october indian writer best known works set fictional south indian town leading author early indian literature english mentor friend instrumental getting publishers books including semi autobiographical trilogy english teacher fictional town introduced friends financial expert hailed original works winner guide adapted film broadway highlights social context everyday life characters compared created similar fictional town likewise explored humour compassion energy ordinary life short stories compared ability narrative criticised simplicity prose career spanned years received awards honours including india second highest civilian awards nominated upper house india parliament life career early days born madras father school studies father school father job entailed frequent transfers spent childhood care maternal grandmother time best friends monkey grandmother gave nickname stuck family circles taught mythology classical indian music sanskrit according youngest brother family english errors siblings living grandmother studied succession schools madras including christian college high school avid reader early literary diet included years old participated pro independence march uncle family considered governments wicked moved live family father transferred stocked library school father fed reading habit started writing completing high school failed university entrance examination spent year home reading writing subsequently passed examination joined took years obtain bachelor degree year longer usual persuaded friend taking master degree kill interest literature briefly held job school teacher quit protest school asked substitute physical training master experience realise career writing decided stay home write novels published work book review 17th century england subsequently started writing occasional local interest story english newspapers magazines writing pay income year regular life needs family friends respected supported unorthodox choice career wrote novel friends effort ridiculed uncle rejected string publishers book created town creatively reproduced social sphere country ignored limits imposed colonial rule grew socio political changes british post independence india turning point sister house met fell love year old girl lived nearby despite financial obstacles managed gain permission girl father married following marriage reporter madras based paper called justice dedicated rights non publishers thrilled cause job brought contact wide variety people issues earlier sent manuscript friends friend oxford time friend showed manuscript recommended book publisher finally published shortening familiar english speaking audience book semi autobiographical built incidents childhood reviews favourable sales novel bachelor_of_arts inspired experiences college dealt theme rebellious adolescent transitioning adjusted adult published different publisher recommendation novel dark room domestic showcasing man woman victim marriage published publisher book received good reviews father died forced accept commission government making money books highlights problems certain socially accepted practices book focusing plight students classroom associated shame concept matching hindu marriages emotional toll bride groom covered second book book addresses concept wife putting husband antics attitudes died death affected deeply remained depressed long time concerned daughter years old brought significant change life inspiration novel english teacher book like books autobiographical completes thematic trilogy following subsequent interviews acknowledges english teacher entirely autobiography albeit different names characters change setting explains emotions detailed book reflected time death bolstered successes tried hand journal indian thought help uncle car salesman managed thousand subscribers madras city venture long inability manage ceased publication year collection short stories days published november followed english teacher cut england war started publishing company naming publishing company success active managed granddaughter soon devoted readership stretching new_york moscow books started selling started building house outskirts house completed busy years english teacher writings took imaginative creative external style compared semi autobiographical tone earlier novels effort book exhibiting modified approach draws experiences particularly aspect starting journal makes marked movement away earlier novels biographical events soon published financial expert considered masterpiece hailed original works fiction inspiration novel true story financial genius related brother novel waiting loosely based fictional visit deals protagonist romantic feelings woman attends visiting woman named loose parody india focus novel includes significant references indian independence movement focus life ordinary individual narrated usual dose irony works published united_states time later relinquished rights writings bring social structures views february arranged daughter wedding following orthodox hindu rituals wedding began travelling occasionally continuing write words day road guide written visiting united_states maintained daily journal later serve foundation book diary time visit england met friend mentor time return india guide published book representative writing skills elements ambivalent expression coupled like conclusion book won award occasionally known form thoughts way essays published newspapers journals sunday collection essays work published book soon diary describing experiences visit united_states published included collection essay writing guide novel published book reviewed having narrative classical art form comedy delicate control launch book restless took travelling visited australia spent weeks adelaide sydney melbourne giving lectures indian literature trip funded fellowship time achieved significant success literary financial large house wrote study fewer windows drove new luxury india time visit daughter moved marriage success india abroad started writing columns magazines newspapers including hindu atlantic published mythological work gods demons collection rewritten translated short stories hindu like works book illustrated younger brother stories included selective list chosen basis powerful protagonists impact lasting reader knowledge book launch took travelling abroad earlier essay written americans wanting understand spirituality visit swedish american actress topic despite denial knowledge published work novel inspired american visits consists extreme indian american stereotypes drawing cultural differences displays characteristic comedy narrative book reviewed lacking depth year travelled england received honorary years quiet period published book collection short stories horse goats remembered promise dying uncle started translating english published years work immediately publishing started working condensed translation sanskrit epic researching writing epic published book painter signs bit longer makes marked change works deals hitherto subjects sex development protagonist character similar earlier creations published later years commissioned government write book promote tourism state work published larger government publication late 1970s thought deserved better republished indian thought publications book contains personal perspective local history heritage characters creations misses enjoyable narrative year elected honorary member letters won medal time works translated chinese time published novel tiger tiger relationship humans novel man published tale aspiring journalist time published collections short stories days revised edition including original book stories tree stories new collection completed collection essays topics diverse system nobel prize winners love collection included essays written newspapers magazines living developed interest agriculture bought acre agricultural land tried hand farming prone walking market afternoon buying things interact people typical afternoon stop steps greet likely gathering material book nominated upper house contributions literature entire year term focused issue plight school children especially heavy load school books negative effect system child creativity highlighted debut novel friends inaugural speech focused particular problem resulted formation committee chaired recommend changes school educational system published novel world set age shows work appears skip narrative details included written earlier career soon finished novel fell ill moved madras close daughter family years daughter died cancer granddaughter started taking care addition managing indian thought publications published final book grandmother tale book autobiographical great grandmother travelled far wide find husband ran away shortly marriage story narrated grandmother child final years fond conversation spend evening publisher hindu drinking coffee talking topics past midnight despite fondness meeting talking people stopped giving interviews interviews result interview time spend days hospital dragged city photographs article hospitalised hours planning writing novel story grandfather selective choice asked better started novel died age literary review writing style writing technique natural element humour focused ordinary people reminding reader door neighbours cousins like providing greater ability relate topic unlike national contemporaries able write indian society having modify characteristic simplicity conform trends fiction writing employed use nuanced prose gentle tamil overtones based nature characters critics considered indian similarities writings simplicity gentle beauty humour tragic situations considered similar indian writer new_yorker considered writings realism variety according winner short stories feeling novels pages long taking minutes read adds title sentence end provides reader struggle achieve hundreds pages complete insight lives characters characteristics abilities led classify belonging short story include connor compares guy ability narrative losing story common themes middle class life written vision critics noted writings tend descriptive objective style rooted detached spirit providing authentic realistic narration attitude coupled perception life provided unique ability fuse characters actions ability use ordinary events create connection mind reader significant contributor writing style creation stereotypical small town standard norms tradition apply writing style compared works brought humour energy ordinary life displaying similarities extended demands society approach subjects similar methods different illustrated points immense prose simple realistic capturing elements fictional semi urban town southern india created town september day start new efforts chosen grandmother mentioned later interview biographers susan mind saw railway station slowly came town created historical record dating days noted lord passed said visited town travels provided strict physical constraints town allowed form shape events stories reference point future scholar works created map based fictional town books stories evolved changing political landscape india 1980s india dictated changing british names towns removal british landmarks mayor city council removed long standing statue early residents showed proof strong support indian independence movement council forced earlier actions good comparison place characterised familiar road like looks works town gets better definition different novels stories critical reception broke help reading took work agent book instrumental changing title appropriate friends finding publishers books early works commercial successes authors time began notice trip asked meet people heard actually effect meeting subsequently read dark room wrote expressing admiration contemporary writer took liking early works author shared dry humorous narrative labeled south indian critics despite popularity reading public fellow writers work received critical exploration accorded writers stature success united_states came little later started publishing books visit country fellowship universities including time noticed work compared review works published new_yorker called writer breed writer citizen identifies completely subjects belief significance humanity having published novels essays short stories credited bringing indian writing rest world regarded india greatest writers twentieth century critics described writings charming harmless come criticism later writers particularly indian origin classed writings having pedestrian style shallow vocabulary narrow vision according subjects similar deal small section society adds prose able subjects similar opinion held characterizes writings pedestrian naive simplicity language combined lack complexity emotions characters general perception involve writings politics problems india mentioned columns according new_yorker writings simple display lack interest politics delivers narrative technique dealing subjects entirely avoid letting words play reader mind vice chancellor says wrote political topics context subjects unlike dealt political structures problems time book english says fact completely ignored british rule focused private lives characters political statement declaring independence influence west simplicity writing received biographers wrote narrative comedic art inclusive vision informed illusion human action multiple booker nominee classes writings realism cardinal sins according works individual private entity public concept innovation called addition early works important english language fiction india innovation provided western readers works english infused eastern hindu perspective mason holds view assessment write editorials events describes actual feelings applies equally awards honours won numerous awards course literary career major award award guide book film received award best story received republic day honours awarded medal british royal society literature honorary member elected honorary member letters nominated nobel prize literature multiple times won honour recognition came form honorary end career nominated upper house year term starting contributions indian literature year death awarded india second highest civilian honour legacy greatest achievement making india accessible outside world literature regarded leading english language indian fiction writers gave readers look forward residents considered best india produced brought small town india audience manner believable fictional town india characters attitudes making situation familiar reader backyard google commemorated birthday featuring showing copy days shall meet thought comes close novel wait novel wait door loved streets excitement certainty pleasure stranger approaching past bank cinema saloon stranger greet know unexpected revealing phrase open door human existence list works mythology short story collections adaptations book guide adapted film guide hindi movie directed english language version released happy way film book wrote column life magazine guide criticising film book adapted broadway play staged playing lead role music score novel tamil film miss starring hindi version produced novel financial expert movie short stories adapted actor director television series days happy adaptations complimented producers sticking storyline books
R. K. Narayan