A B F H I J K L M N P Q R S T W Z

Qaisari Begum

Qaisari Begum (1888–1977) was a significant Indian writer, social activist, and chronicler of early 20th-century life, celebrated for her posthumously published autobiography, Kitab-i Zindagi (The Book of My Life). As the granddaughter of the pioneering Urdu...

Qamar Jahan

Professor Qamar Jahan (1947–2025) was one of contemporary Urdu literature’s most distinguished fiction writers and critics. Over a career spanning nearly six decades, she made profound contributions to both creative writing and literary scholarship,...

Qamar Jamali

Qamar Jamali, an eminent Urdu fiction writer from Hyderabad, India, is widely recognised for her contributions to realist literature. Born Qamar Sultana in 1950 in a village in Telangana’s Nalgonda district, she began writing at the age of 16. She adopted the...

Qurratulain Hyder

Qurratulain Hyder (1927-2007) was a monumental figure in 20th-century Urdu literature, celebrated as a novelist, scholar, and translator who fundamentally reshaped the landscape of modern fiction in South Asia. Born in Aligarh, India, in 1927 to a family of...

Rabia Sultana Nashad

Rabia Sultana Nashad stands as one of Bihar’s most significant Urdu poetesses of the 20th century, a notable female voice in the literary world of post-independence India. Her life and work encapsulate the aspirations and challenges faced by women in a...

Rafia Manzoorul Ameen

Rafia Manzoorul Ameen (1930-2008) was a distinguished Indian Urdu writer, celebrated for her profound contributions to both fiction and non-fiction. Born in Hyderabad, Telangana, she emerged as a significant voice chronicling the social fabric and feudal legacy of her...