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A Town Called Malgudi
In a writing career spanning seven decades, R.K. Narayan enthralled and entertained generations of readers with his deftly etched characters, his uniquely stylized language and his wry sense of humour. A storyteller par excellence, Narayan's greatest achievement perhaps lies in creating and peopling the imagined landscapes of a town called Malgudi, located somewhere in South India, which has come alive in story after story in such a way that it has now become a part of modern Indian folklore. This collection brings between two covers some of the most memorable fiction that has emerged from R.K. Narayan's pen. It contains The Man-eater of Malgudi, which tells the story of Nataraj, owner of a small printing press, and his houseguest Vasu, a taxidermist, who moves into Nataraj's attic with a menagerie of dead animals. There is also Talkative Man, a novella that starts off with the arrival on the Delhi train of a stranger in a blue suit who takes up residence in the station waiting room and refuses to budge. Also included here are some of the most popular and striking short stories Narayan has from the celebrated -A Horse and Two Goats' and -Salt and Sawdust' to gems like -An Astrologer's Day', -The Shelter' and -Under the Banyan Tree'. Encapsulating the very best of R.K. Narayan's remarkable output, this is a fitting tribute to one of the greatest modern writers in the English language.
- GenresFictionShort Stories
642 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1999
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227 people want to read
About the author
R.K. Narayan
143 books1,934 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 - 8 of 8 reviews
August 6, 2019
This is a collection of his two novels- The Maneater of Malgudi and the Talkative Man. Also included are sixteen stories of which four- A night of cyclone, The edge, Mute Companions and Seventh house have been published for the first time. Good read
July 5, 2023
Exceptionally well written with remarkable lucidity. Graham Greene is right so when he says RKN is an author worth admiring.
The short stories do remind me of mistrys "the find balance" particularly the story- "the edge" and "the mute companions". But RKN always manages to put that little spark of humor which propels you to read more.
The short stories do remind me of mistrys "the find balance" particularly the story- "the edge" and "the mute companions". But RKN always manages to put that little spark of humor which propels you to read more.
February 4, 2012
A wonderful collection of short stories ,novellas and novels. R.K Narayan's rich use of the English language paints a beautiful picture of the surroundings and people of Malgudi. I always enjoy his works and can always re-read them.
June 27, 2017
R. K. Narayan the man famous for Swami & Friends and his fictional world of Malgudi, is a master storyteller. I have read so many short stories by him that it makes it really difficult to pick one or two as favorites. In this book, there are two novellas and a collection of his really well put on short stories.
To tell you the truth, Narayan is adept at both brief and longer versions of fiction. And strangely, His themes for both is same. He picks up incidents from general life, usually his own and creates a tremendously readable fictional tale out of it.
Today, I would like to introduce you to his short story Seventh House.. an unusual satire, exploring the extent to which a lover can go to protect his beloved.
While many profess to have enduring affection, an inseparable bond, an eternal union that only death can break, the realistic Narayan surpasses them all by making the protagonist cheat on his wife, in a genuine attempt to save her from the cruel death!
Intrigued ? Read more on http://scribblesofsoul.com/seventh-ho...
To tell you the truth, Narayan is adept at both brief and longer versions of fiction. And strangely, His themes for both is same. He picks up incidents from general life, usually his own and creates a tremendously readable fictional tale out of it.
Today, I would like to introduce you to his short story Seventh House.. an unusual satire, exploring the extent to which a lover can go to protect his beloved.
While many profess to have enduring affection, an inseparable bond, an eternal union that only death can break, the realistic Narayan surpasses them all by making the protagonist cheat on his wife, in a genuine attempt to save her from the cruel death!
Intrigued ? Read more on http://scribblesofsoul.com/seventh-ho...
March 6, 2020
A very different book from my usual reads. The story has a narrative which is rambling and not really going anywhere. But that is kind of the point and the joy of the book. It is more about the journey and the colorful characters and the places (all of them described so vividly that you can see them if you shut your eyes) rather than the story which is usually an afterthought. My only reservation about the book is that the place it describes is more "Indian" than India, more the stereotype than the reality. But then again maybe it is on account of the difference in time and location. After all India has such diversity that it is difficult to claim that something does not exist...
February 24, 2016
Book starts with 2 big stories which are not so interesting. Short stories that start after half of the book are good. R.K.Narayan is too good and has rare talent to turn possible real life event into short stories. Characters appear in the story are simple, daily events of life turned in to 5-10 pages of short stories.
May 21, 2012
R.K. Narayan is a legend. His work inspired me to break all boundaries while letting the story flow
September 3, 2013
RK Narayan is amazing as always
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews