Under the Banyan Tree & Other Stories

Description

A delightful collection from India's foremost storyteller, Under the Banyan Tree adds twenty-eight tales of the rich and colorful heritage of R K Narayan's fictional south Indian city, Malgudi. Narayan's characters, observed with a wry and compassionate eye, come from every area of Indian society - merchants, beggars, herdsmen, hermits, teachers, rogues - and represent in miniature a wealth of human experience. A rebellious young man refuses to honour a vow made by his parents in an ancestral temple long ago in Nitya. A shopkeeper is made bankrupt by a charming stranger in A Career. In other tales, a schoolteacher indulges for one traumatic day in the luxury of telling the truth; a nervous small boy, forced to sleep alone to prove his courage, catches a burglar; a browbeaten clerk triumphs over his stars, and a ghost is laid to rest. Outstanding in this superb book is the masterpiece A Horse and Two Goats, drawn from a collection now no longer available, and the marvelous title story, about the divine gift of storytelling itself. Like the storyteller in Under the Banyan Tree, R K Narayan is an enchanter, a weaver of words who keeps his audience spellbound with the rhythms and haunting images of his tales. Drawn from the market-place, the mountainside, the dusty street, the river bank, these gentle, ironic, finely observed stories of village and city life demonstrate the power of fiction at its best. Review: The best short stories from the author. - The writing and the characters stand out when it comes to R. K. Narayan's books. This collection of short stories didn't disappoint me at all. The stories talk about rural livelihoods, the fast changing times, generation gap and the obsolete beliefs of the old times. The debate in most of these stories are about the ideals most of us believe we have versus the ones we disapproved of at others'; the younger generation vs the older generations; the rural life vs the urban life; Twenty-eight short stories in all, each story is delightful to read and has something important to say about the society we live in. My most favourites in this collection are *A Horse and Two Goats: poverty and old age; language barrier *The Roman Image: irony regarding fame and hard work *A Career: frauds and fate *Old Man of the Temple: gave me goosebumps; creepy but witty *A Hero: relatable childhood story *Dodu: love this resourceful, innocent kid *Another Community: communal riots *Like the Sun: is truth worth it? *Chippy: tale of a dog *A Breath of Lucifer: introspection of one's life, a mysterious character *The Mute Companions *Four Rupees *Fruition at Forty *Crime and Punishment *Half a Rupee Worth I liked reading each and every story. Each story has something different to tell and something to learn from. A must read collection. Review: For all book lovers, this book is ideal for teenagers and adults - RK Narayan presents his stories in simple and easy to understand language. You won't require a dictionary to understand the language he uses. This is a wonderful collection of short stories that're timeless and can be enjoyed by people of all ages. I also recommend this book for everyone that wants to improve their written and spoken English. Under the Banyan Tree & Other Stories also makes a superb travel companion and you will enjoy the book during short or long journeys. It would make a wonderful collection to any personal library or book collection. And it's also ideal as a gift for all occasions for people of all ages. This is a timeless book that everyone would definitely love and enjoy. Worth the price, Go for it- for yourself or as a gift to someone.