What do you think?
Rate this book
Salt and Sawdust
This Book is Brand new international softcover edition delivered within 7-12 working days via UPS/USPS/DHL and FEDEX.(FOR SALE ONLY U.S. & U.K.)
221 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1993
About the author
R.K. Narayan
147 books1,980 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
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
February 16, 2017
I started off 2016 with RK Narayan (Guide), and am glad to see it off with another one by my favorite author!
This one is more special indeed, because it was a gift by my Secret Santa :)
The genre in itself called 'Table Talk' with a mix of fiction, non-fiction, and a biography.
Was surprised to see Magsaysay biography and couldn't believe it was done by Narayan himself, until why he did it came up as a table talk a few pages later.
This is the kind of collection you'd want to catch up over a cup of tea. No continuity needed. Has all the trademark RKN signatures.
What really makes this unique is the table talks... with some sensitive topics poked and joked at (like force feeding Hindi in South India, travelogues of a corrupt minister..)
Recommended for RK Narayan fans.
This one is more special indeed, because it was a gift by my Secret Santa :)
The genre in itself called 'Table Talk' with a mix of fiction, non-fiction, and a biography.
Was surprised to see Magsaysay biography and couldn't believe it was done by Narayan himself, until why he did it came up as a table talk a few pages later.
This is the kind of collection you'd want to catch up over a cup of tea. No continuity needed. Has all the trademark RKN signatures.
What really makes this unique is the table talks... with some sensitive topics poked and joked at (like force feeding Hindi in South India, travelogues of a corrupt minister..)
Recommended for RK Narayan fans.
August 5, 2019
It is a delightful collection of some of his unpublished stories and various short articles he wrote for the newspaper Hindu. R.K. Narayan labelled these articles Table Talk. Also included in the collection is a short biography of seventh Philippines president Ramon Magsaysay. The stories are not set in Malgudi and reflect a completely different writing style of the author. The articles present an indepth analysis of the author's views and ideas.
November 1, 2017
There is a certain amount of Indianness in RK Narayan's humour, you can get completely soaked in it in these stories. I liked the collection mainly for two reasons, firstly his unique style reflects in every anecdote here and secondly he does not stop himself from being the victim of amusement. I had a quality laugh reading this one.
July 22, 2025
RK Narayan’s Salt & Sawdust. Stories and Table-talk is exactly that, two new stories, always welcome of course, and a selection of his Table-talk columns from the magazine Frontline.
Salt and Sawdust is a story about housewife Veena who can’t cook, not being able to tell the difference between salt and sawdust, who wants to write a novel. Hubby Swami helps with the project and does the cooking, but literary success eludes Veena until the publishers decide they really want a cook book. Narayan in farcical mood, or perhaps not all that farcical.
Guru suggests that miserly preoccupation with accumulating coin and working on ways of avoiding spending, while neglecting wife and children is a recipe ultimately for unhappiness.
The Table-talk section consists of short essays on whatever took Narayan’s fancy, from doubts about the wisdom of purchasing a television set, censorship, adventures abroad in Frankfurt, Texas, the Philippines, the misguidedness of ministers of state and a proper airport for Mysore. This is the metier where Narayan is at this funniest. All his pieces are delivered in his customary gentle mocking style.
In Korean Grass, a minister without portfolio is struck by the greenness of the flourishing lawn of a friend and learns it is Korean grass. Immediately he proposes visiting Korea to find the facts. A subordinate then says:
‘There are two Koreas, sir, North and South.’
I will have to visit both- I have long wanted to visit North Korea- I hear that Hanoi is charming.’
‘Hanoi is in Vietnam, sir…’
‘That makes no difference. I will visit both Koreas- and then Vietnam.’ (P164)
The idea grows and grows:
‘First draw up a tour program for me, and book a round-the –world ticket, first class.’
‘Which airline sir?
‘I will prefer any foreign airline though according to the rules it must be Air-India. Remember my daughter and son-in–law will have to come with me…’(p165)
And on it goes.
Salt and Sawdust is a story about housewife Veena who can’t cook, not being able to tell the difference between salt and sawdust, who wants to write a novel. Hubby Swami helps with the project and does the cooking, but literary success eludes Veena until the publishers decide they really want a cook book. Narayan in farcical mood, or perhaps not all that farcical.
Guru suggests that miserly preoccupation with accumulating coin and working on ways of avoiding spending, while neglecting wife and children is a recipe ultimately for unhappiness.
The Table-talk section consists of short essays on whatever took Narayan’s fancy, from doubts about the wisdom of purchasing a television set, censorship, adventures abroad in Frankfurt, Texas, the Philippines, the misguidedness of ministers of state and a proper airport for Mysore. This is the metier where Narayan is at this funniest. All his pieces are delivered in his customary gentle mocking style.
In Korean Grass, a minister without portfolio is struck by the greenness of the flourishing lawn of a friend and learns it is Korean grass. Immediately he proposes visiting Korea to find the facts. A subordinate then says:
‘There are two Koreas, sir, North and South.’
I will have to visit both- I have long wanted to visit North Korea- I hear that Hanoi is charming.’
‘Hanoi is in Vietnam, sir…’
‘That makes no difference. I will visit both Koreas- and then Vietnam.’ (P164)
The idea grows and grows:
‘First draw up a tour program for me, and book a round-the –world ticket, first class.’
‘Which airline sir?
‘I will prefer any foreign airline though according to the rules it must be Air-India. Remember my daughter and son-in–law will have to come with me…’(p165)
And on it goes.
January 11, 2016
The two short stories - "Salt and Sawdust" & "Guru" - are alright & readable like most of Narayan's works but it is the essays which make this collection stand out.
For that & only that, 4 stars & a strong recommendation.
For that & only that, 4 stars & a strong recommendation.
June 5, 2017
R.K.Narayan's stories are so fascinating. they never fail to entertain you.He can write anything out of nothing. and this is indeed special to me as it is gifted to me by my English teacher in X standard.
February 27, 2019
An anthology of random things including some travel writing, nothing except the title story was impressive.The piece about Massasay was so utterly boring that I actually skipped the whole thing.
April 20, 2021
A very light read, the short stories in this book have the warmth and wit that are quintessential to R K Narayan. This book also features a collection called table talk, which is free form writing not always leading to a conclusion. This book is very easy to consume, and I read most stories over a coffee or a meal, chuckling over various lines and feeling nostalgic at the descriptions of Mysore.
May 2, 2015
“Salt and Sawdust” is a compilation of short stories and essays by R. K. Narayan. The problem with reviewing compilations is that there is never any consistency between different parts of the book. You read a splendid story or great insight and then a few pages later, you get something boring or irritating. A remarkable example of this occurs in reverse between two stories in this book. One is about an Indian minister planning an overseas trip ostensibly to study grass, but actually meant to be a foreign vacation for his relatives and him. The second (which follows immediately, but apparently was written by Narayan the next year) happens to be a sequel where the Prime Minister shoots down the idea. The first story is remarkable for its utter triteness, but the second is very funny.
There is one difference that this book has with typical compilations. The first two short stories are rather long and then followed by “Table Talk”, supposed to be a compilation in itself, but which starts out with a 30-page biography of Ramón Magsaysay. There are both essays and short stories. The essays are mostly various experiences of the author, such as getting trapped in a slippery bath tub or taking the inaugural flight of a plane or the memory of a friend.
The first short story, “Salt and Sawdust” (which gives the title to the book) is about a housewife who tries to write a novel. It has a rushed, but hilarious end to it. What struck me about it was the common thread running through most of R. K. Narayan’s stories, which is about gullible fools and the unscrupulous cheats who take advantage of them. The gullible fools themselves seem to be cheats or ethics-free when things turn out to their advantage. This is accentuated in the next story “Guru” which is about a miserly and corrupt government official, and in “Parrots Ltd”, where a conman gets cheated himself.
While Narayan’s books seem funny on the surface, they convey a deep sense of failure in Indian society. Almost everyone seems to be both a victim as well as the perpetrator of evils in society. Corruption is endemic. Everyone’s only loyalty is towards themselves. Even relatives seem to be nuisances. My take on this is that this is the destruction wrought by the rigid Indian caste system. When different castes are forbidden to intermarry or mingle with each other, people only have relationships (outside of trade and financial transactions) with their immediate and extended family members. To an extent, you are stuck with their failings because it is impossible to cut off a relative from your circle without severe social consequences. This social stratification prevents the overall community from having high levels of trust or co-operation.
So, Narayan’s writings do a good job of portraying the stagnant India of the first few decades of Independence. Unfortunately, Narayan, at times, seems to write as a neutral observer. An example is in “Teaching in Texas” where Narayan wonders what “untouchability” is, since there is no such term as “touchability”. This is, to be very kind, being linguistically cute and if we are not very kind, facetious in the service of evil. We don’t get much idea about Narayan’s thoughts on the caste system, as he seems more interested in its origins than its eradication. He is also devoted to a vegetarian diet, despite the fact that the only reason he would do so is his caste which also forbids drinking, which he doesn’t seem to have a problem with. I don’t have a problem with vegetarianism, just that Narayan writes a lot about it without any self-analysis.
Narayan seems obsessed with name and place dropping, a habit that sounds boastful and out of place in today’s world of the cosmopolitan Indian upper middle class. His write-up of Magsaysay is a puff piece that provides no contrary viewpoint of the Philippine leader, except to say that he sometimes acted in haste out of good intentions. In sum, superficially good, but deep down, something wrong.
There is one difference that this book has with typical compilations. The first two short stories are rather long and then followed by “Table Talk”, supposed to be a compilation in itself, but which starts out with a 30-page biography of Ramón Magsaysay. There are both essays and short stories. The essays are mostly various experiences of the author, such as getting trapped in a slippery bath tub or taking the inaugural flight of a plane or the memory of a friend.
The first short story, “Salt and Sawdust” (which gives the title to the book) is about a housewife who tries to write a novel. It has a rushed, but hilarious end to it. What struck me about it was the common thread running through most of R. K. Narayan’s stories, which is about gullible fools and the unscrupulous cheats who take advantage of them. The gullible fools themselves seem to be cheats or ethics-free when things turn out to their advantage. This is accentuated in the next story “Guru” which is about a miserly and corrupt government official, and in “Parrots Ltd”, where a conman gets cheated himself.
While Narayan’s books seem funny on the surface, they convey a deep sense of failure in Indian society. Almost everyone seems to be both a victim as well as the perpetrator of evils in society. Corruption is endemic. Everyone’s only loyalty is towards themselves. Even relatives seem to be nuisances. My take on this is that this is the destruction wrought by the rigid Indian caste system. When different castes are forbidden to intermarry or mingle with each other, people only have relationships (outside of trade and financial transactions) with their immediate and extended family members. To an extent, you are stuck with their failings because it is impossible to cut off a relative from your circle without severe social consequences. This social stratification prevents the overall community from having high levels of trust or co-operation.
So, Narayan’s writings do a good job of portraying the stagnant India of the first few decades of Independence. Unfortunately, Narayan, at times, seems to write as a neutral observer. An example is in “Teaching in Texas” where Narayan wonders what “untouchability” is, since there is no such term as “touchability”. This is, to be very kind, being linguistically cute and if we are not very kind, facetious in the service of evil. We don’t get much idea about Narayan’s thoughts on the caste system, as he seems more interested in its origins than its eradication. He is also devoted to a vegetarian diet, despite the fact that the only reason he would do so is his caste which also forbids drinking, which he doesn’t seem to have a problem with. I don’t have a problem with vegetarianism, just that Narayan writes a lot about it without any self-analysis.
Narayan seems obsessed with name and place dropping, a habit that sounds boastful and out of place in today’s world of the cosmopolitan Indian upper middle class. His write-up of Magsaysay is a puff piece that provides no contrary viewpoint of the Philippine leader, except to say that he sometimes acted in haste out of good intentions. In sum, superficially good, but deep down, something wrong.
December 16, 2013
Narayan's humor is obvious even in the title of this book and the story is full of it. This is a collection of many stories and "Salt and Sawdust" is a story about the young couple, Veena and Swami. Swami likes cooking, Veena on the other hand cannot differentiate Salt from sawdust when it comes to seasoning the food. The story is about Veena desire to become a novelist and how Swami helps.
One serious story hidden in this collection is "Looking for Magsaysay". It is a well written, short and impressive biography of the late Filipino president Mr. Ramon Magsaysay. I had known Ramon Magsaysay only in the context of the award that is given to prominent people, but reading his life history helped me understand the prestige bestowed in that award. Magsaysay was one of the great leaders that this world has seen and was responsible for resurrecting Philippines in the same way Lee Kuan Yew did for Singapore.
One serious story hidden in this collection is "Looking for Magsaysay". It is a well written, short and impressive biography of the late Filipino president Mr. Ramon Magsaysay. I had known Ramon Magsaysay only in the context of the award that is given to prominent people, but reading his life history helped me understand the prestige bestowed in that award. Magsaysay was one of the great leaders that this world has seen and was responsible for resurrecting Philippines in the same way Lee Kuan Yew did for Singapore.
August 26, 2016
I could not resist but read another book by R.K. Narayan and yet again I loved it! This book is a collection of few short stories which also includes his various personal experiences which he calls it as ‘Table Talk’. Of course the short stories were witty, realistic and enjoyable! But I was surprised by the way he wrote his personal experiences in the same ‘witty’ way. I also felt that his writing is very open and upright and he is not hesitant in expressing his real feelings related to any (social or personal) issue, that made me like his writing even more. If you really want to know what I am talking about then you’ve got to read the book and find it out yourself!
my book journal
my book journal
May 16, 2019
I have had the pleasure of reading and re reading this collection of gems multiple times. When I was younger I read in it absurd comedy, now that I'm older I see the cutting undertones of sarcasm and brilliant wit. He portrays and annotates Indian life like no other author can. Sadly a lot of his essays are more apt in the present political climate than he would have preferred. This set of stories never fails to make me smile though, and inspite of R. K. Narayans death so many years ago, at any given date he is still amongst Indias brightest literary stars.
August 12, 2017
I could not resist but read another book by R.K. Narayan and yet again I liked it!
I read somewhere that this is the Last Short Story collection of R K Narayan.
This book is a collection of few short stories which also includes his various personal experiences which he calls it as ‘Table Talk’. Even in these stories Narayan's basic quality of Irony and his humour not yet leave by him.
3 Star but than it's R.K. Narayan who give us "Malgudi Days" so 4 Star
I read somewhere that this is the Last Short Story collection of R K Narayan.
This book is a collection of few short stories which also includes his various personal experiences which he calls it as ‘Table Talk’. Even in these stories Narayan's basic quality of Irony and his humour not yet leave by him.
3 Star but than it's R.K. Narayan who give us "Malgudi Days" so 4 Star
July 13, 2014
Has simple stories. Worth a one time read
June 2, 2022
A very light hearted book. Most of the short stories don't have any conclusion.
I can see why people might like it as it is quite easy to consume, however, not my type.
I can see why people might like it as it is quite easy to consume, however, not my type.
April 11, 2024
RK Narayan was seasoned in characterisation methinks. If you pick his book, most probably you will not close it without flipping through quite a few pages. But as I read his Malgudi Schooldays and this one, his works as a whole appear not to be timeless.
The titular story 'Salt & Sawdust' reads boring halfway through. A writer wants to pen down a novel that eventually will end in a cookery book. Quite mundane.
In the essay 'On Language' and the story 'Salt & Sawdust', the South Indian author takes offence about Hindi imposition. It seems among his fiction and nonfiction works, only nonfictions are truly 'stranger than fiction'.
His biographical essay 'Looking for Magsaysay' reads like a hagiography targeted towards teenagers. Rather than being critical of Magsaysay and presenting both sides, Narayan attempted to give grounds for Magsaysay's stance against Habeus Corpus Act or manoeuvring judiciary. Narayan puts a statistics that 9000 submitted before the Filipino government and 13,000 were killed with US intervention as Magsaysay kept only two options to choose from. So, a total of at least 21 thousand people—who had fought against Japanese occupation—are now accused of sedition because they want to throw the system apparently in an aggressive manner. There could be question about their approach, 21 thousand people (among whatever the population is) is not a number to brush aside at all! The ones who had fought against the Japanese, had to fight against the Americans too!
The titular story 'Salt & Sawdust' reads boring halfway through. A writer wants to pen down a novel that eventually will end in a cookery book. Quite mundane.
In the essay 'On Language' and the story 'Salt & Sawdust', the South Indian author takes offence about Hindi imposition. It seems among his fiction and nonfiction works, only nonfictions are truly 'stranger than fiction'.
His biographical essay 'Looking for Magsaysay' reads like a hagiography targeted towards teenagers. Rather than being critical of Magsaysay and presenting both sides, Narayan attempted to give grounds for Magsaysay's stance against Habeus Corpus Act or manoeuvring judiciary. Narayan puts a statistics that 9000 submitted before the Filipino government and 13,000 were killed with US intervention as Magsaysay kept only two options to choose from. So, a total of at least 21 thousand people—who had fought against Japanese occupation—are now accused of sedition because they want to throw the system apparently in an aggressive manner. There could be question about their approach, 21 thousand people (among whatever the population is) is not a number to brush aside at all! The ones who had fought against the Japanese, had to fight against the Americans too!
July 8, 2023
RK Narayan has been one of my favourite authors in English.
The beauty of RK Narayan is, that, most of the time it comes "complimentary" with RK Laxman!!😍🥰😇 ....so it's like Buy 1 Get 1 free😁
The beauty about this particular book is, he talks about something called "Table talk". Table talk, he himself describes ....is that, unlike an essay , it could come to life without too definite of form.... a few lines without the compulsion of an argument or a conclusion; something like in Idea floating down from somewhere ....and vanishing the same way!
This aspect appealed to me very much. Most of the time, we do look at giving a proper conclusion to a write up or a story, which, as he says....may not be there!
The beauty of RK Narayan is, that, most of the time it comes "complimentary" with RK Laxman!!😍🥰😇 ....so it's like Buy 1 Get 1 free😁
The beauty about this particular book is, he talks about something called "Table talk". Table talk, he himself describes ....is that, unlike an essay , it could come to life without too definite of form.... a few lines without the compulsion of an argument or a conclusion; something like in Idea floating down from somewhere ....and vanishing the same way!
This aspect appealed to me very much. Most of the time, we do look at giving a proper conclusion to a write up or a story, which, as he says....may not be there!
November 2, 2024
After years of searching, I finally found this out-of-print copy at Bookworm on Church Street. However, it turned out to be a forgettable read. Apart from the title story and one other, the rest fell flat. Although I know it’s a different genre, it didn’t leave much of an impression.
April 8, 2019
The story on Magsaysay is remarkable for the fact that RKN moves away from his confines of Malgudi to write an excellent essay on the late Philippine President.
October 13, 2019
This one is a perfect combination of literature and humour.
October 27, 2022
The perfect afternoon read
June 13, 2014
What a beautiful writer. Satire and humour go hand in hand in his books. I absolutely loved it.
The best story was the Frankfurt one where he was about to be given literary award. Axiomatically brilliant!
The best story was the Frankfurt one where he was about to be given literary award. Axiomatically brilliant!
September 9, 2009
If you have read R.K. Narayan before, you can appreciate his dry humor and beautiful descriptions.
April 19, 2013
gud one..
nice read
nice read
July 16, 2014
A very average collection.
These Penguin marketing fellows know how to package a book.
These Penguin marketing fellows know how to package a book.
May 21, 2012
R.K. Narayan is a legend. His work inspired me to break all boundaries while letting the story flow
February 24, 2013
Reading R.K Narayan is always a delight :)
September 5, 2015
A delightful read!
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews