The Man-Eater of Malgudi: R. K. Narayan

R. K. Narayan, an Indian writer, is the creator of the fictional town of Malgudi, in South India. He wrote many books and short stories about this town and its inhabitants. The first book he published was Swami and Friends, in 1935. Swami and Friends was rejected by many publishers in London, until Graham Greene read it and helped to get it published. The book I am reviewing, The Man-Eater of Malgudi, was published in 1961, and it is dedicated to Graham Greene, "to mark (more than) a quarter of a century of friendship."

Description from Goodreads:

This is the story of Nataraj, who earns his living as a printer in the little world of Malgudi, an imaginary town in South India. Nataraj and his close friends, a poet and a journalist, find their congenial days disturbed when Vasu, a powerful taxidermist, moves in with his stuffed hyenas and pythons, and brings his dancing-women up the printer's private stairs.

Vasu is a bully, who worms his way into some empty rooms over Nataraj's business. Nataraj is a man who cannot say "no," whose natural mode is to give in to all demands of his friends and business associates. This is the story of how Vasu affects the small town he moves into, and how the problem is dealt with.

My copy of this novel is in an edition that also includes A Tiger for Malgudi, published in 1984. There is an introduction by Pico Iyer, which was very useful to this novice reader of Narayan.

I found this book very interesting and enjoyable to read. The story affected me very much. I was easily irritated with Nataraj; I wanted to scream at him to stop giving in and placating Vasu. I was surprised by the ending. It was not so much a happy ending as a satisfactory ending.

I look forward to reading more stories of Malgudi by Narayan. I am not sure if I want to get one of the earlier novels first, or a book of short stories, or continue with A Tiger for Malgudi.

This book completes my requirements for the Global Reading Challenge. When I signed on for the Global Reading Challenge, Prashant at Chess, Comics and Crosswords suggested several Indian writers for me to try. I chose R.K. Narayan and was glad I did. This has been an entirely different reading experience for me.