Punjabi famous writers

Famous Punjabi writers & poets

Iconic voices of Punjabi literature — from medieval Sufi saints to the poets and novelists who wrote through Partition.

ਬਾਬਾ ਫ਼ਰੀਦ
bābā farīd
Baba Farid (Fariduddin Ganjshakar) — Sufi saint and the earliest major Punjabi poet
Meaning: Saloks and hymns preserved in the Guru Granth Sahib
c. 1173–1266 · Pakpattan
ਬੁੱਲ੍ਹੇ ਸ਼ਾਹ
bullhe śāh
Bulleh Shah — Sufi mystic poet who mocked orthodoxy and caste
Meaning: Kafis such as "Bulla ki jaana main kaun"
1680–1757 · Kasur
ਵਾਰਿਸ ਸ਼ਾਹ
vāris śāh
Waris Shah — author of the definitive telling of Punjab's great love legend
Meaning: Heer (Heer Ranjha), completed 1766
c. 1722–1798 · Jandiala Sher Khan
ਨਾਨਕ ਸਿੰਘ
nānak siṅgh
Nanak Singh — "father of the Punjabi novel", wrote dozens of social-reform novels
Meaning: Pavittar Paapi, Chitta Lahu, Ik Mian Do Talwaran (Sahitya Akademi Award)
1897–1971
ਅੰਮ੍ਰਿਤਾ ਪ੍ਰੀਤਮ
amritā prītam
Amrita Pritam — poet and novelist; first woman to win the Sahitya Akademi Award
Meaning: "Ajj Aakhaan Waris Shah Nu" (Partition elegy), Pinjar, Rasidi Ticket
1919–2005 · Jnanpith Award (1981)
ਸ਼ਿਵ ਕੁਮਾਰ ਬਟਾਲਵੀ
śiv kumār baṭālvī
Shiv Kumar Batalvi — romantic poet of separation, "Birha da Sultan"
Meaning: Loona (verse play) — youngest-ever Sahitya Akademi Award winner (1967)
1936–1973 · Batala

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