The Sushruta Samhita is one of the foundational texts of Ayurveda, specifically focusing on surgery (Shalya Tantra). Sushruta is often called the 'Father of Surgery'.

Nikolai Gogol published the first volume of 'Dead Souls' in 1842. It follows the protagonist Chichikov as he buys 'dead souls' (serfs who have died but are still registered).

Herman Melville published 'Moby-Dick' in 1851. Although initially a commercial failure, it is now recognized as a Great American Novel.

In 2019, the Crankstart Foundation became the new sponsor, and the prize reverted to its original name, 'The Booker Prize'.

Salman Rushdie was awarded a knighthood in 2007 and later the Companion of Honour in 2022 by the British Crown for his services to literature.

Govardhanram Madhavram Tripathi wrote 'Saraswatichandra' in four parts between 1887 and 1901. It is considered a masterpiece of Gujarati fiction.

Birendra Kumar Bhattacharya wrote 'Mrityunjay' and won the Jnanpith Award in 1979. It deals with the struggles of a young man in Assam.

Published in 1985, 'The Handmaid's Tale' depicts a totalitarian society built on the subjugation of women, following a Second American Civil War.

Ray Bradbury wrote 'Fahrenheit 451' in 1953. The title refers to the temperature at which book paper supposedly catches fire and burns.

The sonnet originated in Italy and was popularized in England by poets like Shakespeare and Petrarch. It traditionally features a 'volta' or turn in thought.