callings of the archive
Poet Biographies
Every archived life recorded as poet, ordered by their place in the ledger.
Modern era
Josh Malihabadi
December 5, 1898 – February 22, 1982
Shayar-e-Inqalab (1894-1982)
Modern era
Ehsan Danish
1914 – March 21, 1982
Pakistani poet, writer, linguist, and lexicographer (1914–1982)
Modern era
Nasir Kazmi
December 8, 1925 – March 2, 1972
Pakistani poet (1925–1972)
Modern era
Ibn-e-Insha
June 15, 1927 – January 11, 1978
Pakistani writer (1927–1978)
Modern era
Ahmad Nadeem Qasmi
November 20, 1916 – July 10, 2006
Pakistani writer (1916–2006)
Modern era
Munir Niazi
April 9, 1923 – December 26, 2006
Punjabi poet (1923–2006)
Modern era
Jaun Elia
December 14, 1931 – November 8, 2002
Pakistani poet and writer (1931-2002)
Contemporary era
Mohsin Naqvi
May 5, 1947 – January 15, 1996
Pakistani poet (1947-1996)
Contemporary era
Fahmida Riaz
July 28, 1946 – November 21, 2018
Pakistani Urdu writer, poet, feminist (1946-2018)
Modern era
Kishwar Naheed
b. 1940
Pakistani writer
Modern era
Ada Jafarey
August 22, 1924 – March 12, 2015
Urdu poet (1924-2015)
Modern era
Ustad Daman
January 1, 1910 – December 3, 1984
Punjabi poet
Modern era
Anwar Masood
b. November 8, 1935
Punjabi poet
Contemporary era
Shakir Shuja Abadi
b. February 25, 1953
Pakistani Saraiki poet
Early Modern era
Khushal Khan Khattak
1613 – February 19, 1689
Afghan poet
Modern era
Ghani Khan
1914 – 1996
Pashtun Poet (1914–1996)
Modern era
Amrita Pritam
August 31, 1919 – October 31, 2005
Indian novelist, poet, and essayist (in Hindi and Punjabi languages) (1919–2005)
Modern era
Shiv Kumar Batalvi
July 23, 1936 – May 6, 1973
Punjabi poet (1936–1973)
Modern era
Jigar Moradabadi
April 6, 1890 – September 9, 1960
Indian writer (1890-1960)
Modern era
Firaq Gorakhpuri
August 28, 1896 – March 3, 1982
Urdu author (1896-1982)
Modern era
Majrooh Sultanpuri
October 1, 1919 – May 24, 2000
Indian Urdu poet and Hindi language lyricist (1919-2000)
Modern era
Sahir Ludhianvi
March 8, 1921 – October 25, 1980
Indian Urdu and Hindi poet (1921–1980)
Modern era
Kaifi Azmi
January 14, 1919 – May 10, 2002
Indian poet and songwriter (1919–2002)
Contemporary era
Javed Akhtar
b. January 17, 1945
Indian writer, poet and lyricist
Modern era
Gulzar
b. August 19, 1933
Indian poet, lyricist and author (1933- Present)
Contemporary era
Rahat Indori
January 1, 1950 – August 11, 2020
Indian Bollywood lyricist and Urdu poet (1950–2020)
Modern era
Harivansh Rai Bachchan
November 27, 1907 – January 18, 2003
Indian Hindi poet, Father of Amitabh Bachchan (1907-2003)
Modern era
Ramdhari Singh Dinkar
September 23, 1908 – April 24, 1974
Indian Hindi poet, essayist (1908-1974)
Modern era
Mahadevi Varma
March 26, 1907 – September 11, 1987
Indian Hindi writer and poet (1907-1987)
Modern era
Subhadra Kumari Chauhan
August 16, 1904 – February 15, 1948
Indian Hindi poet, short-story writer and freedom fighter (1904–1948); wrote 'Jhansi Ki Rani'
Modern era
Subramania Bharati
December 11, 1882 – September 12, 1921
Tamil poet, social reformer, fighter for Indian freedom & women's rights
Thiruvalluvar
Tamil poet and philosopher
Avvaiyar
Honorific title used by multiple Tamil women poets from different periods of Tamil literature
Modern era
Kuvempu
December 29, 1904 – November 11, 1994
Indian poet, playwright, novelist, critic, and prolific thinker (1904–1994)
Modern era
Kazi Nazrul Islam
May 24, 1899 – August 29, 1976
National poet of Bangladesh (1899-1976)
Modern era
Michael Madhusudan Dutt
January 25, 1824 – June 29, 1873
Bengali poet and dramatist (1824–1873)
Modern era
Bankim Chandra Chatterjee
June 26, 1838 – April 8, 1894
Bengali writer, poet and journalist (1838-1894)
Modern era
Jibanananda Das
February 17, 1899 – October 22, 1954
Bengali Poet (1899-1954)
Modern era
Wasif Ali Wasif
January 15, 1929 – January 18, 1993
Pakistani scholar (1929–1993)
Modern era
Ibn-e-Safi
July 26, 1928 – July 26, 1980
Pakistani writer (1928–1980)
Early Modern era
Roshan Ara Begum
September 3, 1617 – September 11, 1671
Mughal princess
Early Modern era
Lalon Shah
1772 – October 17, 1890
Bengali poet, composer and Baul saint
Modern era
Hason Raja
December 21, 1854 – December 6, 1922
Bengali poet (1854–1922)
Modern era
Bhanubhakta Acharya
July 13, 1814 – April 23, 1868
The First-ever poet of Nepali Language
Early Modern era
Ahmad Shah Durrani
1722 – 1772
Founder of the Afghan Durrani Empire (r. 1747–1772)
Medieval era
Rabia Balkhi
b. c. 1000
Persian poet, first woman poet of Islamic period
Medieval era
Yue Fei
March 24, 1103 – January 27, 1142
Song dynasty general, killed by royal decree from the Emperor Gaozong of Song (1103–1142)
Medieval era
Wen Tianxiang
June 6, 1236 – January 9, 1283
Chinese politician of the Song Dynasty
Medieval era
Zhu Xi
October 18, 1130 – April 23, 1200
Chinese historian, neo-Confucian philosopher, poet, and politician during the Song dynasty (1130–1200)
Medieval era
Su Shi
January 8, 1037 – August 24, 1101
Chinese writer and politician (1037–1101)
Medieval era
Li Qingzhao
March 19, 1084 – May 19, 1155
Chinese Song Dynasty poet, known as "the most talented woman in all ages"
Early Modern era
Matsuo Basho
1644 – November 28, 1694
Japanese poet (1644–1694)
Early Modern era
Shin Saimdang
October 29, 1504 – May 17, 1551
Calligraphist and noted poet (1504-1551)
Early Modern era
Yi I
December 26, 1536 – 1584
Joseon civil servant & Neo-Confucianist (1536 – 1584)
Early Modern era
Jeong Yak-yong
1762 – 1836
Korean scholar and philosopher (1762 - 1836)
Medieval era
Nguyen Trai
1380 – September 28, 1442
Vietnamese scholar and poet (1380–1442)
Early Modern era
Ho Xuan Huong
1772 – 1822
Vietnamese poet (1772–1822)
Modern era
Phan Boi Chau
December 26, 1867 – October 29, 1940
19/20th-century Vietnamese nationalist and revolutionary
Early Modern era
Taksin
April 17, 1734 – April 7, 1782
King of Siam
Modern era
Abai Qunanbaiuly
July 29, 1845 – June 23, 1904
Kazakh poet, philosopher and composer (1845-1904)