R K NARAYANAN

One of the most famous Indian writers in English Language, R K Narayan, was born in 1906 in Madras. He was educated in Mysore and settled there for over half a century. Born as Rasipuram Krishnaswamyi Aiyar Naranayanaswamy, R K Narayan shortened his name at the time of the publication of 'Swami and His Friends' on Graham Greene's suggestion. The creator of 'Malgudi', enchanted numerous readers and Television viewers through his simple style and situations that seemed to be so 'real' and similar to that in every Indian household. Characters in his stories and novels were real flesh and blood beings with all the weaknesses and frailities of humans, brought to life by his simple, elegant and straightforward style.

With the fictional creation of a whole town and characters, who seemed to fit in so well in R K Narayan's scheme of things, 'Malgudi Days' and 'Swami and His Friends' became the most popular of his works, which were later adapted for Television. Malgudi which became the backdrop for most of his later works, was immortalised when it found mention in the fifth anniversary issue of 'The Outlook' as one of the places to visit in India. For many it was a journey back to the time, when they first read the novel and searched for Malgudi in the Indian map.

R K Narayan's, 'The Guide' was made into a Hindi movie by Dev Anand, the never-say-die thespian of the Indian Movie Industy, and was a huge success. It was also made in English, by Ted Danielwsky, but was not as successful, as its Hindi version. Though there was a controversy about R K Narayan not liking the changed 'ending', it is said that later on he agreed and accepted the ending of the movie.

He won many awards including the Sahitya Akademi Award, for 'The Guide', in 1958. The Padma Bhushan for distinguished service to literature. In 1980, The Royal Society of Literature, awarded him with the A C Benson award. He was conferred with an honorary doctorate by the Mysore University for his contribution to Indian English Literature, also he was named the member of Rajya Sabha in 1989.

R K Narayan passed away in May 2001. He is survived by his brother R K Lakshman, the famous cartoonist.

R. K. Narayan's Published Works:
1935: Swami and His Friends
1937: Bachelor of Arts
1938: The Dark Room
1939: Mysore
1945: The English Teacher
1947: An Astrologer's Day, and other stories
1949: Mr. Sampath - The Printer of Malgudi
1952: The Financial Expert
1953: Grateful to Life and Death
1955: Waiting for the Mahatma
1956: Lawley Road, and other stories
1958: The Guide
1960: Next Sunday : sketches and essays
1961: The Man-Eater of Malgudi
1964: My Dateless Diary: An American Journey
1965: Gods, Demons, and others
1967: The Vendor of Sweets
1970: A Horse and two Goats, stories
1972: The Ramayana; a shortened modern prose version
1974: My Days
1974: Reluctant Guru
1976: The Painter of Signs
1978: The Mahabharata: a shortened modern prose version
1980: The Emerald Route
1982: Malgudi Days
1983: A Tiger for Malgudi
1985: Under the Banyan Tree and other stories
1986: Talkative Man
1988: A Writer's Nightmare : selected essays
1989: A Story-Teller's World: Stories, Essays, Sketches
1990: The World of Nagaraj
1992: Malgudi Landscapes: the best of R.K. Narayan
1993: The Grandmother's Tale: three novels
1993: Salt & Sawdust : stories and table talk

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