R.K. Narayan
Early Life
R.K. Narayan, born as Rasipuram Krishnaswami Iyer Narayanaswami, was an Indian writer known for his works set in the fictional South Indian town of Malgudi. He was born on October 10, 1906, in Madras, British India (now Chennai). His father was a school headmaster, and Narayan did some of his studies at his father's school. As his father's job entailed frequent transfers, Narayan spent part of his childhood under the care of his maternal grandmother, Parvati.
Education
Narayan completed his high school education in Madras and then graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Maharaja College of Mysore in 1930. During his education, he developed a strong interest in English literature and was particularly influenced by the works of Charles Dickens, Thomas Hardy, and Fyodor Dostoevsky.
Career
Narayan's first novel, Swami and Friends (1935), which was set in the enchanting fictional town of Malgudi, was a great success. This novel, along with The Bachelor of Arts (1937) and The English Teacher (1945), forms a trilogy of novels that revolve around the same protagonist as he progresses from childhood to adulthood. His other notable works include The Guide (1958), which won the Sahitya Akademi Award, and The Man-Eater of Malgudi (1961), which is considered one of his best works.
Throughout his career, Narayan also wrote numerous short stories, essays, and travelogues. His writing style was marked by simplicity and subtle humour, and his stories were often a reflection of the socio-political situation in India. He was also a fine translator, translating several of his own works from English to Tamil.
Personal Life
Narayan married Rajam Iyer in 1935, and the couple had a daughter named Hema. Unfortunately, Rajam died of typhoid in 1939. Narayan was deeply affected by his wife's death and took a break from writing. His novel The English Teacher is a semi-autobiographical novel that explores his own experiences of love, loss, and grief.
Later Life and Death
In his later years, Narayan became a well-respected figure in Indian literature. He was awarded the Padma Bhushan, India's third-highest civilian award, in 1964, and the Padma Vibhushan, India's second-highest civilian award, in 2001. He was also nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature multiple times but never won. Narayan passed away on May 13, 2001, at the age of 94.
Legacy
Narayan's works have been translated into many languages and have been used as textbooks in schools and universities. His fictional town of Malgudi has become a symbol of the quintessential South Indian small town, and his characters, with their universal human values and idiosyncrasies, continue to resonate with readers around the world.