Books, Authors and Newspapers
Overview
Books, Authors and Newspapers is a high-yield Static GK topic for SSC CGL and CHSL exams. Questions focus on landmark Indian and world literary works, their authors, founding dates of major newspapers, and notable journalism milestones. Mastering this chapter requires remembering author-book pairs, newspaper founding years, and the cities where key publications originated. Expect 1-3 direct questions from this chapter in every SSC exam cycle.
Typed Notes
Landmark Indian Literary Works & Authors
Several Indian authors and their works appear repeatedly in SSC papers. Premchand wrote 'Godan' and 'Gaban' (Hindi fiction). R.K. Narayan created the fictional town Malgudi in works like 'The Guide' (Sahitya Akademi Award, 1960). Mulk Raj Anand wrote 'Untouchable' and 'Coolie'. Arundhati Roy won the Booker Prize for 'The God of Small Things' (1997). Vikram Seth wrote 'A Suitable Boy'. Kiran Desai won the Booker Prize for 'The Inheritance of Loss' (2006). Amitav Ghosh is known for 'The Shadow Lines' and the Ibis Trilogy.
Nobel Prize Winners in Literature — Indian Connection
Rabindranath Tagore remains the only Indian to win the Nobel Prize in Literature (1913) for 'Gitanjali', translated into English by Tagore himself. The prize was awarded by the Swedish Academy. V.S. Naipaul, of Indian origin but a Trinidad-born British citizen, won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2001. Tagore also wrote India's national anthem 'Jana Gana Mana' and Bangladesh's national anthem 'Amar Shonar Bangla'. His other famous works include 'Gora', 'Ghare Baire', and 'Chokher Bali'. Exam tip: Tagore = 1913 Nobel, first Asian.
Major Indian Newspapers — Founding & Founders
The Bengal Gazette (1780), founded by James Augustus Hicky, was India's first newspaper. The Times of India (1838, Mumbai) is the oldest surviving English daily. The Hindu (1878, Chennai) was founded by G. Subramania Iyer and others. Amrita Bazar Patrika (1868) started as a Bengali paper but switched to English overnight to avoid the Vernacular Press Act (1878). The Statesman (1875, Kolkata) and Pioneer (1865, Allahabad) are other historic papers. Bal Gangadhar Tilak edited 'Kesari' (Marathi) and 'Mahratta' (English) to spread nationalist ideas.
Freedom Fighters as Editors & Authors
Many freedom fighters used newspapers as tools of resistance. Lala Lajpat Rai edited 'The People'. Annie Besant founded 'New India' and 'Commonweal'. Jawaharlal Nehru's autobiography 'Toward Freedom' (1936) is distinct from 'Discovery of India' (1946). Subhas Chandra Bose wrote 'The Indian Struggle'. Dr. B.R. Ambedkar authored 'Annihilation of Caste', 'Who Were the Shudras?', and 'The Buddha and His Dhamma'. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel is associated with 'Navajivan'. Mahatma Gandhi's autobiography is 'The Story of My Experiments with Truth', originally written in Gujarati as 'Satya na Prayogo'.
Key Concepts
Revision ke liye ek nazar — exam se pehle yahi padhna hai.
- 01Rabindranath Tagore wrote 'Gitanjali' (1910), for which he won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913 — the first Asian to do so.
- 02'Discovery of India' was written by Jawaharlal Nehru while imprisoned in Ahmednagar Fort (1944); 'Glimpses of World History' is also by Nehru.
- 03The Times of India (founded 1838) is India's oldest English-language daily newspaper, originally called 'The Bombay Times and Journal of Commerce'.
- 04Mahatma Gandhi edited 'Young India' (English) and 'Navajivan' (Gujarati); B.R. Ambedkar founded 'Mooknayak' (1920) and 'Bahishkrit Bharat' (1927).
- 05Bankimchandra Chattopadhyay wrote 'Anandamath' (1882), which contains the national song 'Vande Mataram'; he also wrote 'Durgesh Nandini'.
Questions & Solutions
Pehle khud try karo — phir solution kholo. Yahi tariqa topper banata hai.
Who founded India's first newspaper, 'Bengal Gazette', and in which year?
Name the book written by Jawaharlal Nehru while he was imprisoned in Ahmednagar Fort, and give its year of completion.
Which newspaper did Bal Gangadhar Tilak edit to spread nationalist ideas, and in which language was it published?
Arundhati Roy won the Booker Prize for which novel and in which year?
What is the significance of the Amrita Bazar Patrika switching from Bengali to English overnight in 1878?
Books, Authors and Newspapers questions in SSC exams test author-book pairs, newspaper founding years, Nobel laureates, and freedom-fighter publications. Key anchors: Tagore-Gitanjali-1913, Nehru-Discovery of India, Hicky's Bengal Gazette-1780, Times of India-1838, Ambedkar-Mooknayak, Gandhi-Young India. Memorise Booker Prize winners (Roy 1997, Desai 2006) and editors of nationalist newspapers for guaranteed marks.
Chapter-end quiz
4 MCQsOption tap karo — turant pata chalega sahi ya galat, explanation ke saath.
Q1.Rabindranath Tagore won the Nobel Prize in Literature in which year?
Q2.Which of the following books was written by Dr. B.R. Ambedkar?
Q3.The Times of India was originally known as:
Q4.Mahatma Gandhi's autobiography 'The Story of My Experiments with Truth' was originally written in which language?
Mark karo — dashboard par progress dikhega.