Malgudi Days (Penguin Classics) by R. K. Narayan
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Book Reviews of Malgudi Days (Penguin Classics)
Book Review: Classic
Summary: 5 Stars
Having been a fan of malgudi days from childhood, this book was something I always wanted to read. And it din't disappoint. This is a collection of short stories, which depicts simple human emotions which are hard to put into words. Most of the characters are post - independence or early independence period, and bring along a view of inquisitiveness and also innocence(or lack of knowledge).
All I have to say is this, pick it up, and read it. You wont regret it. For people who have no clue about what I just wrote.. go and search for malgudi days videos online( some episodes are in english n some in hindi). Then you will understand
Book Review: Excellent Short Stories
Summary: 5 Stars
R.K Narayan brings to life the people and places as he narrates the story. I would strongly recommend this book for the people interested in Indian culture.Book Review: A True Taste of India
Summary: 4 Stars
On the literary scene, much is made of the `art of writing'. So much so, that the humbler art of story-telling is shoved into a corner. No doubt terrific writers have emerged from India, and much fanfare has been accorded to the wordy edifices of the hyper-literate Rushdies and Roys. Yet, I would think that they represent but one facet of a land, where more than seventy percent of the population live in villages or small towns. Perhaps a truer spokesman for the country would be R.K. Narayan (1906-2001), whose gentle satire, ironic humor, and homespun wisdom reaches beyond boundaries to touch the common heart of humanity.
Certainly, Narayan's collection of short stories in `Malgudi Days' also hints at the exotic India of popular imagination, with its tales of persistent tigers, music-loving snakes, crafty charlatans, and, a people who philosophically submit themselves to the vagaries of an impartial fate. But the characters themselves will be immediately recognizable, whether it's the lonely bachelor who sees his wispy dreams of blissful family life evaporate in the strong light of reality; or, the resentful wage-slave banging his head against a prison of his own making.
Malgudi itself is a fictional town, set in the southern part of India. It's girt by a river called Sarayu, and lies near hills named Mempi, with a Tamil-speaking populace. But for an imaginary place, it emblazons itself in the memory with its intricate detailing of roads, buildings and landmarks. It's a town abundantly inhabited by richly described people, animals, and vegetation. It doesn't just come alive in the imagination, it takes it over completely.
There are two prominent moods that pervade Narayan's writing; one is a gentle melancholy. The other is a wry sense of comedy. Most of Narayan's characters are unsophisticated folk - lowly clerks, gardeners, knife-sharpeners, cobblers or artisans. There is also the genteel scholar or civil servant, and the occasional social luminary. Each without exception, stand as much chance of meeting a comic turn, or a tragic mishap. In the eyes of Malgudi's detached creator, they are each equally vulnerable, ridiculous, and forgivable.
For to Narayan, absurdity is the condition of being human. We are all, if not the victims, at least the playthings of a curious yet dispassionate destiny, that is as interested in watching us twitch, as watching us dance. Ultimately, R.K. Narayan's stories are not about individuals, but the awareness of being a minute bubble of consciousness in the vast, silent space of the Universe.