Qurratulain Hyder

Qurratulain Hyder (20 January 1927 – 21 August 2007) was an influential Indian novelist and short story writer, an academic, and a journalist. One of the most outstanding literary names in Urdu literature. She is best known for her magnum opus Aag ka Derya, the most read novel.

Qurratulain Hyder received the Jnanpith Award in 1989 for her novel Aakhir-e-Shab ke Hamsafar (Travellers Unto the Night). She received the Sahitya Akademi Award, in 1967, Soviet Land Nehru Award, 1969, Ghalib Award, 1985. She won Sahitya Akademi Award for her collection of short stories Patjhar ki Awaz (The Sound of Falling Leaves) in 1967.

The Urdu Academy in Delhi conferred upon her the Bahadur Shah Zafar Award in 2000. She was conferred Padma Shri by the Government of India in 1984, and in 2005 she was conferred the Padma Bhushan the third highest civilian honour awarded by the Government of India, for her contribution to Urdu Literature and education.

The above excerpt is from her Wikipedia