Author: R K Narayan
Editor: S Krishnan
Publisher: Penguin
Year: 2002
Language: English
Pages: 642
ISBN/UPC (if available): 01402891914
Description
Now in paper back edition, this collection brings between two covers some of the most memorable fiction that has emerged from R K Narayan's pen.
In a writing career spanning seven decades, R K Narayan enthralled and entertained generations of readers with his deftly etched characters, his uniquely stylized language and his wry sense of humor. A storyteller par excellence, Narayan’s greatest achievement perhaps lies in creating and peopling the imagined landscapes of a town called Malgudi, located somewhere in South India, which has come alive in story after story in such a way that it has now become a part of modern Indian folklore.
The collection brings between two covers some of the most memorable fiction that has emerged from R K Narayan’s pen. It contains ‘The Man-eater of Malgudi, which tells the story of Nataraj, owner of a small printing press, and his houseguest Vasu, a taxidermist, who moves into Nataraj’s attic with a menagerie of dead animals. There is also Talkative Man, a novella that starts off with the arrival on the Delhi train of a stranger in a blue suit who takes up residence in the station waiting room and refuses to budge. Also included here are some of the most popular and striking short stories Narayan has written: from the celebrated ‘A Horse and Two Goats’ and ‘Salt and Sawdust’ to gems like ‘An Astrologer’s Day’, ‘The Shelter’ and ‘Under the Banyan Tree’.
Encapsulating the very best of R K Narayan’s remarkable output, this is a fitting tribute to one of the greatest modern writers in the English language.
EDITOR:
S KRISHNAN taught English literature at Madras Christian College and at Annamalai University. He spent many years with the United States Information Agency in their educational and cultural programs. He is now a weekly columnist for the Hindu, consulting editor with the Indian Review of Books and senior editor of 'Shruti', a music and dance magazine. Krishnan has edited several volumes of R K Narayan's writings.
Contents
Introduction
The Man-Eater of Malgudi
Talkative Man
Short Stories
An Astrologer’s Day
Lawley road
A Night of Cyclone
Selvi
Nitya
The Roman Image
A Horse and Two Goats
A Breath of Lucifer
Uncle
Annamalai
Salt and Sawdust
The Edge
The Mute Companions
Naga
Seventh House
Under the Banyan Tree