Jaishankar Prasad (1889 - 1937) was one of the most famous figures in modern Hindi literature. He was a dramatist, novelist, poet and story-writer. His most famous work is Kamayani, which is considered the best of the Hindi poetry, next only to Tulsidas' Ramacharitamanas . Prasad belonged to the Chhayavaadi school of Hindi poetry.

Prasad was born in Varanasi. His father Devi Prasad was a tobacco dealer. His initial poetry (Chitraadhar collection) was done in the Braj dialect of Hindi, but later he switched to the Khadi dialect or Sanskritized Hindi.

Prasad's most famous dramas include Skandagupta, Chandragupta and Dhruvaswamini. In his earlier days, he was influenced by Sanskrit dramas, but later the influence of Bengali and Persian dramas is evident on his works.

Major Works

• Poetry: Kaanan Kusum, Maharana ka Mahattva, Karunalaya, Prem Pathik, Jharna, Aansoo, Lahar, Kamayani .
• Drama: Sajjan, Parinaya, Ek Ghoont, Karunalaya, Praayashchit, Rajyashri, Vishakh, Ajaatshatru, Kamana, Janamejaye ka Naagyagya, Skandagupta, Chandragupta, Dhruvaswamini
• Novels: Titali, Kankaal
• Story collections: Chhaya, Pratidhvani, Akashdeep, Aandhi, Indrajaal