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Malgudi landscapes: The best of R.K. Narayan
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298 pages, Paperback
First published September 15, 2003
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About the author
R.K. Narayan
143 books1,930 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 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 5, 2019
This is a brief summary of the key works by R.K.Narayan. It is a good introduction to the art and craft of R K Narayan. However for a seasoned reader there are only two pieces in this collection which have not been published elsewhere- a short story titled Uncle and author's acceptance speech at US Embassy where he dwelt upon the subject-Where is Magudi?
May 6, 2021
R. K. Narayan's Malgudi Landscapes is a collection of his works— autobiography, short stories, essays, travel writings, stories about legends and myths, one of his speeches and excerpts of his most popular novels.
If you want to pick up this book to read his novels, you'll be greatly disappointed for it contains only a glimpse of those novels and often ends at places that'll leave you thirsty for more. But these excerpts surely piqued my interest to read more of his books. Of them, I definitely want to read "Waiting for Mahatma", which is set in the background of Gandhiji's movements and struggles for the independence of India. Gandhiji takes an interest in a youth couple, the girl his follower and the young man a pleasant but aimless individual. The story is really about how the young man is transformed into a person with ideals, both because of his love for the girl and because of Mahatma's influence. It is one of the most hilarious stories I read in a while and I was in constant fits of laughter!
The other novel is "A Tiger for Malgudi". It is the story of Raja, a circus tiger, cruelly trained and treated by his owner, who escapes one day and terrorizes the people of Malgudi, and is befriended by a holy man, who rescrues him from the blood thirsty and terrified townsfolk. It is very interesting because the narrator is the tiger himself and the holy man, a very mysterious fellow who could somehow get inside the tiger's mind and talk to him.
And of course, I'd love to re-read "Swami and friends" for it is with this book that I started my real reading journey 10 years ago!
His short stories are brilliant too and my favourite were Selvi, A Horse and Two Goats (it's damn hilarious! ) and Uncle, which made me wish it was a novel instead of a short story.
His essay "When India was a Colony" must be read by every person. It talked about colonial India, in which Narayan grew up in. He talked about the injustices of the British upon the common Indian and utterly pathetic 'Brown Sahebs' who were just brown in skin but white and white throughout, who were infact more cruel upon their own people than their 'masters' ! He also talked about religious hegemony and how the missionaries were given free rein to proselytize and convert people to Christianity. How the missionaries often portrayed Hindu gods and goddesses as incarnations of evil and Satan. They didn't even let the children alone, for the proselytizing began in convents where elite Indians send their children for 'better education'. (I'm saddened to say that proselytizing hasn't stopped still in 2021, it's happening much more rapidly now but coercion or deception or both)
"Misguided Guide" took us on the journey of filmmaking based on Narayan's novel "The Guide". He showed us how films completely destroy the essence of a book, together with the heart of the author.
His travel writings and legends and myths have their own flavour and I loved them equally.
Actually there's nothing that I hated about any of the stories from this book. They ranged from good to absolutely amazing.
But if you've already read most of his works, you needn't buy this book for it's just a collection of all of them.
If you want to pick up this book to read his novels, you'll be greatly disappointed for it contains only a glimpse of those novels and often ends at places that'll leave you thirsty for more. But these excerpts surely piqued my interest to read more of his books. Of them, I definitely want to read "Waiting for Mahatma", which is set in the background of Gandhiji's movements and struggles for the independence of India. Gandhiji takes an interest in a youth couple, the girl his follower and the young man a pleasant but aimless individual. The story is really about how the young man is transformed into a person with ideals, both because of his love for the girl and because of Mahatma's influence. It is one of the most hilarious stories I read in a while and I was in constant fits of laughter!
The other novel is "A Tiger for Malgudi". It is the story of Raja, a circus tiger, cruelly trained and treated by his owner, who escapes one day and terrorizes the people of Malgudi, and is befriended by a holy man, who rescrues him from the blood thirsty and terrified townsfolk. It is very interesting because the narrator is the tiger himself and the holy man, a very mysterious fellow who could somehow get inside the tiger's mind and talk to him.
And of course, I'd love to re-read "Swami and friends" for it is with this book that I started my real reading journey 10 years ago!
His short stories are brilliant too and my favourite were Selvi, A Horse and Two Goats (it's damn hilarious! ) and Uncle, which made me wish it was a novel instead of a short story.
His essay "When India was a Colony" must be read by every person. It talked about colonial India, in which Narayan grew up in. He talked about the injustices of the British upon the common Indian and utterly pathetic 'Brown Sahebs' who were just brown in skin but white and white throughout, who were infact more cruel upon their own people than their 'masters' ! He also talked about religious hegemony and how the missionaries were given free rein to proselytize and convert people to Christianity. How the missionaries often portrayed Hindu gods and goddesses as incarnations of evil and Satan. They didn't even let the children alone, for the proselytizing began in convents where elite Indians send their children for 'better education'. (I'm saddened to say that proselytizing hasn't stopped still in 2021, it's happening much more rapidly now but coercion or deception or both)
"Misguided Guide" took us on the journey of filmmaking based on Narayan's novel "The Guide". He showed us how films completely destroy the essence of a book, together with the heart of the author.
His travel writings and legends and myths have their own flavour and I loved them equally.
Actually there's nothing that I hated about any of the stories from this book. They ranged from good to absolutely amazing.
But if you've already read most of his works, you needn't buy this book for it's just a collection of all of them.
April 16, 2008
A good sampler appetiser of the works of one of the best authors that I have read
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews