Unveiling Literary Treasures: The 13 Best Hindi Novels That Transcend Time

Last Updated: November 27, 2023

Welcome to a literary journey through this post! I’m thrilled to unveil a curated collection of the ‘Best Hindi Novels’ of all time. Each masterpiece is accompanied by a brief description and handy links, inviting you to embark on a reading adventure. Ready to explore the rich tapestry of Hindi literature? Let’s dive in.

Godan

“Godan” is a story of peasant Bharat (India). This is the most famous Hindi novel by Munshi Premchand Ji—The Emperor of Novels. The story describes the poverty and helplessness of Hori. It revolves around several characters representing different classes. One aspect of the story revolves around the life of poor Hori. He works hard throughout his life and suffers many hardships. The second aspect of the story is related to the city, which shows how the urban rich spend money to fulfill their hobbies.

Curious for more? Dive into the details by exploring my post on “Godan: Munshi Premchand’s Portrayal of Rural Bharat – Summary.”

Gunahon Ka Devta

“Gunahon Ka Devta” by Dharamvir Bharati Ji is one of the famous love stories in Hindi literature. This story revolves around the unfinished love of Chander and Sudha. In which Chander falls in love with his college professor Shukla’s daughter Sudha. Chander could not ask Sudha’s father for Sudha’s hand as he belongs to a lower caste.

Anandamath

“Anandamath” is a popular novel by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee (also famous as Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay among some people). When our country was under foreign rule (Mughal and British), Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay Ji played a role in enhancing and strengthening the national identity through this creation. Vande Mataram is a patriotic song written in ‘Anandamath.’ In this novel, the saint named Satyananda wanted to free India from Mughal and British rule. He awakened patriotism within the people and waged a fierce war against the Mughal and British.

Kitane Pakistan

“Kitne Pakistan” by Kamleshwar Ji focuses on history and humanity. This book gives a message to bring peace to the world. Apart from this, the author also demands that India should end the tradition of partition. Partition damages the people’s lives.

Nirmala

The novel “Nirmala” by Premchand Ji is the story of a child bride Nirmala. She is married to a person of her father’s age. Nirmala’s husband doubts his son and Nirmala’s relationship. This causes him to lose his son. The story depicted dowry, child marriage, and the atrocious condition of women.

Curious for more? Dive into the details by exploring my post on “Exploring ‘Nirmala’: A Poignant Novel by Munshi Premchand Ji – Review and Summary.”

Tamas

“Tamas” by Bhisham Sahni Ji is a story of a small town in which Hindus and Muslims get caught in riots, which last for five days. Many people lost their lives in these riots. This novel portrays the horrors and horrific heretical-riots before the partition of the country.

Rag Darbari

“Rag Darbari” by Shrilal Shukla Ji is a well-known satire in which a character named Ranganath comes to his village for some time. He sees that every man of this village is involved in corruption, and they can do anything for their benefit.

Mrtyunjay

In the novel “Mrityunjaya,” the author Shivaji Sawant Ji has shown Karna’s personality well. Karna remains confused about his identity by the end of this novel. “Who am I? Why am I different?” were some questions in his mind.

Gaban

“Gaban” is one of the best Hindi Novels by Munshi Premchand Ji. This story is about Ramnath and Jalapa. Jalapa is married to Ramanath. After marriage, Jalapa asks Ramnath for jewelry. Ramnath borrows to make jewelry, but he didn’t return the money. Ramanath accidentally embezzles into his office and runs away to Kolkata for fear of the police. Here the turning point starts in the story.

Kashi Ka Assi

“Kashi Ka Assi” is written by Kashi Nath Singh Ji and it is rich with five stories. These stories highlight the shoddy political and powerless social system of the 1990s.

Maila Aanchal

“Maila Aanchal” by Phanishwar Nath Renu Ji is a story of a young doctor. After completing his education in the city, he takes the responsibility of improving the condition of the backward village of Bihar. Here he encounters rural life, misery, and superstition. At the end of the story, the sleeping consciousness of the villagers awakens.

Aadha Gaon

“Aadha Gaon” by Rahi Masoom Raza Ji expresses the pain of Gangauli villagers by a partition of India during independence. The village Gangauli is the main focus of this book. Gangoli Muslims think that they have no meaning by building Pakistan? Gangauli is their home, and they do not want to go anywhere from there.

Jhutha Sach

“Jhutha Sach” by author Yaspal Ji revolves around the events of the Partition of India. It shows the difficulties of people which they faced during the partition. The author has depicted the novel well. He has written this novel in two volumes- the first section is Vatan Aur Desh, and the second section is Desh Ka Bhavishya.

If you are a bibliophile, you should read these stories once in your life.

Works Cited

1. The feature image used in this post was created on Photopea.com on November 26, 2023 by Preeti Bhandari.