Subhas Mitra. Dated: 15 Nov 2005
(Sources: Online search )
Sanskrit:
1. Vyas Dev:
He is one of the foundational figures of Indian literature.
The Mahābhārata is roughly 1.8 million words according to the source. His lifetime works, including 18 Mahā Puranas, Brahma Sūtras and compiling the Four Vedas, are not estimable but far exceed anyone thereafter.
2. Kalidasa :
He has been the greatest classical Sanskrit poet and dramatist. 7 works are widely accepted by scholars: 3 plays, 2 epic poems, and 2 lyrical poems.
There is no solid academic consensus on the total number of Sanskrit words he composed. But English translation work is about ~241,250 English words and 40,000 Sanskrit words.
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ENGLISH:
1. William Shakespeare (1564–1616):
He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in English literature. ~ 38 plays, 154 sonnets, 2 long narrative poems + a few other minor poems. ~ 884,421 words in 43 works.
2. John Milton (1608–1674) :
He was one of the greatest poets in English, best known for Paradise Lost, the monumental epic poem. A mixed body of work: includes Paradise Regained, Samson Agonistes, plus many poems and a number of prose/political tracts and dozens of distinct works (poetry + prose).
GERMAN:
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749–1832) :
Considered the greatest German writer. He has a very large output; his works include Faust, many plays, poems, scientific writings, diaries, and novels. (I didn’t find “number of books”.
~96,000 words for one translation and another version (Parts I + II) is estimated ~177,000 words.
ARABIC:
Al-Mutanabbi (915–965):
Often regarded as the greatest poet in the Arabic language. His Diwan (collected poems) is often said to contain about 326 poems. In English translations, one “book” (selection) is ~40,000 words.
PERSIAN:
Ferdowsi (c. 940–1020) : Author of the Shahnameh (Book of Kings), the national epic of Iran. Shahnameh is about 50,000 couplets. In English translations, 152,000 words. Another edition is estimated to be ~260,000 words.
BENGALI
1. Rabindranath Tagore:
Nobel laureate (1913). Author of Gitanjali, Ghare-Baire, and Chokher Bali. I found no credible total word-count number. According to a bibliometric study, he published about 47 essays, 46 dramas, 44 volumes of verse, 13 novels, 13 short stories, plus many more songs, letters, etc.
I could not find the total words.
2. Kazi Nazrul Islam :
Major Works / Genres: Poet, songwriter, novelist, essayist, playwright.
Published Works: ~21 books of verse, 14 books of songs, 6 novels, a collection of stories, 4 books of essays, 3 plays, children’s works, and translations. ≈ 9,00,000 – 1.4 million words total.
3. Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay:
Author of Anandamath. : Composer of Vande Mataram.
TAMIL
1. Thiruvalluvar :
Author of Thirukkural (1,330 couplets ), one of humanity’s greatest ethical works.
Some later texts (medicine, astrology) are also attributed to him, but their authenticity is debated.
2. Subramania Bharati (Bharathiyar) :
Visionary poet of modern Tamil literature and Celebrated for patriotic and reformist poetry. His complete works have been compiled into a 23-volume compendium.
TELUGU
1. Nannaya:
First poet of the Telugu language.:Co-translator of the Telugu Mahabharatam. Known for Amuktamalyada plus patronage of many poets.
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2. Emperor-poet of Vijayanagara,
Author of Amuktamalyada.+ Ashtadiggajas.
HINDI:
1. Tulsidas :
A central figure of the Bhakti-era Hindi poetry. His most famous major work is Ramcharitmanas. He also composed numerous other devotional poems, songs, and shorter works.
2. Premchand :
The most celebrated Hindi fiction writer.Works: Godaan, Nirmala, Kafan. He wrote over 300 short stories and 14 novels, as well as essays, plays, and letters.
URDU :
1. Mirza Ghalib :
Iconic Urdu poet, known for deeply philosophical and emotional ghazals. One source says he “penned around 4,000 lines in all forms” of his work.
2. Allama Iqbal:
Poet-philosopher.Author of Bang-e-Dara, Asrar-e-Khudi.. there isn’t a trustworthy “lifetime word-count.”
MARATHI:
1. Sant Jnaneshwar (Jnanadeva) :
A 13th-century mystic poet and saint. Major works include Bhavartha Deepika and Amrutanubhav.
2. Sant Tukaram :
He was a 17th-century Varkari saint-poet and known for his “abhangas” (devotional poems) , which deeply influenced Marathi Bhakti literature. The total works record could not be found.
GUJRATI:
1. Narmadashankar “Narmad” Lalshankar Dave (“Narmad”) :
He is often called the father of modern Gujarati literature. He wrote in many genres: prose, poems, plays, essays; his “Mari Hakikat” is the first Gujarati autobiography.
2. Dhumketu (Gaurishankar Govardhanram Joshi) :
He is the pioneer of the Gujarati short story. He published 24 collections of short stories, plus 32 novels, travelogues, and plays.
AHAMIYA (Assam):
1. Lakshminath Bezbarua :
He is a major figure in modern Assamese literature: poet, novelist, dramatist, satirist. Founded the literary magazine Jonaki; his work spans plays, essays, stories, and folk tales.
2. Padmanath Gohain Baruah :
He was one of the early modern Assamese novelists, dramatists, and poets. He wrote Bhanumati (the first Assamese novel) and many plays, historical dramas, and textbooks.
MALAYALAM:
1. Thunchaththu Ezhuthachan (c. 1495–1575) :
He was the Father of the Malayalam language & modern Malayalam literature. Major Works: Traditionally attributed: 4–6 major works, including Adhyātma Rāmāyaṇam (Kilippāṭṭu) and Harināmakīrthanam. Approx. 300,000 – 350,000 words.
2. M. T. Vasudevan Nair (born 1933) :
He was widely regarded as the greatest living Malayalam writer to win the “Jnanpith Award” (1995) for “Randamoozham”, a fictional viewpoint of BHIMA in the Mahabharata. 55+ literary works and 60+ screenplays (separate from his books). His long career and volume of work: 2.5 to 3 million+ words.
3. Vaikom Muhammad Basheer (1908–1994):
Title: “Beypore Sultan,” one of the greatest modern Malayalam writers. He wrote 35+ books (novels, stories, essays). Estimated Lifetime Word Output- ~1.2 million – 1.5 million words. Major Works: 6, including Janmadinam.
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