Urdu Literature for Tests: Famous Poets, Writers and Their Books
A revision guide to the Urdu poets and writers most asked about in PPSC tests: classical poets, Iqbal, Faiz, novelists, humorists and their famous works and titles.
By the World MCQ Forum Editorial Team · 27 October 2026 · 2 min read
Urdu literature questions usually ask which writer wrote a particular book, or which poet holds a famous title. Grouping writers by period and genre turns a long, confusing list into a short story of Urdu literature that is much easier to remember.
Classical poets and their titles
| Poet | Remember |
|---|---|
| Mir Taqi Mir | Called Khuda-e-Sukhan (God of Poetry); master of the ghazal |
| Mirza Ghalib | Real name Asadullah Khan; famous for his ghazals and letters |
The age of reform (late 19th century)
| Writer | Famous work | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Altaf Hussain Hali | Musaddas-e-Hali (Madd-o-Jazr-e-Islam) | Long poem on the rise and decline of Muslims |
| Altaf Hussain Hali | Muqaddama-e-Sher-o-Shairi | Pioneering work of Urdu literary criticism |
| Muhammad Husain Azad | Aab-e-Hayat | History of Urdu poetry |
| Deputy Nazir Ahmad | Mirat-ul-Uroos | Often called the first Urdu novel |
| Mirza Hadi Ruswa | Umrao Jaan Ada | Classic novel set in Lucknow |
| Mir Amman | Bagh-o-Bahar | Classic of simple Urdu prose (Fort William College) |
Allama Iqbal
Iqbal’s Urdu poetry collections are among the most asked-about items:
- Bang-e-Dra: his first Urdu collection
- Bal-e-Jibril: often regarded as his finest Urdu work
- Zarb-e-Kalim
He is known as Shair-e-Mashriq (Poet of the East) and is Pakistan’s national poet.
Poets of the 20th century
| Poet | Remember |
|---|---|
| Faiz Ahmed Faiz | First collection: Naqsh-e-Faryadi |
| Josh Malihabadi | Title: Shair-e-Inqilab (Poet of Revolution) |
| Hafeez Jalandhari | Shahnama-e-Islam; wrote the national anthem |
| Parveen Shakir | First collection: Khushbu |
Novelists and short-story writers
| Writer | Famous work |
|---|---|
| Qurratulain Hyder | Aag ka Darya |
| Bano Qudsia | Raja Gidh |
| Abdullah Hussain | Udas Naslain |
| Shaukat Siddiqui | Khuda ki Basti |
| Intizar Hussain | Basti |
| Saadat Hasan Manto | Toba Tek Singh (short story) |
| Premchand | Kafan (short story) |
Humour, prose and autobiography
| Writer | Famous work |
|---|---|
| Mushtaq Ahmad Yousufi | Aab-e-Gum (also Chiragh Talay, Khakam Badahan, Zarguzasht) |
| Ibn-e-Insha | Urdu ki Aakhri Kitab |
| Qudratullah Shahab | Shahab Nama (autobiography) |
| Ashfaq Ahmed | Zavia (TV talks, later books) |
And the champion of Urdu itself
Maulvi Abdul Haq is honoured as Baba-e-Urdu for his lifelong work promoting the language through the Anjuman Taraqqi-e-Urdu.
Avoid the classic mix-ups
- Aab-e-Hayat (Muhammad Husain Azad) vs Aab-e-Gum (Mushtaq Ahmad Yousufi): similar names, very different books.
- Basti (Intizar Hussain) vs Khuda ki Basti (Shaukat Siddiqui).
- Intizar Hussain vs Abdullah Hussain: different novelists with similar surnames.
Revise and test
Cover the right-hand column of each table and recall each work. Then test yourself with our Urdu Literature MCQs. For the grammar and idiom side of the Urdu paper, see our Urdu section preparation guide.