NationMaster - Encyclopedia: R. K. Narayan

R. K. Narayan (October 10, 1906 - May 13, 2001), born Rasipuram Krishnaswami Ayyar Narayanaswami,^[1] is among the best known and most widely read Indian novelists writing in English. This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... is the 283rd day of the year (284th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1906 (MCMVI) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... , â€œMadrasâ€ redirects here. ... is the 133rd day of the year (134th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 2001 Gregorian calendar). ... For the album by the Kaiser Chiefs see Employment (album) Employment is a contract between two parties, one being the employer and the other being the employee. ... A literary genre is one of the divisions of literature into genres according to particular criteria such as literary technique, tone, or content. ... is the 283rd day of the year (284th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1906 (MCMVI) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... is the 133rd day of the year (134th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 2001 Gregorian calendar). ... A novel is an extended work of written, narrative, prose fiction, usually in story form; the writer of a novel is a novelist. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ...

R.K. Narayan was a storyteller whose sensitive, well-drawn portrayals of twentieth-century Indian life were set mostly in the fictional South Indian town of Malgudi. 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.^[2] South India is a geographic and linguistic-cultural region of India. ... Malgudi is the fictitious town created by R.K. Narayan in his novel Swami and Friends. ... This article or section is not written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia article. ... See also: 1934 in literature, other events of 1935, 1936 in literature, list of years in literature. ... William Cuthbert Faulkner (September 25, 1897 â€“ July 6, 1962) was an American novelist and poet whose works feature his native state of Mississippi. ...

Narayan lived to the age of ninety-four, writing for more than fifty years, and publishing 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.^[3] My Days is an autobiography of R.K. Narayan. ...

Biography

Birth

R. K. Narayan was born in Madras (now called Chennai), India on October 10, 1906. His father, Rasipuram Venkatarama Krishnaswami Iyer, was a provincial head-master. He was the third of eight surviving children and an elder brother to popular Indian cartoonist R K Laxman. His full name was Rasipuram Krishnaswami Ayyar Narayanaswami. Madras refers to: the Indian city of Chennai, formerly known as Madras, the former Indian state, now known as Tamil Nadu (Plural of Madra): Ancient people of Iranian affinites, who lived in northwest Panjab in the Uttarapatha division of ancient India. ... is the 283rd day of the year (284th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1906 (MCMVI) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... The Common Man featured in a Commemorative stamp released by IndiaPost in 1988. ...

Childhood

Narayan's mother, Gnanambal, was quite ill after his birth and enlisted a wet nurse to feed her young son. When she became pregnant again, the two-year-old Narayan was sent to Madras to live with his maternal grandmother, Parvathi, who was called "Ammani." He lived with her and one of his uncles, T. N. Seshachalam, until he was a teenager. He only spent a few weeks each summer visiting his parents and siblings. Narayan grew up speaking Tamil and learned English at school. Tamil ( ; IPA ) is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamils in India and Sri Lanka, with smaller communities of speakers in many other countries. ...

Education

After completing eight years of education at the Lutheran Mission School near his grandmother's house in Madras, he studied for a short time at the CRC High School. When his father was appointed headmaster of the Maharaja's High School in Mysore, Narayan moved back in with his parents. To his father's consternation, Narayan was an indifferent student and after graduating high school, he failed the college entrance exam in English because he found the primary textbook to be too boring to read. He took the exam again a year later and eventually obtained his bachelor's degree from the University of Mysore. A bachelors degree is usually an undergraduate academic degree awarded for a course or major that generally lasts for three, four, or in some cases and countries, five or six years. ... Crawford Hall, where the Mysore Universitys Vice-Chancellors office is located University of Mysore is a public university in India. ...

One of the few Indian-English writers who spent nearly all his time in India, he went abroad to the United States in 1956 at the invitation of the Rockefeller Foundation. Narayan's first published work was the review of a book titled Development of Maritime Laws of 17th-Century England.^[3]. He began his literary career with short stories which appeared in The Hindu, and also worked for some time as the Mysore correspondent of Justice, a Madras-based newspaper. He also took up teaching at a government school, but left the job within two days.^[3] Year 1956 (MCMLVI) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Rockefeller Foundation (RF) is a prominent philanthropic organization based at 420 Fifth Avenue, New York City. ... The Hindu is a leading English-language newspaper in South India, with its largest base of circulation in Tamil Nadu. ...

Writing career

His writing career began with Swami and Friends. At first, he could not get the novel published. Eventually, the draft was shown to Graham Greene by a mutual friend, Purna. Greene liked it so much that he arranged for its publication; Greene was to remain a close friend and admirer of his. After that, he published a continuous stream of novels, all set in Malgudi and each dealing with different characters in that fictional place. Autobiographical content forms a significant part of some of his novels. For example, the events surrounding the death of his young wife and how he coped with the loss form the basis of The English Teacher. Mr. Narayan became his own publisher when World War II cut him off from Britain. This article or section is not written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia article. ... This article is about the writer. ... Malgudi is the fictitious town created by R.K. Narayan in his novel Swami and Friends. ... The English Teacher is a 1935 novel written by R.K.Narayan. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki TÅjÅ Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000...

Death

R. K. Narayan passed away on May 13, 2001, due to cardio-respiratory failure. He was 94. Until his very last days, he remained an avid critic of the changes occurring around his Alwarpet apartment in Chennai, and was also a voracious reader. is the 133rd day of the year (134th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 2001 Gregorian calendar). ...

Writing Style

Narayan's novels are characterised by Chekhovian simplicity and gentle humour. He told stories of simple folks trying to live their simple lives in a changing world. The characters in his novels were very ordinary, down-to-earth Indians trying to blend tradition with modernisation, often resulting in tragi-comic situations. His writing style was simple, unpretentious and witty, with a unique flavour as if he were writing in the native tongue. Many of Narayan's works are rooted in everyday life, though he is not shy of invoking Hindu tales or traditional Indian folklore to emphasize a point. His easy-going outlook on life has sometimes been criticized, though in general he is viewed as an accomplished, sensitive and reasonably prolific writer. Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (Russian: , IPA: ) was a Russian short story writer and playwright. ... This article discusses the adherents of Hinduism. ...

Awards and Recognition

Mr. Narayan won numerous awards and honours for his works. He won the National Prize of the Sahitya Akademi, the Indian literary academy, for The Guide in 1958. He was honoured with the Padma Bhushan, a coveted Indian award, for distinguished service to literature in 1964. In 1980, R. K. Narayan was awarded the AC Benson Medal by the Royal Society of Literature. He was an honorary member of the society. He was elected an honorary member of the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters in 1982 and nominated to the Rajya Sabha — the upper house of the Parliament of India — in 1989. In addition, the University of Mysore, Delhi University and the University of Leeds conferred honorary doctorates on him. He was awarded Padma Vibhushan in 2000. The Sahitya Akademi is an Indian organisation dedicated to the promotion of literature in the languages of India. ... Year 1958 (MCMLVIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Padma Bhushan is an Indian civilian decoration established on January 2, 1954 by the President of India. ... 1964 (MCMLXIV) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1964 calendar). ... Year 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar). ... The AC Benson Medal or Benson Medal is a medal awarded by the Royal Society of Literature. ... The Royal Society of Literature is the senior literary organisation in Britain. External link The Royal Society of Literature Categories: Literature stubs | Literature of the United Kingdom ... The American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters was formed in 1976 from the merger of the National Institute of Arts and Letters, which was founded in 1898, and the American Academy of Arts and Letters, which was founded in 1904. ... Year 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar). ... Executive President Vice-President Prime Minister Dy. ... Year 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar). ... Crawford Hall, where the Mysore Universitys Vice-Chancellors office is located University of Mysore is a public university in India. ... University of Delhi,New Delhi The University of Delhi is a university in India. ... The University of Leeds is a major teaching and research university, one of the largest in the United Kingdom with over 32,000 full-time students. ... An Honorary degree (Latin: honoris causa ad gradum) is a degree awarded to someone by an institution that he or she may have never attended, it may be a bachelors, masters or doctorate degree - however, the latter is most common. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Year 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full 2000 Gregorian calendar). ...

Nobel Prize in Literature medal. ... The Norwegian Nobel Committee (Den norske NobelkomitÃ©) awards the Nobel Peace Prize each year. ... â€œHebrewâ€ redirects here. ... W. Somerset Maugham as photographed in 1934 by Carl Van Vechten. ... John Hoyer Updike (born March 18, 1932 in Shillington, Pennsylvania) is an American writer. ... This article is about the writer. ...

Criticism

Though Narayan's writing have been extremely popular amongst the masses, the upper, literary classes never really warmed up to him. It has been said that his writing was pedestrian, with his simple language and stories of village life. One of his most outspoken critics has been Shashi Tharoor.^[4] Young Shashi Tharoor Shashi Tharoor (Born 9 March 1956 in London) was the official candidate of India for the succession to United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan in 2006, and came second out of seven official candidates in the race. ...

Bibliography

Novels

This article or section is not written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia article. ... The Bachelor of Arts (1937) is a novel written by R.K.Narayan. ... The Dark Room is also the title of a novel by Rachel Seiffert The Dark Room is a novel written by R.K.Narayan, the well known English-language novelist from India. ... The English Teacher is a 1935 novel written by R.K.Narayan. ... Mr. ... The Financial Expert is a 1952 novel by R. K. Narayan. ... Waiting for the Mahatma is a novel by R.K. Narayan. ... The tone or style of this article or section may not be appropriate for Wikipedia. ... This article or section is not written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia article. ... Vendor of Sweets is a tale about Jagan and his son Mali. ... The Painter of Signs is a 1976 novel by R. K. Narayan. ... A Tiger for Malgudi is a humorous book by R.K. Narayan told by a tiger in the first person. ... Talkative Man is a 1986 novel by R. K. Narayan. ... The World of Nagaraj is a classic piece of literature by R.K.Narayan. ...

Collections

The World of Malgudi (2000) is a collection of four Malgudi novels written by R.K. Narayan. ...

Short Story Collections

Directed by Shankar Nag Malgudi Days illustrations by R.K. Laxman House in which Malgudi Days was shot in Agumbe, Karnataka Although television had arrived in India in the 1950s, it wasnt a mass media due to its high cost and logistics. ... A charming collection of short stories by R.K. Narayan, set in and around the fictitious town of Malgudi in South India. ...

Non-Fiction

Mythology

The Ramayana (Sanskrit: march or journey (ayana) of Rama) is part of the Hindu smriti, written by Valmiki. ... The Mahabharata (Devanagari: à¤®à¤¹à¤¾à¤à¤¾à¤°à¤¤, phonetically MahÄbhÄrata - see note), sometimes just called Bharata, is one of the two major ancient Sanskrit epics of India, the other being the Ramayana. ...

TV and Movie Adaptions

The Guide was made into a film in both English and Hindi by Dev Anand. It was commercially a most successful venture, but Narayan was not happy with the screen adaptation of his novel. His novel Mr. Sampath was made into a film by S.S. Vasan of Gemini Films. Another novel, The Financial Expert was made into the Kannada movie Banker Margayya. Swami and Friends, The Vendor of Sweets and some of Narayan's short stories were adapted by the late actor-director Shankar Nag into a television series, Malgudi Days. It was shot in the village of Agumbe in Karnataka. This village served as the backdrop for Malgudi, complete with a statue of the British personage. It was serialised and telecast on Doordarshan, the Indian National Television network. The current version of the article or section is written like a magazine article instead of the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia. ... Kannada - aptly described as sirigannada (known to few as Kanarese) is one of the oldest Dravidian languages and is spoken in its various dialects by roughly 45 million people. ... This article or section is not written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia article. ... Vendor of Sweets is a tale about Jagan and his son Mali. ... Shankar Nag(à²¶à²‚à²•à²°à³ à²¨à²¾à²—à³), originally known as Shankar Nagarakatte (à²¶à²‚à²•à²°à³ à²¨à²¾à²—à²°à²•à²Ÿà³à²Ÿà³†), along with his elder brother Anant Nag (à²…à²¨à²‚à²¤à³ à²¨à²¾à²—à³) was a popular actor and director of Kannada cinema. ... Directed by Shankar Nag Malgudi Days illustrations by R.K. Laxman House in which Malgudi Days was shot in Agumbe, Karnataka Although television had arrived in India in the 1950s, it wasnt a mass media due to its high cost and logistics. ... Agumbe is one of the most scenic places on the Western Ghats of the Southern India. ... , KarnÄtakÄ (Kannada: à²•à²¨à²¾à³¯à²Ÿà²•) (IPA: ) is one of the four southern states of India. ... Doordarshan (sometimes DoorDarshan; ) is a Public broadcast Terrestrial television channel run by Prasar Bharati, a board nominated by the Government of India. ...

References

External links

Categories: All articles with unsourced statements | Articles with unsourced statements since March 2007 | Indian novelists | Indian writers | People from Chennai | English novelists | English writers | English short story writers | Sahitya Akademi Award recipients | 1906 births | 2001 deaths | Padma Vibhushan recipients Jhumpa Lahiri Vourvoulias (born Nilanjana Sudeshna in 1967) (Bengali: à¦à§à¦®à§à¦ªà¦¾ à¦²à¦¾à¦¹à¦¿à¦¡à¦¼à§€ Jhumpa LahiÅ—i) is a contemporary Indian American author based in New York City. ... The New Yorker is an American magazine that publishes reportage, criticism, essays, cartoons, poetry and fiction. ... is the 283rd day of the year (284th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1906 (MCMVI) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... , â€œMadrasâ€ redirects here. ... is the 133rd day of the year (134th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 2001 Gregorian calendar). ...

Contents

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