Editing R. K. Narayan (section)

==Life and career==
===Early life===
[[File:R. K.  Narayan circa 1925-26.jpg|thumb|upright|left|R. K. Narayan, {{Circa|1925–26}}]]
R. K. Narayan was born in a [[Tamil language|Tamil]] [[Hindu]] family<ref>{{Cite web|date=2019-10-10|title=A pioneer of Indian literature, R.K.Narayan was a talent beyond Swami and Friends|url=https://theprint.in/theprint-profile/pioneer-indian-literature-rk-narayan-talent-beyond-swami-and-friends/303238/|access-date=2022-01-22|website=ThePrint|language=en-US|archive-date=1 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211101105329/https://theprint.in/theprint-profile/pioneer-indian-literature-rk-narayan-talent-beyond-swami-and-friends/303238/|url-status=live}}</ref> on 10 October 1906 in [[Madras]] (now Chennai, [[Tamil Nadu]]), [[British India]].<ref name="NYT Obit">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/05/14/books/r-k-narayan-india-s-prolific-storyteller-dies-at-94.html|title=R. K. Narayan, India's Prolific Storyteller, Dies at 94|last=Crossette|first=Barbara|date=14 May 2001|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=9 July 2009|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120326022300/http://www.nytimes.com/2001/05/14/books/r-k-narayan-india-s-prolific-storyteller-dies-at-94.html|archive-date=26 March 2012}}</ref> He was one of eight children; six sons and two daughters. Narayan was second among the sons; his younger brother Ramachandran later became an [[Film editing|editor]] at [[Gemini Studios]], and the youngest brother [[R. K. Laxman|Laxman]] became a cartoonist.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://sangam.org/tribute-rasipuram-krishnaswamy-r-k-laxman/ |title=Tribute to Rasipuram Krishnaswamy (R. K.) Laxman |last=Sri Kantha |first=Sachi |author-link=Sachi Sri Kantha |date=2 February 2015 |website=[[Ilankai Tamil Sangam]] |access-date=26 July 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170807113908/http://sangam.org/tribute-rasipuram-krishnaswamy-r-k-laxman/ |archive-date=7 August 2017 }}</ref><ref name="A flood of fond memories" /> His father was a school headmaster, and Narayan did some of his studies at his father's school. As his father's job entailed frequent transfers, Narayan spent a part of his childhood under the care of his maternal grandmother, Parvati.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-79277966.html|title=Gentle chronicler of the essence of small-town India|last=Sen|first=Sunrita|date=25 May 2001|newspaper=India Abroad|access-date=12 July 2009|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121105215057/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-79277966.html|archive-date=5 November 2012}}</ref> During this time, his best friends and playmates were a peacock and a mischievous [[monkey]].<ref name="Telegraph-obituary">{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1330139/R-K-Narayan.html|title=R K Narayan|date=14 May 2001|newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|access-date=25 July 2009|location=London|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130726233514/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1330139/R-K-Narayan.html|archive-date=26 July 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1974/06/12/archives/a-monkey-and-a-peacock-books-of-the-times-ahead-of-his-time-in-the.html|title=A Monkey and a Peacock; Books of The Times|date=12 June 1974|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=20 October 2009|first=Anatole|last=Broyard|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121106161428/http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F40D14FC3959127A93C0A8178DD85F408785F9|archive-date=6 November 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.hindu.com/yw/2005/07/08/stories/2005070803580200.htm|title=Remembering a writer par excellence|date=8 July 2005|newspaper=[[The Hindu]]|access-date=20 October 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121109062738/http://www.hindu.com/yw/2005/07/08/stories/2005070803580200.htm|archive-date=9 November 2012}}</ref>

His grandmother gave him the nickname of ''Kunjappa'', a name that stuck to him in family circles.{{Sfn|Rao|2004|p=13}} She taught him arithmetic, mythology, classical Indian music and [[Sanskrit]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2006/mar/18/featuresreviews.guardianreview24|title=The god of small things|last=[[Alexander McCall Smith]]|date=18 March 2006|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|access-date=10 July 2009|location=London|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140219005917/http://www.theguardian.com/books/2006/mar/18/featuresreviews.guardianreview24|archive-date=19 February 2014}}</ref> According to Laxman, the family mostly conversed in English, and grammatical errors on the part of Narayan and his siblings were frowned upon.<ref name="Peopling of Malgudi">{{cite magazine|url=http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?storyCode=160137&sectioncode=21|title=The peopling of Malgudi|last=Robinson|first=Andrew|date=2 May 1997|magazine=Times Higher Education|access-date=10 July 2009|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120923151256/http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?storyCode=160137&sectioncode=21|archive-date=23 September 2012}}</ref> While living with his grandmother, Narayan studied at a succession of schools in Madras, including the Lutheran Mission School in [[Purasawalkam]],<ref name="A flood of fond memories">{{cite news|url=http://www.hindu.com/2001/07/26/stories/13261282.htm|title=A flood of fond memories|last=Guy|first=Randor|date=26 July 2001|newspaper=[[The Hindu]]|access-date=12 July 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120611071411/http://www.hindu.com/2001/07/26/stories/13261282.htm|archive-date=11 June 2012}}</ref> C.R.C. High School, and the [[M. C. C. Higher Secondary School|Madras Christian College Higher Secondary School]].<ref name="Priyadarshan's tribute to R K Narayan">{{cite web|url=http://www.televisionpoint.com/news2006/newsfullstory.php?id=1141433462|title=Priyadarshan's tribute to R K Narayan|date=3 March 2006|publisher=Televisionpoint.com|access-date=12 July 2009|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120322125632/http://www.televisionpoint.com/news2006/newsfullstory.php?id=1141433462|archive-date=22 March 2012}}</ref> Narayan was an avid reader, and his early literary diet included [[Charles Dickens|Dickens]], [[P. G. Wodehouse|Wodehouse]], [[Arthur Conan Doyle]] and [[Thomas Hardy]].<ref name="Narayan days - Lahiri">{{cite magazine|url=http://bostonreview.net/BR31.4/lahiri.php|last=[[Jhumpa Lahiri]]|date=July–August 2006|title=Narayan Days: Rereading the master|magazine=[[Boston Review]]|issn=0734-2306|access-date=22 August 2009|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081120055428/http://bostonreview.net/BR31.4/lahiri.php|archive-date=20 November 2008}}</ref> When he was twelve years old, Narayan participated in a pro-independence march, for which he was reprimanded by his uncle; the family was apolitical and considered all governments wicked.<ref name="Master of small things">{{cite magazine|url=http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,128162,00.html|title=The Master of Small Things|last=[[V. S. Naipaul]]|date=28 May 2001|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|access-date=22 July 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090206170109/http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,128162,00.html|archive-date=6 February 2009}}</ref>

Narayan moved to [[Mysore]] to live with his family when his father was transferred to the Maharaja's College High School. The well-stocked library at the school and 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 (M.A.) 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.<ref name="A flood of fond memories"/> The experience made Narayan realise that the only career for him was in writing, and he decided to stay at home and write novels.<ref name="Reluctant centenarian">{{cite news|url=http://www.hindu.com/mag/2006/10/08/stories/2006100800050100.htm|title=Reluctant centenarian|date=8 October 2006|newspaper=[[The Hindu]]|access-date=23 August 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090708112249/http://www.hindu.com/mag/2006/10/08/stories/2006100800050100.htm|archive-date=8 July 2009}}</ref>{{Sfn|Walsh|1982|pp=13–16}} His first published work was a book review of ''Development of Maritime Laws of 17th-Century England''.{{Sfn|Datta|2007}} Subsequently, he started writing the occasional local interest story for English newspapers and magazines. Although the writing did not pay much (his income for the first year was nine rupees and twelve annas), he had a regular life and few needs, and his family and friends respected and supported his unorthodox choice of career.{{Sfn|Walsh|1982|p=18}} In 1930, Narayan wrote his first novel, ''[[Swami and Friends]]'',{{Sfn|Datta|2007}} an effort ridiculed by his uncle{{Sfn|Mehrotra|2003|p=[https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780231128100/page/196 196]}} and rejected by a string of publishers.<ref name="Peopling of Malgudi" /> With this book, Narayan created [[Malgudi]], a town that creatively reproduced the social sphere of the country; while it ignored the limits imposed by colonial rule, it also grew with the various socio-political changes of British and post-independence India.<ref>{{cite journal|last=George, R. M. |date=July 2003|title=Of Fictional Cities and "Diasporic" Aesthetics |journal=Antipode|publisher=Blackwell Publishing|volume=35|issue=3|pages=559–579|issn=0066-4812|doi=10.1111/1467-8330.00339|doi-access=free|bibcode=2003Antip..35..559G }}</ref>

[[File:RK Narayan and his wife Rajam.jpg|thumb|right|R. K. Narayan with his wife Rajam, {{circa|1935}}]]
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 many astrological and financial obstacles, Narayan managed to gain permission from the girl's father and married her.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Narasimhan|first=C. V.|date=26 May 2001|title=Remembering R. K. Narayan|journal=[[Frontline (magazine)|Frontline]]|publisher=[[The Hindu Group]]|location=[[Chennai]]|volume=18|issue=11|issn=0970-1710|url=http://www.hinduonnet.com/fline/fl1811/18111330.htm|url-status=usurped|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091120064622/http://www.hinduonnet.com/fline/fl1811/18111330.htm|archive-date=20 November 2009}}</ref> 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 [[Iyer|Brahmin Iyer]] in Narayan espousing their cause. The job brought him in contact with a wide variety of people and issues.{{Sfn|Walsh|1982|p=20}} 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.<ref name="Telegraph-obituary" /> Greene also counselled Narayan on shortening his name to become more familiar to the English-speaking audience.<ref name="Economist obituary">{{cite news|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-75020386.html|title=R. K. Narayan.(Obituary)|date=26 May 2001|newspaper=[[The Economist]]|access-date=10 July 2009|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121105215109/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-75020386.html|archive-date=5 November 2012}}</ref> The book was semi-autobiographical and built upon many incidents from his own childhood.{{Sfn|O'Neil|2004|p=1051}} Reviews were favourable but sales were few. Narayan's next novel ''[[The Bachelor of Arts]]'' (1937), was inspired in part by his experiences at college,<ref name="In memory of the Malgudy Man">{{cite news|url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/2006/20061008/spectrum/book6.htm|title=In memory of the Malgudi Man|last=Wattas|first=Rajnish|date=8 October 2006|newspaper=[[The Tribune (Chandigarh)|The Tribune]]|access-date=27 July 2009|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061107054308/http://www.tribuneindia.com/2006/20061008/spectrum/book6.htm|archive-date=7 November 2006}}</ref> and dealt with the theme of a rebellious adolescent transitioning to a rather well-adjusted adult;{{Sfn|Afzal-Khan|1993|p=[https://archive.org/details/culturalimperial00afza/page/29 29]}} it was published by a different publisher, again at the recommendation of Greene. His third novel, ''[[The Dark Room (Narayan novel)|The Dark Room]]'' (1938) was about domestic disharmony,{{Sfn|Prasad|2003|p=49}} 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 State|Mysore]] as he was not making any money.{{Sfn|Walsh|1982|pp=18–23}}

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 marriage]]s 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.{{Sfn|Prasad|2003|pp=50, 85}}

Rajam died because of [[typhoid]] in 1939.<ref name="A man-reader in Malgudi">{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/books-a-manreader-in-malgudi-the-indian-writer-r-k-narayan-tells-tim-mcgirk-about-his-many-misadventures-1485412.html|title=Books: A man-reader in Malgudi|last=McGirk|first=Tim|date=17 July 1993|newspaper=[[The Independent]]|access-date=12 July 2009|location=London|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121111065554/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/books-a-manreader-in-malgudi-the-indian-writer-r-k-narayan-tells-tim-mcgirk-about-his-many-misadventures-1485412.html|archive-date=11 November 2012}}</ref> Her death affected Narayan deeply and he remained depressed for a long time. He never remarried in his life; 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]]''.{{Sfn|Datta|2007}} This book, like his first two books, is autobiographical, but more so, and completes an unintentional thematic trilogy following ''Swami and Friends'' and ''The Bachelor of Arts''.{{Sfn|Ramtake|1998|p=20}}<ref name="Flirting with adolescence">{{cite news|url=http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/fr/2003/03/14/stories/2003031400960300.htm |title=Flirting with adolescence |last=Sebastian |first=Pradeep |date=14 March 2003 |newspaper=[[The Hindu]] |access-date=2 August 2009 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080225190921/http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/fr/2003/03/14/stories/2003031400960300.htm |archive-date=25 February 2008 }}</ref> In subsequent interviews, Narayan acknowledges that ''The English Teacher'' was almost entirely an autobiography, albeit with different names for the characters and the change of setting in Malgudi; he also explains that the emotions detailed in the book reflected his own at the time of Rajam's death.{{Sfn|Walsh|1982|p=55}}

Bolstered by some of his successes, in 1940, Narayan tried his hand at a journal, ''Indian Thought''.<ref name="Yeah2006">{{cite news|url=http://www.hindu.com/lr/2006/12/03/stories/2006120300140300.htm|title=Meeting Mr. Narayan|last=O'Yeah|first=Zac|date=3 December 2006|access-date=26 August 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071127165241/http://www.hindu.com/lr/2006/12/03/stories/2006120300140300.htm|newspaper=[[The Hindu]]|archive-date=27 November 2007}}</ref> With the help of his uncle, a car salesman, Narayan managed to get more than a thousand subscribers in [[Madras]] city alone. However, the venture did not last long due to Narayan's inability to manage it, and it ceased publication within a year.{{Sfn|Narayan|1992|p=7}} His first collection of short stories, ''[[Malgudi Days (book)|Malgudi Days]]'', was published in November 1942, followed by ''[[The English Teacher]]'' in 1945. In between, being cut off from England due to the war, Narayan started his own publishing company, naming it (again) [[Indian Thought Publications]]; the publishing company was a success and is still active, now managed by his granddaughter.<ref name="Reluctant centenarian" /> Soon, with a devoted readership stretching from New York to Moscow, Narayan's books started selling well and, in 1948, he started building his own house on the outskirts of Mysore; the house was completed in 1953.{{Sfn|Walsh|1982|p=24}} Around this period, Narayan wrote the story for the Gemini Studios film ''[[Miss Malini]]'' (1947), which remained the only story written by him for the screen that came to fruition.<ref name="A flood of fond memories" />

===The busy years===
After ''The English Teacher'', Narayan's writings took a more imaginative and creative external style compared to the semi-autobiographical tone of the earlier novels. His next effort was the first book exhibiting this modified approach. However, it still draws from some of his own experiences, particularly the aspect of starting his own journal; he also makes a marked movement from his earlier novels by intermixing biographical events.{{Sfn|Walsh|1982|p=62}} Soon after, he published ''[[The Financial Expert]]'', considered to be his masterpiece and hailed as one of the most original works of fiction in 1951.{{Sfn|Ramtake|1998|p=39}}{{Sfn|Sundaram|1973|p=74}} The inspiration for the novel was a true story about a financial genius, ''Margayya'', related to him by his brother.{{Sfn|Pousse|1995|p=76}} The next novel, ''[[Waiting for the Mahatma]]'', loosely based on a fictional visit to Malgudi by [[Mahatma Gandhi]], deals with the protagonist's romantic feelings for a woman, when he attends the discourses of the visiting Mahatma. The woman, named Bharti, is a loose parody of [[Bharat Mata|Bharati]], the personification of India and the focus of Gandhi's discourses. While the novel includes significant references to the [[Indian independence movement]], the focus is on the life of the ordinary individual, narrated with Narayan's usual dose of irony.{{Sfn|Ramtake|1998|pp=47–48}}

[[File:RKNarayan-AnthonyWest-LyleBlair.gif|left|thumb|alt=Three men standing and having a conversation. All three men are wearing suits.|Lyle Blair of [[Michigan State University Press]] (Narayan's U.S. publisher), Narayan and [[Anthony West (author)|Anthony West]] of ''[[The New Yorker]]'']]
In 1953, 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]].<ref name="A Man Called Vasu">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1961/02/12/archives/a-man-called-vasu-the-maneater-of-malgudi-by-rk-narayan-250-pp-new.html|title=A Man Called Vasu; THE MAN-EATER OF MALGUDI|date=12 February 1961|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=26 August 2009|first=Donald|last=Barr|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121106161435/http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F00711FC3F5D1B728DDDAB0994DA405B818AF1D3|archive-date=6 November 2012}}</ref> While Narayan's writings often bring out the anomalies in social structures and views, he was himself a traditionalist; in February 1956, Narayan arranged his daughter's wedding following all orthodox [[Hinduism|Hindu]] rituals.{{Sfn|Ramtake|1998|p=128}} After the wedding, Narayan began travelling occasionally, continuing to write at least 1500 words a day even while on the road.{{Sfn|Walsh|1982|p=24}} ''[[The Guide]]'' was written while he was visiting the United States in 1956 on the Rockefeller Fellowship. While in the U.S., Narayan maintained a daily journal that was to later serve as the foundation for his book ''[[My Dateless Diary]]''.{{Sfn|Iyengar|1973|p=359}} Around this time, on a visit to England, Narayan met his friend and mentor Graham Greene for the first and only time.<ref name="A man-reader in Malgudi" /> On his return to India, ''The Guide'' was published; the book is the most representative of Narayan's writing skills and elements, ambivalent in expression, coupled with a riddle-like conclusion.{{Sfn|Mathur|1993|p=91}} The book won him the [[Sahitya Akademi Award]] in 1960.<ref name="sahitya-akademi.gov.in">{{citation|url=http://sahitya-akademi.gov.in/awards/akademi%20samman_suchi.jsp#ENGLISH|title=Sahitya Akademi Award List by the Indian Government|access-date=20 May 2021|archive-date=3 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190403104944/http://sahitya-akademi.gov.in/awards/akademi%20samman_suchi.jsp#ENGLISH|url-status=live}}</ref>

Occasionally, Narayan was known to give form to his thoughts by way of essays, some published in newspapers and journals, others not. ''[[Next Sunday]]'' (1960), was a collection of such conversational essays, and his first work to be published as a book.{{Sfn|Ramtake|1998|p=xiii}} Soon after that, ''[[My Dateless Diary]]'', describing experiences from his 1956 visit to the United States, was published. Also included in this collection was an essay about the writing of ''The Guide''.{{Sfn|Iyengar|1973|p=359}}{{Sfn|Rao|2004|p=48}}

Narayan's next novel, ''[[The Man-Eater of Malgudi]]'', was published in 1961. The book was reviewed as having a narrative that is a classical art form of comedy, with delicate control.<ref name="A Man Called Vasu" /> After the launch of this book, the restless Narayan once again took to travelling, and visited the U.S.<ref name="Reluctant centenarian" /> and Australia. He spent three weeks in [[Adelaide]], Sydney and [[Melbourne]] giving lectures on Indian literature. The trip was funded by a fellowship from the Australian Writers' Group.{{Sfn|Sales-Pontes|1983}} By this time Narayan had also achieved significant success, both literary and financial. He had a large house in Mysore, and wrote in a study with no fewer than eight windows; he drove a new [[Mercedes-Benz]], a luxury in India at that time, to visit his daughter who had moved to [[Coimbatore]] after her marriage. With his success, both within India and abroad, Narayan started writing columns for magazines and newspapers including ''[[The Hindu]]'' and ''[[The Atlantic]]''.{{Sfn|Rao|2004|pp=22–23}}

In 1964, Narayan published his first mythological work, ''[[Gods, Demons and Others]]'', a collection of rewritten and translated short stories from [[Hindu]] epics. Like many of his other works, this book was illustrated by his younger brother [[R. K. Laxman]]. The stories included were a selective list, chosen on the basis of powerful protagonists, so that the impact would be lasting, irrespective of the reader's contextual knowledge.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FB0816FD355F147A93CAA9178AD95F408685F9|title=It's All in the Telling; Gods, Demons and Others|date=8 November 1964|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=2 September 2009|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121021144602/http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FB0816FD355F147A93CAA9178AD95F408685F9|archive-date=21 October 2012}}</ref> Once again, after the book launch, Narayan took to travelling abroad. In an earlier essay, he had written about the Americans wanting to understand spirituality from him, and during this visit, Swedish-American actress [[Greta Garbo]] accosted him on the topic, despite his denial of any knowledge.<ref name="Telegraph-obituary" />

Narayan's next published work was the 1967 novel, ''[[The Vendor of Sweets]]''. It was inspired in part by his American visits and consists of extreme characterizations of both the Indian and American stereotypes, drawing on the many cultural differences. However, while it displays his characteristic comedy and narrative, the book was reviewed as lacking in depth.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FB0C12FD345C14738DDDAD0994DD405B878AF1D3|title=Jagan's Surrender|date=14 May 1967|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=2 September 2009|first=Robin |last=White|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605080117/http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FB0C12FD345C14738DDDAD0994DD405B878AF1D3|archive-date=5 June 2011}}</ref> This year, Narayan travelled to England, where he received the first of his honorary doctorates from the [[University of Leeds]].{{Sfn|Badal|1976|p=3}} The next few years were a quiet period for him. He published his next book, a collection of short stories, ''[[A Horse and Two Goats]]'', in 1970.{{Sfn|Walsh|1982|pp=97–99, 172}} Meanwhile, Narayan remembered a promise made to his dying uncle in 1938, and started translating the [[Kamba Ramayanam]] to English. ''[[The Ramayana (R. K. Narayan)|The Ramayana]]'' was published in 1973, after five years of work.{{Sfn|Sundaram|1988|p=126}} Almost immediately after publishing ''The Ramayana'', Narayan started working on a condensed translation of the Sanskrit epic, the [[Mahabharata]]. While he was researching and writing the epic, he also published another book, ''[[The Painter of Signs]]'' (1977). ''The Painter of Signs'' is a bit longer than a novella and makes a marked change from Narayan's other works, as he deals with hitherto unaddressed subjects such as sex, although the development of the protagonist's character is very similar to his earlier creations. ''[[The Mahabharata (R. K. Narayan)|The Mahabharata]]'' was published in 1978.{{Sfn|Walsh|1982|pp=43, 153–154}}

===The later years===
Narayan was commissioned by the government of [[Karnataka]] to write a book to promote tourism in the state. The work was published as part of a larger government publication in the late 1970s{{Sfn|Sundaram|1988|p=132}} He thought it deserved better, and republished it as ''[[The Emerald Route]]'' (Indian Thought Publications, 1980).{{Sfn|Kain|1993|p=193}} The book contains his personal perspective on the local history and heritage, but being bereft of his characters and creations, it misses his enjoyable narrative.{{Sfn|Rao|2004|p=48}} The same year, he was elected as an honorary member of the [[American Academy of Arts and Letters]] and won the [[AC Benson Medal]] from the [[Royal Society of Literature]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-44707292.html|title=Storyteller Narayan Gone, But Malgudi Lives On|date=24 May 2001|publisher=Inter Press|access-date=8 September 2009|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121105215143/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-44707292.html|archive-date=5 November 2012}}</ref> Around the same time, Narayan's works were translated to Chinese for the first time.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.hindu.com/2006/10/13/stories/2006101304331500.htm|title=R. K. Narayan resonates across cultures|date=13 October 2006|newspaper=[[The Hindu]]|access-date=8 September 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081207200305/http://www.hindu.com/2006/10/13/stories/2006101304331500.htm|archive-date=7 December 2008}}</ref>

In 1983, Narayan published his next novel, ''[[A Tiger for Malgudi]]'', about a tiger and its relationship with humans.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2006/oct/09/tvandradio.radio|title=Pick of the day|date=9 October 2006|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|access-date=8 September 2009|location=London|first=Phil|last=Daoust|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140926021220/http://www.theguardian.com/media/2006/oct/09/tvandradio.radio|archive-date=26 September 2014}}</ref> His next novel, ''[[Talkative Man]]'', published in 1986, was the tale of an aspiring journalist from Malgudi.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/books/2008610146_internationalside11.html|title=More worlds in words|date=11 January 2009|newspaper=[[The Seattle Times]]|access-date=8 September 2009|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604114823/http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/books/2008610146_internationalside11.html|archive-date=4 June 2011}}</ref> During this time, he also published two collections of short stories: ''Malgudi Days'' (1982), a revised edition including the original book and some other stories, and ''[[Under the Banyan Tree and Other Stories]]'', a new collection.{{Sfn|Rao|2004|pp=50, 120}} In 1987, he completed ''[[A Writer's Nightmare]]'', another collection of essays about topics as diverse as the caste system, Nobel prize winners, love, and monkeys. The collection included essays he had written for newspapers and magazines since 1958.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/newsday/access/103392863.html?dids=103392863:103392863&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Jul+23%2C+1989&author=By+John+Gabree&pub=Newsday+(Combined+editions)&desc=PAPERBACKS+Artists+of+the+Essay&pqatl=google|title=PAPERBACKS Artists of the Essay|last=Gabree|first=John|date=23 July 1989|newspaper=[[Newsday]]|access-date=28 August 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121022102205/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/newsday/access/103392863.html?dids=103392863:103392863&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Jul+23,+1989&author=By+John+Gabree&pub=Newsday+(Combined+editions)&desc=PAPERBACKS+Artists+of+the+Essay&pqatl=google|archive-date=22 October 2012}}</ref>{{Sfn|Thieme|2007|p=215}}

Living alone in Mysore, Narayan developed an interest in agriculture. He bought an acre of agricultural land and tried his hand at farming.{{Sfn|Rao|2004|p=24}} He was also prone to walking to the market every afternoon, not so much for buying things, but to interact with the people. In a typical afternoon stroll, he would stop every few steps to greet and converse with shopkeepers and others, most likely gathering material for his next book.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?211789|title=Blue Hawaii Yoghurt|last=[[Khushwant Singh]]|date=28 May 2001|magazine=[[Outlook (Indian magazine)|Outlook]]|access-date=8 September 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101026134942/http://outlookindia.com/article.aspx?211789|archive-date=26 October 2010}}</ref>

In 1980, Narayan was nominated to the [[Rajya Sabha]], the upper house of the Indian Parliament, for his contributions to literature.<ref name="Storyteller Narayan Gone" /> During his entire six-year term, he was focused on one issue—the plight of school children, especially the heavy load of school books and the negative effect of the system on a child's creativity, which was something that he first highlighted in his debut novel, ''Swami and Friends''. His inaugural speech was focused on this particular problem, and resulted in the formation of a committee chaired by [[Yash Pal|Prof. Yash Pal]], to recommend changes to the school educational system.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1120557.cms|title=Leave Those Kids Alone: Committee recommends school curriculum reform|date=24 May 2005|newspaper=[[The Times of India]]|access-date=8 September 2009|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060523184835/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1120557.cms|archive-date=23 May 2006}}</ref>

In 1990, he published his next novel, ''[[The World of Nagaraj]]'', also set in Malgudi. Narayan's age shows in this work as he appears to skip narrative details that he would have included if this were written earlier in his career.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/chicagotribune/access/7841887.html?dids=7841887:7841887&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Jun+15%2C+1990&author=Seibold%2C+Douglas&pub=Chicago+Tribune&desc=A+Dithering+Hero+Slows+a+Novel&pqatl=google|title=A Dithering Hero Slows a Novel|date=15 June 1990|newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]]|access-date=8 September 2009|first=Douglas|last=Seibold|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121106142442/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/chicagotribune/access/7841887.html?dids=7841887:7841887&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Jun+15,+1990&author=Seibold,+Douglas&pub=Chicago+Tribune&desc=A+Dithering+Hero+Slows+a+Novel&pqatl=google|archive-date=6 November 2012}}</ref> Soon after he finished the novel, Narayan fell ill and moved to Madras to be close to his daughter's family.{{Sfn|Rao|2004|p=24}} A few years after his move, in 1994, his daughter died of cancer and his granddaughter Bhuvaneswari (Minnie) started taking care of him in addition to managing ''Indian Thought Publications''.<ref name="Telegraph-obituary" /><ref name="Reluctant centenarian" /> Narayan then published his final book, ''[[Grandmother's Tale]]''. The book is an autobiographical novella, about his great-grandmother who travelled far and wide to find her husband, who ran away shortly after their marriage. The story was narrated to him by his grandmother, when he was a child.<ref name="Independent, book review">{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/book-review--long-short-and-beautifully-formed-afternoon-raag--amit-chaudhuri-heinemann-1399-pounds-the-grandmothers-tale--r-k-narayan-heinemann-999-pounds-1484192.html|title=BOOK REVIEW: The Grandmother's Tale' – R K Narayan: Heinemann, 9.99 pounds|date=11 July 1993|newspaper=[[The Independent]]|access-date=30 August 2009|location=London|first=Karl|last=Miller|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121110171524/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/book-review--long-short-and-beautifully-formed-afternoon-raag--amit-chaudhuri-heinemann-1399-pounds-the-grandmothers-tale--r-k-narayan-heinemann-999-pounds-1484192.html|archive-date=10 November 2012}}</ref>

During his final years, Narayan, ever fond of conversation, would spend almost every evening with [[N. Ram]], the publisher of ''[[The Hindu]]'', drinking coffee and talking about various topics until well past midnight.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.hindu.com/mag/2008/06/01/stories/2008060150140500.htm|title=Memories of Malgudi Man|date=1 June 2008|newspaper=[[The Hindu]]|access-date=8 September 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081104075835/http://www.hindu.com/mag/2008/06/01/stories/2008060150140500.htm|archive-date=4 November 2008}}</ref> Despite his fondness of meeting and talking to people, he stopped giving interviews. The apathy towards interviews was the result of an interview with ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'', after which Narayan had to spend a few days in the hospital, as he was dragged around the city to take photographs that were never used in the article.<ref name="Yeah2006" />

In May 2001, Narayan was hospitalised. A few hours before he was to be put on a ventilator, he was planning on writing his next novel, a story about a grandfather. As he was always very selective about his choice of notebooks, he asked N. Ram to get him one. However, Narayan did not get better and never started the novel. He died a few days later on 13 May 2001, in [[Chennai]] at the age of 94.<ref name="Priyadarshan's tribute to R K Narayan" /><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.rediff.com/news/2001/may/15spec.htm|title=I'm giving you a lot of trouble|last=[[N. Ram]]|date=15 May 2001|work=[[Rediff.com]]|access-date=8 September 2009|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091004034951/http://www.rediff.com/news/2001/may/15spec.htm|archive-date=4 October 2009}}</ref>