Inspiring & Influential Women Authors !

Inspiring & Influential Women Authors !

To help honour the phenomenal women in our lives, I have compiled a list of women authors whose books and lives have inspired, influenced and had a resounding impact on my life.

Whether you’re looking for inspiration, influence, a moving narrative, strong characters that strike a chord, women authors have produced many interesting, invigorating high quality literature, articles, books and are capable of doing all this and much more.

I distinctly remember by first book borrowed from my school library. Black Beauty authored by Anna Sewell. It's referred to as an animal autobiography because, unlike animal stories that describe a child's interaction with an animal, the novel is narrated from the animal's point of view.

Even before J.K. Rowling wrote Harry Potter series, as a child, I was introduced to Enid Blyton. Even now as I write the name of Enid Blyton, it gives me bouts of nostalgia. The name evokes a beautiful warm and cosy feeling. It’s a pity if you haven’t gormandize reading her books as a child. Every Summer vacations, heading to the nearest public library to learn about her new adventures, wanting to read just few more pages before sleeping and a lifetime love for reading—this is what Enid Blyton books left me with. The Famous Five, The Secret Seven coupled with the childhood adventures and bond formed with George, Anne, Dick, Julian and Timmy continues to remain immortal.

By the time I went in secondary school- thrillers, detective, mystery, criminal novels beckoned me. It was time to graduate from adventures of Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys to life threatening mysteries of Agatha Christie. Agatha will continue to appeal and remain immortal and so will her two distinct fictional detectives Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple. Amongst many books, her famous books include Murder on Orient Express, Death on The Nile, And Then There Were None.

This was a time when books on science started staring at us. In those days, one of my friend recommended me to read the book Frankenstein.  Interestingly one of literature's most terrifying and memorable monsters Frankenstein comes from the mind of a woman- Mary Shelley. Frankenstein, the twisted and thrilling tale of a doctor's decision to play with life and death, set the bar for the science fiction and horror that followed after it.

While some senior girls in our school were glued to boring Mills and Boon and other such romantic novels, I was transferred into the Victorian world of Jane Austen. Jane Austen mesmerized through her novels Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, Emma, Persuasion, Northanger Abbey, Mansfield Park. Her books were big and largely dealt with themes of love, sacrifice, class, society, social commentary and offered a wonderful perspective on life.

It was during the same time when my dad gifted my younger sister a masterpiece stating that every woman must read it. It was the book called Rebecca, arguably Daphne du Maurier’s best-known novel. This gothic tale has inspired a legion of works by other writers. Soon my sister and I were also introduced to The Bronte Sisters. Jane Eyre written by Charlotte Bronte. This timeless novel tackles complex issues of morality, sexuality, religion, class, and gender relationships, among other things. Speaking of the Bronte sisters, Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights, has been haunting readers ever since it got first published.

I entered junior college and was introduced to another wonderful women author – Ayn Rand. While I have rummaged through all her books, her philosophy called ‘Objectivisim’, you shouldn’t miss her two best-selling novels, The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged.  I still find Dagny Taggart a strong willed character than Scarlett- O- Hara from Gone with the Wind!

Anyways, during engineering college days, I came across other interesting women authors whose books have offered greater perspective to life. Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, poignantly educates you about morality, honesty, justice, humility, ethical decision making and having the courage to stand by your own conviction. The author didn’t use her first name Nelle.

I joined American center library and bumped into Toni Morrison, a profound writer whose novels are all worthy of any reading list. Beloved is perhaps her finest work. Beloved is gripping and tells the story of a freed slave who can never be free from the memory of her old life and the ghost of her dead baby.

I was also a member of British Council Library and here got introduced to three prolific authors whose work I worship – Virginia Woolf, Dorris Lessing and Nadine Gordimer.

It took me a while to comprehend Virginia Woolf. Perhaps Woolf is a bit too “literary” for some tastes, but her best sellers - The Waves, Mrs Dalloway, To the Lighthouse  and A Room of One’s Own must surely speak to many.

Nobel laureate, Doris Lessing’s genius is undeniable. Her writing merges staggering quantity with incredible quality. Her books The Grass is Singing, The Golden Notebook & Shikasta are truly remarkable.

Nobel laureate and Booker prize winner- Nadine Gordimer’s writing deals with moral and racial issues, particularly apartheid in South Africa. Among the many books, her two books are not to be missed -  Burger's Daughter  & July's People  

While I can add more to the above list, however haven’t included other authors like George Eliot (yes a women) and any modern day women writers including Indian writers. Perhaps that could make up for another blog sometime.

Until then keep reading the above authors. They will certainly inspire and influence you.