New Delhi, Oct 4 (PTI) Ahead of iconic writer RK Narayan’s 117th birth anniversary on October 10, publishing house Niyogi Books on Wednesday announced the release of a new book on the life and times of the literary giant.
Written by Indradeep Bhattacharyya, “RK Narayan: The Compassionate Chronicler of Indian Life” is published under Niyogi’s monograph series, ‘Pioneers of Modern India’.
One of the earliest Indian English writers that readers — both in India and the West — took note of, Narayan is a household name today.
He is best remembered for creating the fictional town of “Malgudi”, where the school boy Swami and his friends had many memorable adventures. His famous novels included “Bachelor of Arts”, “The Man Eater of Malgudi” and “The Financial Expert”.
“RK Narayan decided to be a fiction writer at a time when it was an unthinkable career choice. He had no models in front of him, and no godfathers. In that sense, he did not just belong to an era, he began one. His artistic achievements and contributions to the field of Indian literature can’t be overstated,” said Bhattacharyya in a statement.
This monograph presents a behind-the-scenes story of Narayan’s becoming a writer and narrates the circumstances of his life that shaped his vision, the defining quality of which was compassion.
Narayan, a recipient of the Padma Bhushan in 1964, started his career as a journalist in Mysore and later took to writing novels. Of the 34 novels, “The Guide” was made into a blockbuster film, starring Dev Anand and Waheeda Rehman.
His works were translated into most European languages as well as in Hebrew. His awards included the National Prize of the Indian Literary Academy and Sahitya Akademi, in 1958 for “The Guide”.
He died at the age of 95 in 2001.
This monograph claims to present a behind-the-scenes story of Narayan’s becoming a writer and narrates the circumstances of his life that shaped his vision, and in the process also presents a broad estimate of his staggering literary achievements.
According to the publisher, along with illuminating Narayan’s life, the author pays an homage to the literary giant’s creations and offers critical insights about his work.
“This will be of special interest to those readers who have grown up familiar with the foibles of the motley crew that has populated Malgudi and our hearts. This is also a valuable companion volume to ‘RK Laxman: Back with a Punch’ by EP Unny,” said Trisha De Niyogi, director and COO of Niyogi Books. PTI MG RDS RDS
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