Page 123 - DENG203_ELECTIVE_ENGLISH_IV

Elective English—IV

Notes 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. After completing high school, Narayan
failed the university entrance examination and 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, a year longer than usual. After being
persuaded by a friend that taking a Master’s degree would kill his interest in literature, he
briefly held 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. The experience made Narayan
realise that the only career for him was in writing, and he decided to stay at home and write
novels. His first published work was a book review of Development of Maritime Laws of 17th-
Century England. Subsequently, he started writing the occasional local interest story for English
newspapers and magazines. Although the writing did not pay much, he had a regular life and
few needs, and his friends and family respected and supported his unconventional choice of
career. In 1930, Narayan wrote his first novel, Swami and Friends, which was not liked by his
uncle. This novel was rejected by a many publishers. With this book, Narayan created Malgudi,
a town that creatively reproduced the social sphere of the country. This town ignored the limits
imposed by colonial rule, it also grew with the various socio-political changes of British and
post-independence India.

7.2 Turning Point and Major works of R.K. Narayan

While vacationing at his sister’s house in Coimbatore, in 1933, Narayan met and fell in love
with Rajam, a 15-year-old girl who lived nearby. Despite several financial and astrological
obstacles, Narayan managed to get permission from the girl’s father and married her. Following
his marriage, Narayan became a reporter for a Madras based paper called The Justice, dedicated
to the rights of non-Brahmins. The publishers were thrilled to have a Brahmin Iyer in Narayan
adopting their cause. Earlier, Narayan had sent the manuscript of Swami and Friends to a friend
at Oxford, and about this time, the friend showed the manuscript to Graham Greene. Greene
recommended the book to his publisher, and it was finally published in 1935. Greene also
counselled Narayan on shortening his name to become popular amongst the English-speaking
audience. The book was semi-autobiographical and built upon many incidents from his own
childhood. Reviews were positive but sales were few. Narayan’s next novel The Bachelor of
Arts (1937), was inspired in part by his experiences at college, and dealt with the theme of a
rebellious adolescent transitioning to a rather well-adjusted adult; it was published by a different
publisher, again at the recommendation of Greene. His third novel, The Dark Room (1938) was
about domestic disharmony, showcasing the man as the oppressor and the woman as the victim
within a marriage, and was published by yet another publisher; this book also received good
reviews. In 1937, Narayan’s father died, and Narayan was forced to accept a commission from
the government of Mysore as he was not making any money.

In his first three books, Narayan highlights the problems with certain socially accepted practices.
The first book has Narayan focusing on the plight of students, punishments of caning in the
classroom, and the associated shame. The concept of horoscope-matching in Hindu marriages and
the emotional toll it levies on the bride and groom is covered in the second book. In the third
book, Narayan addresses the concept of a wife putting up with her husband’s antics and attitudes.
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.
The bereavement brought about a significant change in his life and was the inspiration behind
his next novel, The English Teacher. This book, like his first two books, is autobiographical, but
more so, and completes an unintentional thematic trilogy following Swami and Friends and

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