R. K. Narayan, short note for PGT English

 

1. R. K. Narayan was born on 10 October 1906 in Madras (now Chennai), India.
2. His full name was Rasipuram Krishnaswami Iyer Narayanaswami.
3. He is one of the pioneers of Indian English fiction.
4. Narayan is famous for creating the fictional town of Malgudi.
5. Most of his novels and stories are set in Malgudi.
6. His writing style is simple, realistic, and humorous.
7. Narayan portrays middle-class Indian life with gentle irony.
8. He avoided political themes and focused on ordinary people.
9. His first novel is Swami and Friends.
10. This novel introduces the boy Swami and his childhood world.
11. The novel presents school life and innocence of childhood.
12. His second novel is The Bachelor of Arts.
13. It deals with youth, education, and love.
14. His famous novel is The Guide.
15. The Guide presents the transformation of Raju from tourist guide to spiritual guru.
16. The Guide won the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1960.
17. The novel was adapted into a film starring Dev Anand.
18. Another important novel is The English Teacher.
19. This novel reflects Narayan’s personal grief after his wife’s death.
20. His novel Mr. Sampath deals with printing press and journalism.
21. Narayan also wrote short stories collected in Malgudi Days.
22. Malgudi Days became a popular television serial in India.
23. Narayan’s characters are common people with human weaknesses.
24. His works show Indian traditions, customs, and beliefs.
25. Narayan used humour and irony without bitterness.
26. He wrote in clear and natural English without ornamentation.
27. He was influenced by his friend and novelist Graham Greene.
28. Greene helped Narayan publish his early works in England.
29. Narayan received the Padma Bhushan in 1964.
30. He was also awarded the Padma Vibhushan in 2000.
31. Narayan was nominated to the Rajya Sabha of India.
32. His novel Waiting for the Mahatma deals with the freedom movement.
33. Mahatma Gandhi appears as a character in this novel.
34. Narayan’s themes include fate, love, marriage, and spirituality.
35. He often shows conflict between tradition and modernity.
36. Narayan wrote travelogues and memoirs as well.
37. His memoir is My Days.
38. Narayan translated Indian epics like the Ramayana and Mahabharata into English.
39. His language is marked by simplicity and clarity.
40. Narayan’s fiction is free from heavy philosophy and complexity.
41. He presented Indian life to the Western world.
42. His works are widely taught in Indian universities.
43. Narayan is considered the father of regional realism in Indian English writing.
44. His storytelling technique is straightforward and engaging.
45. Narayan’s works reflect moral values and human relationships.
46. He died on 13 May 2001 in Chennai.
47. Narayan lived a long literary life of nearly seven decades.
48. His Malgudi has become as famous as Hardy’s Wessex.
49. R. K. Narayan’s works are important for PGT English examinations.
50. R. K. Narayan remains a central figure in Indian English literature.
51. In the name of R. K. Narayan, R stands for Rasipuram, the name of village in the district of Salem while K stands for Krishnaswami, the name of his father.
52. Narayan was not a good student. He failed in High School and Intermediate Examinations. In 1930, he graduated from Maharaja College at the age of 24.
53. To contribute the financial help, he had to work first as a clerk in the Mysore Secretariat and then as a teacher in a village school.
54. In 1935, he met his future wife Rajam.
55. Narayan himself proposed before Rajam’s father who was much impressed by the frankness and honesty. The horoscope did not tally but Narayan was so enthusiastic that he manipulated through his astrologer.
56. His wife Rajam did not know English. But she co-operated her husband in his work.
57. Hema was his daughter.
58. His wife died of typhoid in 1939.
59. For his novel The Guide, he got the Sahitya Akademi Award for the year 1960.
60. He was awarded the Padam Bhusan in 1964.
61. He was also nominated to the Rajya Sabha.

 

 

WORKS OF R. K. NARAYAN

 

NOVELS

 

Swami and Friends (1935)

 

The Bachelor of Arts (1937)

 

The Dark Room (1938)

 

The English Teacher (1945)

 

Mr. Sampath – the Printer of Malgudi (1949)

 

The Financial Expert (1952)

 

Waiting for the Mahatma (1955)

 

The Guide (1958)

 

The Man-Eater of Malgudi (1962)

 

The Vendor of Sweets (1967)

 

The Painter of Signs (1976)

 

A Tiger of Malgudi (1983)

 

Talkative Man (1986)

 

The World of Nagaraj (1990)

 

Grandmother’s Tale (1993)

 

 

 

RETOLD LEGENDS

 

Gods, Demons and Others

 

The Ramayana

 

The Mahabharata

 

 

STORIES

 

A Horse and Two Goats (1970)

 

An Astrologer’s Day and Other Stories (1947)

 

Lawley Road (1956)

 

Malgudi Days

 

Dodu and Other Stories

 

Cyclone and Other Stories (1944)

 

Gods, Demons and Other Stories (1965)

 

Under the Banyan Tree and Other Stories (1985)

 

 

MEMOIRS

 

My Days (1974)

 

 

TRAVEL

 

My Dateless Diary

 

The Emerald Route

 

 

ESSAYS

 

Next Sunday, a collection of sketches and essays (1960)

 

Reluctant Guru (1974)

 

A Writer’s Nightmare (1988)

 

The World of the Story Teller (1989)

 

A Version of Ramayan based on Kamban (1972) and Mahabharat (1978)