“Life always offers small moments of happiness even in ordinary days.”
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R. K. Narayan
Rasipuram Krishnaswami Narayanaswami, better known as R. K. Narayan, was an Indian writer and novelist known for his work set in the fictional South Indian town of Malgudi. He was a leading author of early Indian literature in English along with Mulk Raj Anand and Raja Rao. In 1980, he received the AC Benson Medal from the Royal Society of Literature, and in 1981 he was made an Honorary Member of…
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culture · Indian writer (1906–2001) · writer · novelist · screenwriter · politician · journalist · teacher · also R. K. Narayan, Rasipuram Krishnaswami Iyer Narayanaswami, Rasipuram Krishnaswami Narayan, R.K. Narayan, R K Narayan, Narayan
Born 10 October 1906 · Died 13 May 2001 · Q334252
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2026· 1 entry
2014· 2 entries
Google commemorated Narayan's 108th birthday by featuring a doodle showing him behind a copy of Malgudi Days
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“Whom next shall I meet in Malgudi? That is the thought that comes to me when I close a novel of Mr Narayan's. I do not wait for another novel. I wait to go out of my door into those loved and shabby streets and see with excitement and a certainty of pleasure a stranger approaching, past the bank, the cinema, the haircutting saloon, a stranger who will greet me I know with some unexpected and revealing phrase that will open a door on to yet another human existence.”
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2001· 1 entry
Died 2001-05-13.
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2000· 2 entries
Awarded Padma Vibhushan in literature & education (2000).
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Was awarded India's second-highest civilian honour, the Padma Vibhushan
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1994· 3 entries
Awarded Fellow of the Sahitya Akademi (1994).
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The Sahitya Akademi Fellowship, the highest honour of India's National Academy of Letters
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His daughter died of cancer and his granddaughter Bhuvaneswari (Minnie) started taking care of him in addition to managing Indian Thought Publications
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1990· 1 entry
Published his next novel, The World of Nagaraj, also set in Malgudi
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1989· 1 entry
For his contributions to Indian literature
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1987· 1 entry
Completed A Writer's Nightmare, another collection of essays about topics as diverse as the caste system, Nobel prize winners, love, and monkeys
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1986· 4 entries
Awarded Rajyotsava Prashasti (1986).
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Career landmark: member of Rajya Sabha (1986–1992).
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Was honoured by Rajyotsava Prashasti from Government of Karnataka
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Was the tale of an aspiring journalist from Malgudi
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1983· 1 entry
Narayan published his next novel, A Tiger for Malgudi, about a tiger and its relationship with humans
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1982· 1 entry
Was elected an honorary member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters
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1980· 3 entries
Was awarded the AC Benson Medal by the (British) Royal Society of Literature, of which he was an honorary member
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Narayan was nominated to the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Indian Parliament, for his contributions to literature
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Received the AC Benson Medal from the Royal Society of Literature, and in 1981 he was made an Honorary Member of the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters
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1979· 1 entry
Won Benson Medal (1979).
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1968· 1 entry
With Zia Mohyeddin playing the lead role and a music score by Ravi Shankar
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1967· 2 entries
Awarded honorary degree of the University of Leeds (1967).
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Awarded Filmfare Award for Best Story for Guide (1967).
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1964· 3 entries
Awarded Padma Bhushan in literature & education (1964).
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Received the Padma Bhushan during the Republic Day honours
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Narayan published his first mythological work, Gods, Demons and Others, a collection of rewritten and translated short stories from Hindu epics
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1960· 2 entries
Awarded Sahitya Akademi Award in English for The Guide (1960).
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The Sahitya Akademi Award for his book "The Guide"
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1953· 1 entry
His works were published in the United States for the first time, by Michigan State University Press, who later (in 1958), relinquished the rights to Viking Press
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1948· 1 entry
Started building a house on the outskirts of Mysore; it was completed in 1953
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1940· 1 entry
Bolstered by his success, Narayan tried his hand at a journal, Indian Thought
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1938· 2 entries
And started translating the Kamba Ramayanam to English
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Had asked to meet Narayan, but not enough people had heard of him to actually effect the meeting
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1937· 1 entry
Narayan's father died, and Narayan was forced to accept a commission from the government of Mysore as he was not making any money
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1933· 1 entry
Narayan met and fell in love with Rajam, a 15-year-old girl who lived nearby
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1930· 2 entries
Studied at Maharaja's College, Mysore, bachelor's degree (1926–1930).
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Narayan wrote his first novel, Swami and Friends, an effort ridiculed by his uncle and rejected by a string of publishers
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1906· 1 entry
Born 1906-10-10.
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