If you enjoy reading books by Saadat Hasan Manto then you might also like the following authors:
Ismat Chughtai wrote bold and honest stories about women's lives, social expectations, and human relationships. Her style is straightforward and sharp, tackling taboo subjects head-on.
If you like Manto, you might appreciate her short story, Lihaaf (The Quilt), which explores female sexuality and sparked controversy for its frankness.
Munshi Premchand wrote realistic stories about ordinary lives and social injustices in India. His clear and simple writing brings out human struggles and exposes unfairness with compassion.
A good starting point for Premchand is Godaan (The Gift of a Cow), a novel about poverty, dreams, and dignity in rural India.
Rajinder Singh Bedi is known for his deep sensitivity in exploring human emotions, relationships, and social issues. Like Manto, Bedi writes with clarity and honesty, showing the hardships and tragedies of ordinary people caught in harsh realities.
His short story collection Ek Chadar Maili Si (A Slightly Soiled Sheet) focuses on family struggles, emotional depth, and people's attempts to find dignity in challenging circumstances.
Krishan Chander captures people's daily struggles, dreams, and despair with powerful simplicity. He writes vividly and empathetically, often highlighting workers, peasants, and the poor facing social injustices.
You might enjoy his poignant novel Ghaddaar (The Traitor), which addresses the struggles of individual conscience against powerful societal pressures.
Mulk Raj Anand writes clear and socially conscious novels addressing caste prejudice, exploitation, and poverty in Indian society. Without pulling punches, he portrays suffering, humanity, and resilience realistically and indulgently.
If you value Manto's direct approach, you should read Anand's novel Untouchable, which intimately depicts the experiences of a young man facing caste discrimination.
Khushwant Singh writes boldly and candidly about India's social realities, especially during partition and post-independence times. Like Manto, he captures human flaws, hypocrisy, and the absurdity of violence.
His novel, Train to Pakistan, vividly portrays communal tensions and the human tragedies during partition, revealing how ordinary lives got shattered in those troubled times.
Qurratulain Hyder is celebrated for exploring India's history, culture, and society through stories that span generations. Her style combines personal narratives with rich historical contexts that mirror complex social realities, much like Manto's own stories of human struggles.
Her acclaimed novel, River of Fire (Aag ka Darya), skillfully weaves together different eras, reflecting on themes of identity, belonging, and cultural continuity.
Bapsi Sidhwa is known for narratives that present ordinary lives against historical events, emphasizing marginalized voices and perspectives.
With clarity and sensitivity, her novel Ice-Candy-Man (also published as Cracking India) addresses the brutality of Partition and its impact on women's experiences.
Readers who appreciate Manto's candid portrayal of humanity and conflict will find resonance in Sidhwa's insightful writing.
Intizar Husain writes with lyrical clarity, often using allegory and symbolism to convey deep emotional truths about exile, displacement, and identity. His storytelling is textured, connecting personal memory and cultural heritage.
His novel Basti reflects post-partition anxieties, portraying lives uprooted physically and emotionally—echoing the concerns and sensitivity found in Manto's works.
Bhisham Sahni offers accessible portrayals of communal violence and personal trauma, always humanizing complex experiences through simple but powerful language.
His novel Tamas vividly depicts the horrors and suffering caused by religious and communal divides during Partition, reminding readers of Manto's fearless narratives confronting harsh social realities.
Mahasweta Devi wrote powerful stories on social injustice, especially highlighting the struggles faced by marginalized communities in India. Her narratives are bold and straightforward, often forcing readers to confront uncomfortable truths about society.
She is best known for her book Breast Stories, which combines strong writing with deep empathy, showing realities we'd prefer to ignore.
Guy de Maupassant mastered the art of short stories with his realistic and often ironic portrayals of human nature. His precise storytelling vividly captures the complexities of everyday life, exposing the greyer and less comfortable sides of human behavior.
One notable example is his famous story The Necklace, which shows how vanity and social aspirations can lead to unexpected consequences.
Anton Chekhov was exceptional at depicting everyday life's subtleties, capturing ordinary people in ordinary situations. His stories quietly reveal deeper meanings, characterized by sympathetic yet unsentimental portraits of humanity.
Readers who appreciate Manto's sensitivity towards flawed characters may enjoy Chekhov's collection Ward No. 6, which skillfully portrays the fragile line between sanity and madness.
Abdullah Hussein's stories delve deep into human experiences during times of social upheaval. He tells emotionally charged stories of individuals caught in historical conflicts, skillfully capturing the harshness and sadness of their lives with simple, clear language.
His novel Udaas Naslain (Sad Generations) offers a moving portrayal of struggle, loss, and resilience during the turbulent era of partition.
Ghulam Abbas wrote stories that show how ordinary circumstances can expose startling truths about human nature. His narratives reflect sharp social observation, uncovering hypocrisy, morality struggles, and the darker undercurrents in everyday situations.
His famous short story Anandi (Bliss) illustrates how well-intentioned policies can ironically lead to unforeseen outcomes.