R.K.Narayan's life span journey as a writer
- 2. INTRODUCTION Rasipuram Krishnaswami Narayanswami, who preferred the shortened name R.K. Narayan, was born in Madras on October 10, 1906. R.K. Narayan is one of the most famous and widely read Indian novelists. He is credited with bringing Indian literature in English to the rest of the world, and is regarded as one of India's greatest English language novelists. His stories were simple, fictional and celebrated the humor and energy of ordinary life.
- 3. EARLY YEARS His father, an educator, who travelled frequently, and his mother was ill most of the time. Narayan was raised in Madras by his maternal grandmother. He studied for eight years in Christian Mission School. Narayan moved to Mysore to live with his family when his father was transferred to the Maharajah's Collegiate High School. The well-stocked library at the school, as well as his father's own, fed his reading habit, and he started writing as well. Narayan as a child
- 4. YOUNG NARAYAN After completing high school, Narayan failed the university entrance examination Spent a year at home reading and writing He subsequently passed the examination in 1926 and joined Maharaja College of Mysore. It took Narayan four years to obtain his Bachelor's degree Taking a Master's degree (M.A.) would kill his interest in literature, he had a job as a school teacher; however, he quit in protest when the headmaster of the school asked him to substitute for the physical training master. In 1933, he got married to Rajam, who lived near his sister's house.
- 5. BEGINNING OF WRITING That experience made Narayan realize that the only career for him was in writing, and he decided to stay at home and write novels. Narayan broke through with the help of his mentor and The book was semi- friend, Graham Greene, autobiography and built Narayan had sent the upon many incidents from his own childhood . manuscript of ”Swami and Friends” which was published in 1935.
- 6. Most of his work including Swami and friends is set in the fictional town of Malgudi which captures everything Indian while having a unique identity of its own. Graham Greene & R.K.Narayan Graham Greene, helped him in getting publishers for Narayan’s first four books
- 7. THE TURNING POINT Narayan's second novel, Bachelor of Arts (1937), marked the beginning of his reputation in England. Rajam died of typhoid in 1939.Her death affected Narayan deeply and he remained depressed for a long time, he was also concerned for their daughter Hema, who was only three years old. brought about a significant change in his life and was the inspiration behind his next novel, The English Teacher.
- 8. THE BUSY YEARS Subsequent publications of his novels, like The Dark Room (1938), The English Teacher (1945), Mr. Sampath (1948), Waiting for the Mahatma (1955), The Guide (1958), The Man-eater of Malgudi (1961), The Vendor of Sweets (1967), Malgudi Days (1982), And The Grandmother's Tale (1993) established Narayan's reputation.
- 9. ACHIEVEMENTS He won the National prize of the Indian Literacy Academy. In 1965 he won the National Association of Independent Schools award. He was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature multiple times, but never won the any. R.K. Narayan won numerous awards and honors for his works. These include: Sahitya Academic Award for The Guide in 1958; Padma Bhushan in 1964 AC Benson Medal by the Royal Society of Literature in 1980 R.K. Narayan was elected an honorary member of the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters in 1982. He was nominated to the Rajya Sabha in 1989
- 10. A YEAR BEFORE HIS DEATH, IN 2001, HE WAS AWARDED INDIA'S SECOND-HIGHEST CIVILIAN HONOUR, THE PADMA VIBHUSHAN. HE DIED ON MAY 13,2001 Thank you !