India is a galaxy unto itself due to its multiculturalism in all aspects, expressed in 22 official languages. Its literature is among the oldest in the world, blending the personal, the everyday, the religious, and the issues of each era. Its publishing industry is the third largest in the world in English. Three millennia separate the following literary expressions of India:

Rigveda (1500-1000 BCE)

Wishing that I may be strengthened by soma, O Agni!

You have made me your guide to perform the sacrifice

[according to the ritual.

Shining before the gods, O Agni!, while

[I prepare

the grinding stone and practice, find pleasure in your

[own body.

My Refuge and My Storm, by Arundhati Roy (2025)

“She chose September, that perfect month, to leave. The monsoon had receded, and Kerala shimmered like an emerald band between the mountains and the sea. As the plane banked to land and the earth rose to meet us, I found it hard to believe that topography could cause such palpable physical pain”.

Part of India’s vast literary universe will be showcased as the Guest of Honor at the 38th Bogotá International Book Fair (FILBo), 2026, from April 21 to May 4.

This literature resonates with the theme of this year’s FILBo: “Listening to each other is reading each other”. The slogan recalls how the oral histories of India were passed down through the centuries, eventually becoming written words that helped shape collective life.

This is the first time India has been the Guest of Honor at FILBo, an event that will allow for a deeper exploration of one of the world’s most multicultural nations and a major technological power.

This year, FILBo proposes a journey into one of humanity’s oldest literatures, based on three main pillars:

The Rigveda (1500–1000 BCE) is the oldest text of Hinduism, consisting of sacred hymns in Vedic Sanskrit that pay tribute to the gods. It is the first of the four Vedas, which signify knowledge and constitute the source of spirituality, cultural heritage, natural medicine (Ayurveda), and yoga in India.

The Ramayana (4th century BCE–3rd century CE) is one of the two major epic poems, attributed to the sage Valmiki. It recounts, among other figures, the exploits of King Rama. It consists of six parts that recount ancient legends and oral histories.

The Mahabharata (4th century BCE–4th century CE) is the world’s longest epic poem, with 200,000 verses. It narrates part of the foundation of Hinduism and functions as an ethical, philosophical and cultural guide in India.

To these three works we can add the Kama Sutra (1st to 4th centuries CE), which occupies a prominent place in the universal popular imagination. It is an erotic book written by Mallanaga Vatsyayana, belonging to the Gupta period, between the 1st and 4th centuries CE. More than a manual, the book offers a broad perspective on human practices and behaviors surrounding sex and sexuality.

From India comes the first non-European author to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, in 1913: Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941). He is also the only author from that country to have been honored with this award. According to the Swedish Academy, he received it “for his deeply sensitive, fresh, and beautiful verses, by which, with consummate skill, he has made his poetic thought, expressed in his own words in English, a part of Western literature”. Among his important works are Gitanjali and The Home and the World.

Tagore is a guiding figure for contemporary writers, whose exceptional writing, imbued with remarkable sensitivity, encapsulates the history of a country and a culture, bringing them to life.

 Contemporary Writers

The bibliography of contemporary Indian literature includes globally recognized names. These authors have successfully established a dialogue between their tradition and the most modern narratives without losing sight of the human experience, which originates from within each individual. Their works address themes ranging from intimate conflicts to migrations and their connection to the beliefs, tensions, and uncertainties of the contemporary world.

Classical literature, FILBo reminds us, “flourished in Tamil, Kannada, and other regional languages ​​throughout the centuries. The Bhakti and Sufi movements contributed rich poetic traditions, while the colonial period saw the rise of Indian writing in English. In the post-independence era, Indian literature diversified with powerful voices in feminism, Dalit literature, and diasporic narratives”.

Among India’s most renowned writers are:

Salman Rushdie (Kashmir, 1947). Novelist: Midnight’s Children, The Satanic Verses (a work for which he faced a fatwa that forced him to live in hiding for years and after which he was attacked in 2022), The Moor’s Last Sigh, The Ground Beneath His Feet, Quinchotte, and The Eleventh Hour.

Arundhati Roy (Shillong, 1959). Novelist and essayist: The God of Small Things, The Ministry of Utmost Happiness and My Refuge and My Storm.

Vikram Seth (Calcutta, 1952). Poet, novelist, short story writer, and essayist: From Heaven’s Lake, A Suitable Boy, Outrageous Fables, An Equal Music and Two Lives.

Anita Nair (Kerala, 1966). Novelist: The Subway Satyr, A Better Man, The Women’s Car, Lessons in Forgetting, and The Heart Is a Fierce Place.

Rohinton Mistry (Bombay, 1952). Novelist: Such a Long Journey, A Fine Balance, Family Matters.

Anita Desai (Mussoorie, 1937, Indian-American author). Short story writer and novelist: Fire on the Mountain, The Village by the Sea, Cry, Peacock, Voices in the City, and Games at Dusk.

Kiran Desai (New Delhi, 1971). Novelist: The Inheritance of Loss and The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny.

Jhumpa Lahiri (London, 1967, British-Indian author). Short story writer, novelist, and essayist: Interpreter of Maladies, Unaccustomed Earth, The Namesake, Where I Find Myself, and In Other Words.

Amitav Ghosh (Calcutta, 1956). Novelist: The Circle of Reason, Shadow Lines, The Calcutta Chromosome, The Crystal Palace, The Hungry Tide, Sea of ​​Poppies.

Aravind Adiga (Chennai, 1974). Novelist: The White Tiger, Between Murders, Amnesty.

Chetan Bhagat (New Delhi, 1974). Novelist: A Night in the Call Center, Half a Bride, The Three Mistakes of My Life, The Girl in Room 5.

 Publishing Industry and Readers

India’s publishing industry is the third largest in the world in English, after the United States and the United Kingdom. FILBo explains that «commercial publishing (fiction and non-fiction for the general public) is growing steadily, with greater visibility for Indian authors both nationally and internationally.

The rise of digital platforms and audiobooks has broadened the reach of reading, although challenges such as piracy and limited distribution infrastructure persist”.

Urban centers have higher rates of book readers, especially in English and Hindi, while readers of regional languages ​​are more common in semi-urban and rural areas.

FILBo notes that India has thousands of bookstores, from large chains like Crossword and Landmark to independent bookstores that serve as community centers. It also boasts a robust network of public libraries in state capitals, as well as institutions like the Delhi Public Library and the Anna Centennial Library in Chennai. The National Library of India in Kolkata is the largest in the country, with over 2.2 million books. Cultural venues such as the India Habitat Centre (Delhi), the NCPA (Mumbai), and Alliance Française centers in various cities regularly host literary events, author readings, and book launches. However, in smaller towns and rural areas, access to bookstores and libraries remains limited.

• With translation assistance from Robert Lienhard.

All articles from our English edition are available HERE

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