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 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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