RK Narayan

RK Narayan was an Indian writer, famous for his set of work and writing in the fictional South Indian town of Malgudi. He was one of the leading and famous authors of early Indian literature in English along with Mulk Raj Anand and Raja Rao. 

RK Narayan's biography is always centered on his friendship with Graham Greene. As he was Narayan's mentor and close friend and was actively involved in identifying and getting publishers for Narayan's first four books including the semi-autobiographical trilogy of Swami and Friends, The Bachelor of Arts and The English Teacher. The fictional town of Malgudi was first introduced in Swami and Friends. The Financial Expert was one of the most original works of 1951.

RK Narayan's Early life and Background

• Full Name : Rashipuram Krishnaswamy Iyer Narayanaswamy
• Birthday :  10th Oct, 1906
• Father Name : Rasipuram Venkatrama Krishnaswamy Iyer
• Mother Name :  Gnanambal Iyer
• Wife Name : Rajam
• Children : Hema Narayan
• Death : 13th May, 2001

RK Narayan was born in a Tamil Brahmin family on 10 October 1906 in Madras. He was one of eight children of his parents. His father was a school headmaster, transferred frequently. So, he was raised in Madras by his grandmother and an uncle.

After completing high school, unfortunately RK Narayan failed the university entrance exam and spent a year at home reading and writing. In 1926, he passed the examination and joined Maharaja College of Mysore. It took Narayan four years to obtain his bachelor's degree, a year longer than usual.

In 1933, R.K. Narayan met and fell in love with Rajam, a 15-year-old girl. Narayan managed to gain permission from the girl's father and married her. In 1939 his wife died of typhoid. He never remarried in his life, he was also concerned for his daughter Hema, who was only three years old.

RK Narayan with his wife and daughter

Writing Career

His first published work was a book review of Development of Maritime Laws of 17th-Century England.

For English newspapers and magazines he started writing the occasional local interest story. His first year income was 9 rupees and 12 annas. RK Narayan wrote his first novel, "Swami and Friends" in 1930 which was rejected by a string of publishers. The fictional town of Malgudi was first introduced in this book. 

After his marriage, he became a reporter for a paper called The Justice. Due to this job, he came in contact with many people and issues. Earlier, RK Narayan had sent the manuscript of "Swami and Friends" to a friend at Oxford and his friend showed the manuscript to Graham Greene. In 1935, "Swami and Friends" was published. Greene asked him to shorten the name so that he would become familiar to the English audience.

In 1937, RK Narayan wrote his next novel "The Bachelor of Arts" which was inspired by his experiences at college and and dealt with the theme of a rebellious adolescent transitioning to a rather well-adjusted adult. At the recommendation of Greene this novel was published by a different publisher. The "Bachelor of Arts" marked the beginning of his reputation in England.

In 1938 he wrote his third novel "The dark Room" showcasing the man as the oppressor and the woman as the victim within a marriage. In 1940 RK Narayan worked as a journal in Indian Thought.

In November 1942, His first collection of short stories, Malgudi Days, was published. His fourth novel, "The English Teacher" was published in 1945, which was partly autobiographical, concerning a teacher's struggle to cope with the death of his wife.

RK Narayan started his own publishing company, "Indian Thought Publications". The publishing company is still active, now managed by his granddaughter. 

In 1947, RK Narayan wrote the story for the Gemini Studios film "Miss Malini". In 1951, he published "The Financial Expert" which was considered to be his masterpiece and hailed as one of the most original works of fiction.

His next novel, "Waiting for the Mahatma", loosely based on a fictional visit to Malgudi by Mahatma Gandhi. The novel includes significant references to the Indian independence movement but the focus was on life of an ordinary individual.

Some books of RK Narayan

RK Narayan's works were published by Michigan State University Press in the United States for the first time in 1953. After his daughter's wedding, Narayan began travelling occasionally, he write at least 1500 words a day even on the road.

In 1956, while he was visiting the United States he wrote his next novel "The Guide". RK Narayan met his friend and mentor Graham Greene for the first and only time on a visit to England. On his return to India "The Guide" was published.

In 1960, "Next Sunday" In 1960, "Next Sunday" was his first work to be published as a book, the book was a collection of conversational essays. "My Dateless Diary", describing experiences from his 1956 visit to the United States, was published.

In 1962 RK Narayan's next novel, "The Man-Eater of Malgudi", was published. After the launch of this book he visited U.S and Australia. 

"Gods, Demons and Others" was his first mythological work which was published in 1964 which was based on short stories from Hindu epics. "The Vendor of Sweets" was published in 1967  which was based on Indian and American's cultural differences. 

In 1970, RK Narayan published his next book "A Horse and Two Goats". His next books, "The Ramayana" was published in 1973 and "The Mahabharata" was published in 1978. In 1977 while researching and writing "The Mahabharata", RK Narayan published his another book "Painter of Signs" in 1977.

To promote tourism in the state, Karnataka Government appointed RK Narayan to write a book on Karnataka's tourism. In 1980, he published "The Emerald Route". In 1982, he published "Malgudi Days", collection of short stories. 

"A Tiger of Malgudi" was published in 1983 based on a tiger and its relationship with humans. In 1986, his next novel, "Talkative Man" which was the tale of an aspiring journalist from Malgudi. In 1987, he completed "A Writer's Nightmare", collection of essays about topics as the caste system, Nobel prize winners, love, and monkeys.

"The World of Nagaraj" was published by RK Narayan in1990, set in Malgudi. "Grandmother's Tale" was RK Narayan's final book which was about his great-grandmother who travelled far and wide to find her husband.

Death

RK Narayan was hospitalised in May 2001 and died on 13 May 2001, in Chennai at the age of 94.

Awards and Honors  

• The Guide (1958) won the National Prize of the Indian Literary Academy
• AC Benson Medal from the Royal Society of Literature
• The Padma Vibhushan
• The Padma Bhushan
• The Sahitya Akademi Award
• In 1980, RK Narayan was nominated to the Rajya Sabha
• He received honorary doctorates from the University of Leeds
• RK Narayan's former home in Mysore was converted to a museum in his honor in mid 2016
• His book "Swami and Friends" was chosen as one of BBC's 100 Novels That Shaped Our World on 8th Nov, 2019