‘The reading of all good books is like a conversation with the finest minds of past centuries’- Rene Descartes. Books are mountains of knowledge and they are very important for the progress of our civilization. Not just that, books are our best friends as well.
Humans don’t stay by each other forever, but the knowledge one gains from books stays till the last breath. Reading is like meditating, where one needs to focus, and that helps us to escape reality for a while.
The daily hustle and bustle of life can be sidetracked for a short moment by reading books. Marathi literature is a genre every book lover should try once in their lifetime. Marathi literature is rich in culture and history that will make you stay still in your place, and you will constantly find yourself shuffling the pages and reading it.
This makes the Marathi books worth reading and giving it a try once in a lifetime. In this blog, you will know about some of the Best books to read in Marathi. So, scroll down the blog without wasting any more time.
Best Marathi Books to Read: 20 Ideal Options
Here are some of the books that you should read once in your lifetime:
1. Mrityunjaya
If you love Mahabharata, then you should indulge yourself in this amazing book. This book is about Karna of Mahabharata, and this book is his autobiography. This book indulges the readers to know about Karna, from his life to death.
This book has been written by Shivaji Sawant. He is an Indian writer and novelist who writes in the Marathi language.
For this work on Mrityanjaya, he is also known as Mrutyujaykaar. One of the famous key quotes of Mrityunjaya is ‘I eat; in fear, to live long enough. to eat until again’.
- Author: Shivaji Sawant
- Published by: Bhartiya Gyanpith
- Key Quote: ‘I eat; in fear, to live long enough. to eat until again’.
- Purchase the book at: Amazon
- Pages: 700
- Price: Rs.578
2. Chavva
The book Chavva is about the eldest son of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Sambhaji Maharaj. This book reveals the story of his life and shows the readers how the rulers used to be. It further informs the readers about the various kinds of hardships the protagonist faced during his lifetime.
- Author: Shivaji Sawant
- Published by: Mehta Publishing Home
- Key Quote: ‘No need to learn from your own fault. We can learn a lot from others’ mistakes ’
- Purchase the book at: Amazon
- Pages: 936
- Price: Rs.644
3. Shyamchi Aai
This is a book that can depict a mother’s love, which is the greatest love in the universe. More than anything, this book is the autobiography of Pandurang Sadashiv Sane. This means this is a real story.
- Author: Pandurang Sadashiv Sane
- Published by: Saket Prakashan Ltd
- Key Quote: ‘Master of three worlds, is pauper without a mother’
- Purchase the book at: Amazon
- Pages: 232
- Price Rs: 131
4. Shriman Yogi
This novel is based on the life of Shivaji Maharaj, who is one of the major fighters of Maharashtra. Every other household in Maharashtra knows Shivaji Maharaj. This book has been written by Rajneet Desai, who is a well-known Marathi novelist and is known for writing various historical novels. He also won the famous Padma Shri award.
- Author: Rajneed Desai
- Published by: Mehta Publishing Home
- Purchase the book at: Amazon
- Pages: 1152
- Price: Rs. 598
5. Panipat
Panipat tells the story of the war that happened between the Marathas and the Afghan emperor Abdali. Panipat is a well-known battle, and if you are someone who wants to indulge yourself in knowing it, this book is perfect for you.
- Author: Vishwas Patil
- Published by: Rajhans Prakashan
- Purchase the book at: Amazon
- Pages: 275
- Price: Rs.439
6. Swami
This book is one of the period romantic novels which indulges the readers in the amazing love story between Madhav Rao and his wife Rama Bai. It also tells the readers how Madhav Rao resurrected the empire and got back his pride. Ranjit Desai is a very acclaimed writer who is known for writing many iconic novels.
- Author: Ranjit Desai
- Published by: Mehta Publishing House
- Purchase the book at: Amazon
- Pages: 418
- Price: Rs.350
Yugandhar
Krishna, ultimate god of Hindus, is whom the novel is based upon. This book tells the readers about the life of Krishna, who is a Hindu god in Mahabharata. Shivaji Sawant is a very acclaimed Marathi writer and has written many famous novels.
- Author: Shivaji Sawant
- Published by: Eka Publishers
- Purchase the book at: Amazon
- Key Quote: ‘If one offers me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, a fruit, or water, I will accept it’
- Pages: 584
- Price: Rs.699
8. Yayati
A classic tale of lust- This story revolves around the king of Hastinapur, Yayati. This novel also questions the grounds of morality. This is also accepted as one of the most acclaimed as a classic of Marathi literature. This fantastic novel has been written by Vishnu Sakharam Khandekar, who is a very famous Marathi writer. He also won the Jnapith Award.
- Author Vishnu Sakharam Khandekar
- Published by Rajpal Publishers
- Purchase the book at Amazon
- Key Quote: ‘Gods are addicted to the pleasures and the demons are blindly worshiping power’
- Pages 338
- Price Rs. 289
Kosala
This is a very famous Marathi novel and the novel is in autobiographical form. It narrates the journey and the story of a young man and his friends. This is also considered one of the modern classic Marathi literature.
This novel has been written by Bhalchandra Vanaji Nemade who is a very famous writer and critic in the Indian language. He won the famous Sahitya Akademi Award as well.
- Author Bhalchandra Vanaji Nemade
- Published by Sahitya Akademi Award
- Purchase the book at Popular Prakashan
- Pages 265
- Price Rs. 332
10. Batatyachi Chaal
This novel revolves around the inhabitants of a tenement called Batatyachi Chal in Girgaon. This book has been written by Purushottam Laxman Deshpande who is a very famous author in the Marathi language. The publisher of this book is Mouj Prakashan and one can avail of this at Amazon.
- Author Purshottam Laxmi Deshpande
- Published by Mouj Prakashan
- Purchase the book at Amazon
- Pages 334
- Price Rs. 245
11. Natsamrat
This is play which is based on the story of Ganpatrao Velvalkar who is a veteran actor. This story depicts the story of a stage actor and depicts his life. This play has been written by Vishnu Vaman Shirwadhkar who is also popularly known as Kusumagraj.
He is a Marathi poet, writer, and novelist. Later the book was turned into a play and the cast was Nana Patekar. The play gained recognition as the story felt real and true to many people.
- Author Vishnu Vaman Shirwadhkar
- Published by Popular Prakashan Pvt. ltd
- Purchase the book at Amazon
- Pages 124
- Price Rs.147
12. Shala
This a very famous book and it has been even made into a film that won many awards for its plot and cast. This book revolves around Mukund Joshi, who is only fourteen years old, and his love. Shala depicts how the adolescent faces trouble in their life. Vikrant Pande is the one who has written this book and he has also been translating many Marathi works to English. He has been a speaker at many literature festivals.
- Author Vikrant Pande
- Published by Harper Perennial
- Purchase the book at Amazon
- Pages 388
- Price Rs.380
13. Ek hota Karvhar
This book has been written by a Marathi author and a writer but is a biography of George W Carver. He was an American agricultural scientist and inventor and was black. The author who wrote Ek hota Karvhar is Veena Gavankar who was a former librarian and used to be an avid reader. This was her debut novel and she gained recognition later as well for this novel of hers.
- Author Veena Gavankar
- Published by Rajhans Prakashan
- Purchase the book at Amazon
- Pages 185
- Price Rs. 225
14. Baluta
If you like reading autobiographies, then you should go with this Marathi autobiography. It is of the Indian writer Daya Pawar and this story revolves around the problems the writers face in their daily lives. Daya Pawar was an Indian writer who has contributed to Dalit literature.
- Author Daya Pawar
- Published by Speaking Tiger
- Purchase the book at Amazon
- Pages 336
- Price: Rs. 276
15. Duniyadari
This book tells the readers about everything students face in their lifetime. The story deals with love, hate, betrayal, etc. This book has been written by Suhas Shirvalkar who was a Marathi writer and is known for his great literary works.
- Author Suhas Shirvalkar
- Published by Shashideep Prakashan
- Purchase the book at Amazon
- Pages 273
- Price Rs. 150
16. Maandeshi Manse
This story deals with the poverty-stricken lives of the people in Mandeesh and their sorrows. It tells the readers that not every person born is destined for happiness. This novel has been written by Venkatesh Digambar Madgulkar who is one of the most famous writers of that time.
- Author Venkatesh Digambar Madgulkar
- Published by Mehta Publishing House Pune
- Purchase the book at Amazon
- Pages 128
- Price Rs.125
17. Partner
If you are someone who is interested to know and dive deeper into the various philosophies of life, then this book should be in your tbr. This book is extremely heart-touching and the way it has been written is too good to miss. The book has been written by Vasant Purushottam Kale who was also known by his pen Va Pu. He is an amazing Marathi writer and he has written more than 60 works. He is also known for writing many short stories as well.
- Author Vasant Purushottam Kale
- Published by Mehta Publishing Home
- Purchased the book at Amazon
- Pages 160
- Price Rs 144
18. Bangarwadi
This book got very famous and touched many hearts. The characters in this book feels extremely real and the book falls under classic literature as well. This book has been written by Vyankatesh Digambar Madgulkar, who was one of the very famous Marathi writers of his time.
- Author Vyankatesh Digambar Madgulkar
- Published by Mauj production
- Purchase the book at Amazon
- Pages 130
- Price Rs. 130
19. Rao
This novel is a romantic story that dives into the lives of the Maratha General Peshwa Baji Rao and his second wife Mastani. There is nobody who doesn’t know their story. The story is fictionalized but it has really touched the heart of many. The movie later has been made into a Bollywood film, which further gained recognition.
- Author N S Inamdar
- Published by Generic publishers
- Purchase the book at Amazon
- Pages 418
- Price Rs.360
20. Musafir
Once you start reading this book, you will never be able to keep the book down. This is an autobiography and this book will inspire one to many lengths. His own life experiences have been described and told through in this book. The book has been written by Godbole Achyut, who apart from being a great writer, is a businessman as well.
- Author Godbole Achyut
- Published by Manovikas Prakashan
- Purchase the book at Amazon
- Pages 484
- Price Rs. 294
Conclusive Insights
If you are someone who feels refreshed after reading books, then you should definitely dive deeper into Marathi books. Marathi books are rich in culture and heritage. The best thing about Marathi books is that they are very versatile.
You will get every book for every emotion that you are feeling and that makes it better overall. Books are very important for intellectual development, and it gets better when one reads through a variety of books.
Reading is a habit everyone should have, starting from children to old people. Books help one to gain active imagination which is very important for everyone. Furthermore, if you are someone who is bad at concentrating, then you should definitely start reading more.
Marathi novels are classic in nature and they provide readers with a lot of choices and options to choose from. The top 20 best Marathi books to read of all time are given here falls under every type of book one wishes to read.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Who is the best Marathi author?
Ranjit Desai is known to be the best Marathi author.
2. Who is the father of Marathi novels?
Dnyaneshwar is known to be the father of Marathi novels.
3. Which is the first Marathi book?
Yamuna Paryatan is the first Marathi book.
4. What are the 5 top most-read best Marathi books in the world?
Shyamchi Aai, Batatyachi Chal, Swami, Mrityunjay, and Natsamrat are the 5 top most-read Marathi books in the world.
