What can I say about Malgudi Days? Malgudi is a fictional Indian town created by R.K. Narayan, conceived in such realistic detail that the University of Chicago Press once mistakenly put it in their atlas. But can you blame them? Most of Narayan's works take place in Malgudi, and the more you read about the place, the more you start to feel like it exists — that you might like to visit it someday, too."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..."— Graham GreeneIn this short story collection, Narayan introduces us to a number of characters who inhabit Malgudi, each with their own conflicts. Some are strictly worldly predicaments, while some verge on magical realism.The stories are brief, but immensely satisfying. You'd never guess that they were written over the course of four decades — from the '40s to the '80s — because the book is so wonderfully cohesive as a whole. As much as I enjoy short stories, there are very few collections/anthologies I can think of that maintain the same level of quality throughout: it seems like there are always a few stories you have to slog through in between the really good ones. In Malgudi Days, that isn't the case. You may not necessarily sympathize with every character's plight, but each tale carries its own intrigue. As far as I'm concerned, there's no weak link here.But don't just take my word for it! My copy of this book includes an introduction by the infallible Jhumpa Lahiri. "The concentration of Narayan's prose is astonishing," she writes. "While other writers rely on paragraphs and pages to get their points across, Narayan extracts the full capacity of each sentence, so much so that his stories seem bound by an invisible yet essential mechanism, similar to the metrical and quantitative constraints of poetry."There you have it: poetic sensibilities concentrated into prose so potent that it only takes a few pages to tell each well-rounded tale.I loved reading this book. I'd recommend it to anyone looking to dip their toes into SA lit, just as much as I would to anyone already immersed in the genre who needs to catch up on some of the classics (as I do.) I'm enchanted by Malgudi's spell, and I'm already perusing online bookstores to arrange for my next visit back.
A collection of short stories from the bustling town of Malgudi, 'Malgudi Days' is a conglomeration of humour, satire, simplicity and perfection. A literary sorcerer, Narayan breathes in life into his impeccable stories. Indeed preserved for posterity. The varied collection of short stories is embellished with Narayan’s signature humour and the natural serene setting makes the stories all the more captivating. While some left me laughing out loud other doused me in gloom. 'An Astrologer’s Day', the first story in the collection is witty and shrouded in suspense and the impostor soothsayer does manage to make a prediction towards the end. 'The Blind Dog' is a poignant tale of an unending devotion of a little mongrel towards a blind beggar. My heart went out for the beast and the painful sacrifice of losing his freedom. 'The Axe' is a haunting and moving tale of the relationship between Velan, a keen gardener, and his plants. 'Gateman’s Gift' is hysterical. A gatekeeper’s uncanny approach towards a telegram that leads to the ruin of his craftsmanship has been ingeniously narrated. In fact each one of the stories manage to leave an impact that does not dissuade easily. Most of the stories are brief save a couple but the idea withheld within the brief plot is immense. It is a wonder that Narayan can squeeze in so much beauty and density in the course of a few short sentences. Again, highly recommended.
What do You think about Malgudi Days (2006)?
I loved this collection of short stories - RK Narayan ranks there with Chekov . The stories captured the essence of India and spirit of her people. Having studied and travelled there , I felt nostalgic reading about the lives of the households and street denizens of the fictional yet not-so-fictional town of Malgudi. Narayan's prose also steers away from pain, suffering and verbosity that sometimes dominates many Indian works. He paints it as simple and resilient Gerry picked this one for our Book Club - a good pick
—Bharathi
While reading this book, I virtually dwelt in the resplendent streets of ancient India where annas would earn bread for a family. Crispy short stories filled with irony and wittiest lines made my day.South Indian people, especially Tamilians would feel at home while going through the leaflets of the book. For others, it is better to flip through the glossary when a native word is encountered.I wish I would have visited Malgudi and passed through the Lawely road and Vinayak Mudali street after having breakfast at Boardless hotel, If it was not an imaginary place.
—Balaji Mahesh babu
Malgudi Days, written by R.K Narayan, chronicles the lives of people in the fictional town of Malgudi. The stories, which share the lives of everyone from entrepreneurs to beggars, all take place in and near this Indian village. Thus the heart and the soul of that village is on display and we find it is a place where most people are haunted by illiteracy and unemployment. Yet despite the ubiquity of the poor many of the stories come across with humorous good-natured episodes of their lives. Among the stories the reader meets an astrologer, a gatekeeper, and a young man yearning to pass the examinations. There are also animals including a forlorn dog who befriends a blind man and a ferocious tiger (perhaps a hint of Narayan's short novel, A Tiger for Malgudi). Above all there is a pervasive irony that reminded me of other short story stylists from O'Henry to Chekhov and Gogol. More often a character's dreams or expectations do not lead to the results he desires. This keeps the reader guessing as to what the next story will show in the lives of people who become endlessly fascinating, if only for the reason that you have met them before in your own town. In his introduction R. K. Narayan observes that "I can detect Malgudi characters even in New York: for instance, West Twenty-third Street . . possesses every element of Malgudi, with its landmarks and humanity remaining unchanged--"(p 2).Following publication of this collection, the stories in this book were made into both serials and cinema. Through these tales the author, R.K Narayan, captures the readers' heart with his journey through the village of Malgudi and its' not so unfamiliar denizens.
—James
