Ashapurna Devi (8 January 1909 – 12 July 1995), also Ashapoorna Devi or Ashapurna Debi, was a prominent Indian novelist and poet in Bengali. In 1976, she was awarded the Jnanpith Award and Padma Shri by the Government of India, D.Litt. by the Universities of Jabalpur, Rabindra Bharati, Burdwan and Jadavpur. Vishwa Bharati University honoured her with Deshikottama in 1989. For her contribution as a novelist and short story writer, the Sahitya Akademi conferred its highest honour, the Sahitya Akademi Fellowship, in 1994.

Kazi Nazrul Islam (24 May 1899 – 29 August 1976) was an Indian poet, writer and musician. In his final years he was also awarded Bangladeshi citizenship and was conferred with the title of national poet of the country. Nazrul is regarded as one of the greatest poet in bengali literature. He played a big part in bringing forth the Kallol movement in bengali literature. Popularly known as Nazrul, he produced a large body of poetry and music with themes that included religious devotion and rebellion against oppression. Nazrul's activism for political and social justice earned him the title of "Bidrohi Kobi" (Rebel Poet). His compositions form the avant-garde music genre of Nazrul Geeti (Music of Nazrul).

Joy Goswami (Bengali: জয় গোস্বামী; born 1954) is an Indian poet. Goswami writes in Bengali and is widely considered one of the most important Bengali poets of his generation.

Sunil Gangopadhyay or Sunil Ganguly (7 September 1934 – 23 October 2012) was an Indian poet, historian and novelist in the Bengali language based in the city of Kolkata. He is a former Sheriff of Calcutta. Gangopadhyay obtained his master's degree in Bengali from the University of Calcutta. In 1953 he and a few of his friends started a Bengali poetry magazine, Krittibas. Later he wrote for many different publications.

Ganguly created the Bengali fictional character Kakababu whose real name is Raja Roy Chowdhury and his passion is to solve mysteries. He wrote 36 novels in Kakababu series which became significant in Indian children's literature. He received Sahitya Akademi award in 1985 for his novel Those Days (Sei Samay). Gangopadhyay used the nom de plume Nil Lohit, Sanatan Pathak, and Nil Upadhyay. He was one of the most popular, creative and celebrated Bengali Writers of the present era.

Sukumar Ray (30 October 1887 – 10 September 1923) was a Bengali writer and poet from the Indian subcontinent. He is remembered mainly for his writings for children. He was the son of children's story writer Upendrakishore Ray Chowdhury and the father of Indian filmmaker Satyajit Ray.

Jibanananda Das (17 February 1899 – 22 October 1954)^] was a Bengali poet, writer, novelist and essayist in the Bengali language. Popularly called "Rupashi Banglar Kabi'' (Poet of Beautiful Bengal), Das is the most read poet after Rabindranath Tagore and Kazi Nazrul Islam in Bangladesh and West Bengal. While not particularly well recognised during his lifetime, today Das is acknowledged as one of the greatest poets in the Bengali language.