Book lovers all over the world have read, enjoyed, and appreciated some of the most famous British writers of all times. And today compiling them in a list is a great pleasure.
1. William Shakespeare (1564 – 1616)
Fondly known as “The Bard of Avon”, William Shakespeare, has been perhaps the most revered poet, playwright, and author in English Literature, who has been a great influence on the literature, art, culture, films and theatre since time immemorial. Some of his famous works include, “As you like it”, “All’s well that ends well”, “Comedy of errors”, “A midsummer night’s dreams”, “The merchant of Venice”, “Romeo and Juliet”, “Hamlet”, “Othello”, “King Lear”, “Shakespeare’s sonnets” and “A Lover’s Complaint”.
2. Jane Austen (1775 – 1817)
Jane Austen, a romantic fiction writer, published many of her books anonymously. Her books usually revolved round women, family, and marriage and through her books she highlighted the fact that if a woman wants to feel secure emotionally, socially and financially she needs to find the right man in her life. Her books are termed as classic today with some of them finding a place in the school syllabus as well. Some of her famous works include “Sense and Sensibility”, “Pride and Prejudice”, “Emma”, “Mansfield Park”.
3. Emily Bronte (1818 – 1848)
Out of the three Bronte sisters Emily was the most famous. Her “Wuthering Heights” is a classic which today is an essential reading for the students of English literature. “Wuthering heights” is a unique combination of passion, mystery, and lost love, which is set in the eighteenth century, when there was a great shift taking place in the social and economic values. Bronte, very beautifully and intelligently, portrays these changes, along with an in depth analysis of the human psyche.
4. Charles Dickens (1812 – 1870)
Who can forget Charles Dickens while compiling the list of most famous British writers? An author of the Victorian Era, Dickens wrote fiction and non fiction novels, short stories, poems and plays and some of his famous works include, “A tale of two cities””, Great expectations””, David Copperfield””, A Christmas Carol” and “The Adventures of Oliver Twist”. Through his works, Dickens depicted the class differences, plight of the poor, values, and mores of haves and have-nots during that time. Dickens is especially known for his remarkable characters and his mastery over prose.
5. D.H. Lawrence (1885-1930)
David Herbert Richards Lawrence was an English author, poet, playwright, essayist, and literary critic. His collected works represent an extended reflection upon the dehumanising effects of modernity and industrialisation. In them, Lawrence confronts issues relating to emotional health and vitality, spontaneity, human sexuality and instinct.
6. J.K. Rowling (1965)
A list of famous British authors will be incomplete without the mention of the contemporary author J.K. Rowling, who has brought the youth and the children “back to reading” in this day and age of computers and Internet. She has become a rage the world over with the “Harry Potter Series”, which have sold more than four hundred million copies, the world over.