One Year Of Living the New Normal

Inspiring Lives of Celebrity Women Writers of our Time

1.      J K Rowling (1965-present):  There is no one in our generation who is not familiar with Harry Potter. The magical world of this kid wizard stormed Book stores as it became a runaway hit in UK and worldwide. This mesmerizing tale was followed by many sequels and the number of followers multiplied in millions with each book. Topping the bestsellers list for months, J K Rowling is the most influential women in UK enjoying a celebrity status among the elite in the literary world. But Joane Katherine Rowling was not always so lucky. She was born in a humble family not having sufficient money for higher education. After her separation from her husband, she felt abundant having a daughter to look after with little means. Today, at the age of 51, Rowling is a millionaire and has an enviable fan following around the world.

                                                

                

2.      Harper Lee (1926-2016):  As a child she had observed the plight of the black where her father practiced as a lawyer. Then she did not have a clue that one day she would turn the incident into one of the most impactful novels of all time, To Kill A Mocking Bird. The book dealt with the preconceived notions that separate the black and the white in a colony. Lee won many awards for the book including Nobel Prize for literature. She did not write anything substantial after this book, baring a few short stories. But that was indeed her magnum opus which fetched her much name and fame. But most of all her work made an echoing impact. The book was also made into a super hit film.  

3.      Margaret Atwood (1939- present):  Atwood is the face of modern intellectual women showing that even sky is not the limit for success. She is a fiction, non-fiction writer and entrepreneur and winner of many prestigious awards. A supporter of feminist ideologies, she has often written boldly about women’s individual freedom and choice of living. Her books – The year of the Flood, The Blind Assassin and The Edible Woman are famous among book lovers.

4.      Jhumpa Lahiri ( 1967-Present) :  Bengali in origin, Jhumpa moved to United States quite early in life. From the perspective of an outsider, she noted down her observations in her three major books namely- Interpreter of Maladies, Unaccustomed Earth and The Namesake. Her stories and characters are real young Indians with their relationship and identity crisis in the modern area. Pulitzer Prize and National Humanities Award are only two among her many awards.

                            

5.      Stephenie Meyer (1973-Present): She had not written even a short story before she wrote her magnum opus Twilight. Stephanie Meyer became a sensation in the literary world as the book Twilight shoot up as the best seller in 2008. Stephenie was also one among the 100 most influential people of 2008.  The four books series of Twilight got so popular that the movie adaptations too were huge success. Later Stephenie also turned producer and produced films on her books. This American author is a source of inspiration for many contemporary writers who are struggling to take the first step.

6.      Maya Angelou ( 1928-2014) : Her confessions of facing child sexual abuse and having worked as a sex worker did not go down well with the American society of the 1950s. But her books made readers more curious about her extraordinary life. Her autobiographical books, poems and novels all were above the ordinary stature. Maya Angelou’s life and struggle is a picture of a black woman’s life. The fact that without any formal education Maya became a sought after lecturer in prestigious colleges speaks volume of her caliber. Even after her death in 2014, she continues to be a major source of inspiration for women across the world.

                             

7.      Alice Walker (1944 – present): Even before her book, The Color Purple, became inspiration for the Steven Speilberg movie, she had become a celebrity author with her story of a black woman standing up against her oppressors. It was her own story as she grew up observing the difficulty her parents faced in sending her to school in her childhood. Alice became a voice of the oppressed and a major writer who got many awards and recognition. Her efforts for the civil rights of the Black are exemplary. She is an inspiration of how can be mirrors of life.

8.      Alice Munroe ( 1931-Present): Munroe’s writing was exemplary in style and composition. Her touching collection of short stories and novels are great observation of women’s struggle with modern day relationships and social notions. Having won the Nobel Prize for literature, Alice is an epitome of woman power and grit in the literary world. Her father was farmer and her mother a teacher. She worked as a library clerk before taking to professional writing. The recurring theme of memory and reality in her short stories is considered most attractive about her writing. The Nobel Prize jury called her the “master of Contemporary short stories”.