Customer Reviews

Under the Banyan Tree and Other Stories

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This book is in the same mold as "Malgudi Days". Some stories ,like the title story & "Dodu" are pure gems. I read and re-read this book and still found them as fresh.The characters ,the situations are so real that one wonders whether the author picked them out of his own experiences.

'Under the Banyan Tree', a collection of 28 short stories published late in R.J. Narayan's career in 1985, demonstrates the warmth, humor, and simplicity that made him so beloved. The tales are set in and around fictional Malgudi and include a number of stories featuring the Talkative Man.

Narayan's works are sometimes criticized by the literati - but see also a 2001 New York Review of Books essay titled 'The Great Narayan' by Pankaj Mishra. Pick up 'Under the Banyan Tree', read a short story, and make up your own mind. I think you'll be warmly rewarded.

Narayan was a great writer. I like best ths story titled "anamalai", "Breath of Lucifer" and of course "Under the banyan tree" itself. Some of those short stories are so easy to understand, some are so deep, so i have to read it carefully to get the skillfully written rethorics. It's a classics, worth buying and kept for lifetime.

Now I see why Narayanan is regarded as a fine author, FINALLY (I read a disappointing "Waiting for the Mahatma" before)! These set of short stories capture the essence of rural India so well that Adiga's book -- Between Assassinations -- seems to pale in comparison. Narayanan's narrative is elegant, simple and crisp. There are wonderful stories here, some of which barely span two pages but are so deeply etched in my memory, and are so well connected with the Indian-psyche that I cannot help but marvel at the transformation of my opinion of Narayanan in a matter of a book! I am happy now...I can read more of Narayanan. I think the key is to read his shorter works rather than his novels -- though I am curious to try out the Malgudi days novels.