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Malgudi Omnibus: "Swami and Friends", "Bachelor of Arts", "English Teacher" by R K Narayan (30-Aug-1994) Paperback
R. K. Narayan (1906—2001) witnessed nearly a century of change in his native India and captured it in fiction of uncommon warmth and vibrancy. The four novels collected here, all written during British rule, bring colonial India into intimate focus through the narrative gifts of this master of literary realism. Swami and Friends introduces us to Narayan’s beloved fictional town of Malgudi, where ten-year-old Swaminathan’s excitement about his country’s initial stirrings for independence competes with his ardor for cricket and all other things British. The Bachelor of Arts is a poignant coming-of-age novel about a young man flush with first love, but whose freedom to pursue it is hindered by the fixed ideas of his traditional Hindu family. In The Dark Room , Narayan’s portrait of aggrieved domesticity, the docile and obedient Savitri, like many Malgudi women, is torn between submitting to her husband’s humiliations and trying to escape them. The title character in The English Teacher , Narayan’s most autobiographical novel, searches for meaning when the death of his young wife deprives him of his greatest source of happiness. These pioneering novels, luminous in their detail and refreshingly free of artifice, are a gift to twentieth-century literature.
Paperback
First published January 1, 1994
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About the author
R.K. Narayan
143 books1,931 followersR. K. Narayan is among the best known and most widely read Indian novelists who wrote in English.
R.K. Narayan was born in Madras, South India, in 1906, and educated there and at Maharaja's College in Mysore. His first novel, Swami and Friends and its successor, The Bachelor of Arts, are both set in the enchanting fictional territory of Malgudi and are only two out of the twelve novels he based there. In 1958 Narayan's work The Guide won him the National Prize of the Indian Literary Academy, his country's highest literary honor.
In addition to his novels, Narayan has authored five collections of short stories, including A Horse and Two Goats, Malguidi Days, and Under the Banyan Tree, two travel books, two volumes of essays, a volume of memoirs, and the re-told legends Gods, Demons and Others, The Ramayana, and the Mahabharata. In 1980 he was awarded the A.C. Benson Medal by the Royal Society of Literature and in 1982 he was made an Honorary Member of the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters.
Most of Narayan's work, starting with his first novel Swami and Friends (1935), captures many Indian traits while retaining a unique identity of its own. He was sometimes compared to the American writer William Faulkner, whose novels were also grounded in a compassionate humanism and celebrated the humour and energy of ordinary life.
Narayan who lived till age of ninety-four, died in 2001. He wrote for more than fifty years, and published until he was eighty seven. He wrote fourteen novels, five volumes of short stories, a number of travelogues and collections of non-fiction, condensed versions of Indian epics in English, and the memoir My Days.
-Wikipedia & Amazon.co.uk
R.K. Narayan was born in Madras, South India, in 1906, and educated there and at Maharaja's College in Mysore. His first novel, Swami and Friends and its successor, The Bachelor of Arts, are both set in the enchanting fictional territory of Malgudi and are only two out of the twelve novels he based there. In 1958 Narayan's work The Guide won him the National Prize of the Indian Literary Academy, his country's highest literary honor.
In addition to his novels, Narayan has authored five collections of short stories, including A Horse and Two Goats, Malguidi Days, and Under the Banyan Tree, two travel books, two volumes of essays, a volume of memoirs, and the re-told legends Gods, Demons and Others, The Ramayana, and the Mahabharata. In 1980 he was awarded the A.C. Benson Medal by the Royal Society of Literature and in 1982 he was made an Honorary Member of the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters.
Most of Narayan's work, starting with his first novel Swami and Friends (1935), captures many Indian traits while retaining a unique identity of its own. He was sometimes compared to the American writer William Faulkner, whose novels were also grounded in a compassionate humanism and celebrated the humour and energy of ordinary life.
Narayan who lived till age of ninety-four, died in 2001. He wrote for more than fifty years, and published until he was eighty seven. He wrote fourteen novels, five volumes of short stories, a number of travelogues and collections of non-fiction, condensed versions of Indian epics in English, and the memoir My Days.
-Wikipedia & Amazon.co.uk
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
December 8, 2021
Swami and Friends (Rank No. 1.1)
I'm not sure what I expected when I decided to read Narayan, but what I got was not it. What I got was a masterfully rendered little story of a boy and his friends in rural southern India in the 1920s. It possesses the kind of narrative pleasure that one comes across only rarely. The storyline is modulated beautifully. It is a traditional linear narrative, chronological. The boy, Swami, wanders here and there and we follow him. The story deals with his travails at school, at home, and when he is with friends: particularly two colorful fellows called Mani and Rajam. Swami's thoughts are very much a child's thoughts but this isn't a book for children. The emotional range is too rich, too complex. The ending is abrupt and powerful.
The Dark Room (Rank No. 2)
This novel in part is about the subjection of women in India in the 1930s, and how that subjection is taught to the young and thus perpetuated down the generations. It’s one articulate cry in the global fight, which in many ways is just starting in the East. It is relentless in the pursuit of its themes and comes across as didactic. Though highly readable, meaning I want to go on, it’s my least favorite of the three novels I’ve read so far.
The English Teacher (Rank No. 1.0)
I am reminded of how John Gardner differentiated between sentiment and the sentimentality. This book is high in genuine sentiment. It is based on Narayan's life when, after a period of prolonged bachelorhood after marriage, his wife came to live with him in the provincial town where he was a teacher of English. What fascinated me, among other things, was all the detail about how Indians lived in the mid 1940s. The writing is straightforward, linear. There’s no plot to speak of. The teacher's wife and child arrive at the large house the husband has selected for them. The layout is rudimentary though spacious. I was astonished at how little they lived on, compared to the gluttonous West. Narayan captures the smell of the place exquisitely, it dirtiness, its roads beaten down to ruts by multitudes over millennia. Like Narayan's own wife, the professor here watches his die. It is a drawn out death though anything but predictable. It’s shattering! The wife's parents show up to share the nursing duties. Later the professor meets a soothsayer who channels his wife from "the other side."
I'm not sure what I expected when I decided to read Narayan, but what I got was not it. What I got was a masterfully rendered little story of a boy and his friends in rural southern India in the 1920s. It possesses the kind of narrative pleasure that one comes across only rarely. The storyline is modulated beautifully. It is a traditional linear narrative, chronological. The boy, Swami, wanders here and there and we follow him. The story deals with his travails at school, at home, and when he is with friends: particularly two colorful fellows called Mani and Rajam. Swami's thoughts are very much a child's thoughts but this isn't a book for children. The emotional range is too rich, too complex. The ending is abrupt and powerful.
The Dark Room (Rank No. 2)
This novel in part is about the subjection of women in India in the 1930s, and how that subjection is taught to the young and thus perpetuated down the generations. It’s one articulate cry in the global fight, which in many ways is just starting in the East. It is relentless in the pursuit of its themes and comes across as didactic. Though highly readable, meaning I want to go on, it’s my least favorite of the three novels I’ve read so far.
The English Teacher (Rank No. 1.0)
I am reminded of how John Gardner differentiated between sentiment and the sentimentality. This book is high in genuine sentiment. It is based on Narayan's life when, after a period of prolonged bachelorhood after marriage, his wife came to live with him in the provincial town where he was a teacher of English. What fascinated me, among other things, was all the detail about how Indians lived in the mid 1940s. The writing is straightforward, linear. There’s no plot to speak of. The teacher's wife and child arrive at the large house the husband has selected for them. The layout is rudimentary though spacious. I was astonished at how little they lived on, compared to the gluttonous West. Narayan captures the smell of the place exquisitely, it dirtiness, its roads beaten down to ruts by multitudes over millennia. Like Narayan's own wife, the professor here watches his die. It is a drawn out death though anything but predictable. It’s shattering! The wife's parents show up to share the nursing duties. Later the professor meets a soothsayer who channels his wife from "the other side."
August 5, 2019
The collection includes the first three novels penned by R.K.Narayan. Autobiographical in nature they deal with themes of early childhood, college and bachelorhood and settling down into married life. Set in fictional town of Malgudi each novel paints a rich tapestry of small south Indian town and its citizens. Must read for all enthusiasts of his works
July 3, 2019
Narayan is a quiet writer. Nothing magical about the realism except page after page of exquisite prose about quiet people going about lives made extraordinary by Narayan’s having noticed them, or himself in them or the other way round. Malgudi isn’t far from anywhere on a local flight if you’re not requiring the latest technology when you get there.
July 10, 2016
Brilliant book. Well written. Simple stories which touch your heart.
February 12, 2021
Swami and Friends: 5
Bachelor of the Arts: 4.5
The English teacher: 4.5
Bachelor of the Arts: 4.5
The English teacher: 4.5
September 16, 2012
Four short stories of colonial India written by a master storyteller. I especially enjoyed the first two stories, one about childhood and the next about a young adult. They were poignant without being melancholy and deep without being maudlin. R.K. Narayan was a gifted writer and his passing is a loss to literature.
April 1, 2017
"We come together only to go apart. The law of life can't be avoided. The law comes into operation the moment we detach ourselves from our mother's womb. All struggle and misery in life is due to our attempt to arrest this law. The fact must be recognized. A profound unmitigated loneliness is the only truth of life. All else is false." - Finished the final part of book (The English Teacher). I read it somewhere that we never choose a book..the book chooses us. It comes to us when we need it the most. A wonderful read.
June 17, 2011
Four well-written and entertaining short stories. As other reviewers have commented, the first, "Swami and Friends", is the most enjoyable. I actually laughed aloud at some of the dated wording, which only added charm to the book.
August 14, 2021
Gentle and charming semi-autobiographical stories from 1930s India. This omnibus contains 3 short novels:
1. Swami and Friends
The story of young Swami’s schooldays and family life, playing and fighting with his friends, struggling with homework and his Granny who is partly deaf and doesn’t listen to him anyway. This charming and funny slice of domestic life takes place against a backdrop of rising Indian nationalism. Through a child’s eyes, the reader notes the political upheaval and Narayan’s views of a school system where corporal punishment is widespread and accepted. Loved this book.
2. The Bachelor of Arts
Young Chandran completes his college course with a few hiccups along the way, then has to face growing up and earning a living. A failed love affair leads him to flee his family and set out on a journey to adulthood. Another delightful story full of humour and compassion, which presents us with details of the Indian job market and marriage conventions of the 1930s.
3. The English Teacher
This story is strongly based on Narayan’s own tragic loss of his young wife to typhoid. The English Teacher is an examination of a marriage, the early days of bickering and learning to compromise and the joy of a young child, and then the grief of losing his wife and finding consolation in an unexpected direction. This was my least favourite of the three - although I enjoyed the early part and found Krishnan’s account of his wife’s illness very moving, I found the second part quite rambling and the ending rather unsatisfactory.
I am delighted to have discovered RK Narayan’s writing. Apparently he was a favourite of Graham Greene who championed his novels. I like his elegant style and his gentle humour, and the way he weaves themes of Indian life and society into his stories. I am looking forward to reading more of his work.
1. Swami and Friends
The story of young Swami’s schooldays and family life, playing and fighting with his friends, struggling with homework and his Granny who is partly deaf and doesn’t listen to him anyway. This charming and funny slice of domestic life takes place against a backdrop of rising Indian nationalism. Through a child’s eyes, the reader notes the political upheaval and Narayan’s views of a school system where corporal punishment is widespread and accepted. Loved this book.
2. The Bachelor of Arts
Young Chandran completes his college course with a few hiccups along the way, then has to face growing up and earning a living. A failed love affair leads him to flee his family and set out on a journey to adulthood. Another delightful story full of humour and compassion, which presents us with details of the Indian job market and marriage conventions of the 1930s.
3. The English Teacher
This story is strongly based on Narayan’s own tragic loss of his young wife to typhoid. The English Teacher is an examination of a marriage, the early days of bickering and learning to compromise and the joy of a young child, and then the grief of losing his wife and finding consolation in an unexpected direction. This was my least favourite of the three - although I enjoyed the early part and found Krishnan’s account of his wife’s illness very moving, I found the second part quite rambling and the ending rather unsatisfactory.
I am delighted to have discovered RK Narayan’s writing. Apparently he was a favourite of Graham Greene who championed his novels. I like his elegant style and his gentle humour, and the way he weaves themes of Indian life and society into his stories. I am looking forward to reading more of his work.
March 13, 2025
Rating: 𝟰.𝟱/𝟱
Date: 𝟭𝟰-𝟬𝟮-𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱 – 𝟭𝟯-𝟬𝟯-𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱
𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐚 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐰? 𝐓𝐨𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐰 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬.
𝔹𝕣𝕚𝕖𝕗:
I love RK Narayana sir books, more than certain level. Maybe it was because he was one of those authors that gave me the taste of literature (Indian!) and has the simplest writing style. Or, I just love his fictional world 𝘔𝘢𝘭𝘨𝘶𝘥𝘪 where everything gives me nostalgia.
He doesn't even make the big prblems like poverty and freedom as his subjects. His themes are simple yet so deep, that you wonder how he can make a jesty line while the mc was going through critical times of their lives.
This was actually my love note for his books, rather than review 😁😄
𝔽𝕒𝕧 𝔹𝕠𝕠𝕜:
1) The English Teacher
2) The Dark Room
3) Swami and his friends
𝔽𝕒𝕧 ℚ𝕦𝕠𝕥𝕖𝕤:
- He would have done infinitely worse by keeping quiet.
- The only important thing now was home, and all the rest seemed trivial beside it.
- 𝘚𝘸𝘢𝘮𝘪 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴
- Ugliness and beauty is all as it strikes one's eye. Everyone has his own vision.
- 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘴
- Things? I don’t possess anything in this world. What possession can a woman call her own except her body? Everything else that she has is her father’s, her husband’s, or her son’s.
- 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘬 𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘮
- That was the stuff to give humanity, nurtured in illusions from beginning to end! The twists and turns of fate would cease to shock if we knew, and expected nothing more than, the barest truths and facts of life.
- A profound unmitigated loneliness is the only truth of life. All else is false.
- 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘌𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘛𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘳
𝔽𝕒𝕧 ℂ𝕙𝕒𝕣𝕒𝕔𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕤:
1) Krishna - 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘌𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘛𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘳
2) Ponni - 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘬 𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘮
3) School Master - 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘌𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘛𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘳
4) Susila - 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘌𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘛𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘳
5) Mohan/Rajam/ Mani
𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐮𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐞𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐞𝐟𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭.
Date: 𝟭𝟰-𝟬𝟮-𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱 – 𝟭𝟯-𝟬𝟯-𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱
𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐚 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐰? 𝐓𝐨𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐰 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬.
𝔹𝕣𝕚𝕖𝕗:
I love RK Narayana sir books, more than certain level. Maybe it was because he was one of those authors that gave me the taste of literature (Indian!) and has the simplest writing style. Or, I just love his fictional world 𝘔𝘢𝘭𝘨𝘶𝘥𝘪 where everything gives me nostalgia.
He doesn't even make the big prblems like poverty and freedom as his subjects. His themes are simple yet so deep, that you wonder how he can make a jesty line while the mc was going through critical times of their lives.
This was actually my love note for his books, rather than review 😁😄
𝔽𝕒𝕧 𝔹𝕠𝕠𝕜:
1) The English Teacher
2) The Dark Room
3) Swami and his friends
𝔽𝕒𝕧 ℚ𝕦𝕠𝕥𝕖𝕤:
- He would have done infinitely worse by keeping quiet.
- The only important thing now was home, and all the rest seemed trivial beside it.
- 𝘚𝘸𝘢𝘮𝘪 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴
- Ugliness and beauty is all as it strikes one's eye. Everyone has his own vision.
- 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘴
- Things? I don’t possess anything in this world. What possession can a woman call her own except her body? Everything else that she has is her father’s, her husband’s, or her son’s.
- 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘬 𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘮
- That was the stuff to give humanity, nurtured in illusions from beginning to end! The twists and turns of fate would cease to shock if we knew, and expected nothing more than, the barest truths and facts of life.
- A profound unmitigated loneliness is the only truth of life. All else is false.
- 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘌𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘛𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘳
𝔽𝕒𝕧 ℂ𝕙𝕒𝕣𝕒𝕔𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕤:
1) Krishna - 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘌𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘛𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘳
2) Ponni - 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘬 𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘮
3) School Master - 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘌𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘛𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘳
4) Susila - 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘌𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘛𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘳
5) Mohan/Rajam/ Mani
𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐮𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐞𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐞𝐟𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭.
April 17, 2021
Three novels covering three superficially ordinary lives at different stages: boyhood, early manhood and finally a married teacher in the fictional Indian town of Malgudi.
The ordinariness of some of the events described belies hidden depths and complexities. reminding the reader of remarkable happenings that are to be found in many 'ordinary' lives.
The third novel- the English teacher- was for me, the richest, the darkest and the most tragic tale as the protagonist seeks inner peace after suffering life changing experiences.
The author has a rare gift in convincingly conveying the extraordinary that can be found in the ordinary and in capturing the human condition in a way that is charming, sympathetic but true.
The ordinariness of some of the events described belies hidden depths and complexities. reminding the reader of remarkable happenings that are to be found in many 'ordinary' lives.
The third novel- the English teacher- was for me, the richest, the darkest and the most tragic tale as the protagonist seeks inner peace after suffering life changing experiences.
The author has a rare gift in convincingly conveying the extraordinary that can be found in the ordinary and in capturing the human condition in a way that is charming, sympathetic but true.
May 22, 2021
I go back to Swami and his shenanigans for comfort, every couple years. Having loved the series as a child, I am astounded that rereading the book initiates the same childlike amusement and chuckles as an adult.
The language is simple, the characters are relatable and friendly and overall, the book is wonderful fictional memorabilia.
The language is simple, the characters are relatable and friendly and overall, the book is wonderful fictional memorabilia.
August 30, 2020
“But then, it is a poet’s business only to ask questions; he cannot always expect an answer.”
Maybe readers are poets too. Maybe we’ve come to recognise that not everything yields answers.
For my full review, go to my blog:-
www.thesecondsightreviews.home.blog
Maybe readers are poets too. Maybe we’ve come to recognise that not everything yields answers.
For my full review, go to my blog:-
www.thesecondsightreviews.home.blog
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 29, 2022
Swami and Friends
This book was a very refreshing and a pleasant read .
The story follows a young boy Swami and his friends in a fictional village “Malgudi “ in southern India during the British rule in 1920’s.
It brought back nostalgic memories of my childhood and schooldays .
The scripture class, drill class , monitors ,endless tales with grandmom just brought back a flood of memories .
What amazed me was , this book induced my mind to give birth to a flood of recollection of moments from my childhood , for the first time since it’s actual occurrence .
The wonder of it was I was completely unaware that my brain had in its archive so much of memories of my childhood .
This is the power of a good book
This is the power of a good writer
They can bring back to life something within you .
R.K Narayanan is brilliant ,his narrative style is exceptional looking forward to reading his other works .
July 10, 2023
Narayan's Malgudi trio becomes increasingly captivating as the trilogy progresses. The English teacher benefits greatly from a depth to Narayan's world which 'Swami' and 'The Bachelor' as proceeding stories provide.
August 16, 2017
Wat een fantastische auteur. Een aanrader voor iedereen.
March 24, 2017
Had never read R.K Narayan before but have the theme tune of Malgudi days, the show in my head as any other kid who grew up in those years. That said, wow, how simply and beautifully he writes.
July 30, 2021
Picked up this book thinking I would be transported to idyllic villages and simple folk living in harmony. I could not have been less prepared. I had to take a long break after finishing The Dark Room to collect my thoughts and think about behavioral patterns. I saw that all the four stories focus on life and how it keeps going ahead whether you are ready to face it or not. Meaningful relationships end and perhaps the only way forward is to evaluate your values and actions.
April 6, 2017
4* - Swami and Friends - This was a very charming tale of boyhood and an easy, pleasurable read. Narayan does a great job in transforming the reader back to childhood, where such importance is given to the simple things in life.
4* - The Bachelor of Arts - This is a story about a young man, who having just graduated, tries to find his way in the world. Another brilliantly told story, and one I found very easy to relate to. The reader follows the protagonist as he transitions from the college environment he feels comfortable in, to the big bad outside world, and struggles to figure out what he wants to do with his life.
4* - The Dark Room - A story focussed on marriage and the gender roles in traditional Indian culture. This book is more dark than Narayan's earlier work.
4* - The English Teacher - This time the focus is on love and lost. Apparently his most autobiographical piece, Narayan conveys his experience of the loss of his wife.
Overall a great collection of novels. Narayan's fairly simple narrative style really creates a sense of the everyday life and culture of India. His characters are entirely believable and hence relatable - leaving the reader very attached to them. I very much look forward to reading more of Narayan's works.
4* - The Bachelor of Arts - This is a story about a young man, who having just graduated, tries to find his way in the world. Another brilliantly told story, and one I found very easy to relate to. The reader follows the protagonist as he transitions from the college environment he feels comfortable in, to the big bad outside world, and struggles to figure out what he wants to do with his life.
4* - The Dark Room - A story focussed on marriage and the gender roles in traditional Indian culture. This book is more dark than Narayan's earlier work.
4* - The English Teacher - This time the focus is on love and lost. Apparently his most autobiographical piece, Narayan conveys his experience of the loss of his wife.
Overall a great collection of novels. Narayan's fairly simple narrative style really creates a sense of the everyday life and culture of India. His characters are entirely believable and hence relatable - leaving the reader very attached to them. I very much look forward to reading more of Narayan's works.
November 23, 2018
Other than Gods, Demons, and Others, these are my favourite R.K. Narayan novels that I've read.
It's quite a neat collection as the three tales are thematically linked and could be about the growth of the same person. Compared to Nagaraj and Margayya, the characters in these three novels are warm-hearted, engaging personalities.
As it is there are three different perspectives: the school boy pranks and adventures of Swami (a bit like an Indian version of Kipling's Stalky & Co), Chandran's college introspection and the struggles of a young teacher coming to the terms with the death of his wife.
Despite the daunting size of the omnibus, it fairly whizzes by in a strange compelling pleasure to wallow in their funny, small, occasionally tragic lives.
It's quite a neat collection as the three tales are thematically linked and could be about the growth of the same person. Compared to Nagaraj and Margayya, the characters in these three novels are warm-hearted, engaging personalities.
As it is there are three different perspectives: the school boy pranks and adventures of Swami (a bit like an Indian version of Kipling's Stalky & Co), Chandran's college introspection and the struggles of a young teacher coming to the terms with the death of his wife.
Despite the daunting size of the omnibus, it fairly whizzes by in a strange compelling pleasure to wallow in their funny, small, occasionally tragic lives.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 4, 2014
Swami and Friends
I'm not sure what I expected when I decided to read Narayan, but what I got was not it. What I got was a masterfully rendered little story of a boy and his friends in rural southern India in the 1920s. It possesses the kind of narrative pleasure that one comes across only rarely. The storyline is modulated beautifully. It is a traditional linear narrative; it doesn't jump around. The sequence is chronological. The boy, Swami, wanders here and there and we follow him. The story d...more
I'm not sure what I expected when I decided to read Narayan, but what I got was not it. What I got was a masterfully rendered little story of a boy and his friends in rural southern India in the 1920s. It possesses the kind of narrative pleasure that one comes across only rarely. The storyline is modulated beautifully. It is a traditional linear narrative; it doesn't jump around. The sequence is chronological. The boy, Swami, wanders here and there and we follow him. The story d...more
October 19, 2008
Actually, the first Narayan I read was _Waiting for the Mahatma_, which is still my favorite. Nevertheless, these simple, yet moving novellas all brought me right in to pre-independence India... leaving me longing for my "tiffin" and trying to catch the scent of jasmine in my own neighborhood. Best author I've read in quite some time.
July 2, 2014
Interesting books from the perspective of a native living under benign occupation. The reader comes to be immersed in the Indian culture, is acquainted with snakes, and foods, and music, and color, and ethics, and beliefs, and humidity... I could go on and on. I came aware with an appreciation of a different way of life.
November 21, 2012
One of the best collections out there and a must have book. Combines three books into one thick book!!! Whenever I am nostalgic about India, or whenever I feel like reading something light and feel-goody, then I pick this one up and get lost in the wonderful world of Malgudi. No story-teller ever weaves his/her stories as perfectly as the master story-teller, R.K.Narayan does.
July 21, 2015
This book contains 3 of the Narayan's earliest books. All 3 books are largely based on the life of the author. Although it is said to be a trilogy there isn't much connection between the 3 books. But none the less each book is as beautiful as the other and am sure this Omnibus book will be a treasure for the fans of Narayan.
Want to read
May 19, 2008I want to read!
April 30, 2011
Amazing novels about Indian life in the 1930s; my personal favorite was Swami and Friends.
Read
June 9, 2011It waas truly fun to read a writer who has made the genre of novel utterly Indanised
November 28, 2009
The novel I like best is "Swami and Friends".
July 10, 2016
Nice book
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