Book: The English Teacher
Author: R. K. Narayan
Genre: Fiction
Format: Paperback
R.K. Narayan, famous for giving us the idyllic, fictional town of Malgudi in southern India, made his way into our hearts and our homes years ago with his simple and heart-warming story-telling. How can we forget Swami and his friends and their stories that made for an important part of our growing up years? I remember staying glued to the tele when Swami came for a visit and took us along with him on his adventures in Malgudi; its signature tune “ta na na na nana naaa…” comes to mind as I type this post!
The English Teacher is almost an autobiographical novel. It’s about Krishna, the English teacher, who teaches at the Albert Mission College, in Malgudi. He lives at the hostel, while his wife and daughter live with his parents-in-law. Their move to a rented house permits the young couple to enjoy marital bliss. But, like all good things come to an end, their story, too, takes an unexpected turn.
Krishna’s eagerness to live an uncomplicated life, and his search for inner peace and self-development is what the story is all about.
My review:
I bought this book months ago, but couldn’t read beyond a few pages then. The setting of the Albert Mission College, and Krishna’s mundane life as an English teacher staying at the hostel failed to grab my attention. However, last week, I picked up the book again and began reading from the very beginning. It was then that I discovered its sheer beauty hidden in the simple, everyday life of people far removed from the fast, tech-savvy world we reside in. Suffice it to say, it felt like petrichor after months of scorching summer!
The idyllic setting of Malgudi, the young couple learning to live with each other and bring up their little one, it all felt so peaceful. How I wished I could move there, bag and baggage.
The language – so fluid, unostentatious – brings alive the world of Krishna. His disagreement with the education system that forces the students to learn a language meant to be savoured, and literary works meant to be celebrated, will resonate with many a teacher of today.
The ease with which R. K. Narayan weaves together sorrow and joy makes one wonder if it is really so easy – expressing the varied human emotions in words!
The atmosphere of the place grows on you, as do the characters you wish you could meet in real life.
R. K. Narayan transports you back to that time when innocence and simplicity really existed. The book was written in around 1945, so you can imagine the life back then. No, actually, we really can not! Krishna, his wife and daughter, their lives, their world, their journey…you will wish you could walk along with them and live those moments with them.
How I wish I could give you a sneak peek into the plot, but I will leave you guessing.
Do read this book. I am sure it will make you yearn for an uncluttered life in an idyllic, small town by the river side! Oh, and without a wifi connection, as well!
Krishna appears as a likeable person. I would like to pick this book up for reading. I think there will be only a few people who might not like RK Narayan’s works.
Last year I read The world of Nagaraj. It was simple and funny. The story goes on round and round, just like everyday life with no conclusive ending and still I found it interesting.
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True, Anamika! At times, we do find such stories boring, but there is something that holds our attention till the end. That’s the reason people are so fond of R.K.Narayan’s works.
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I was not aware of this book by RK Narayan, though I bought Malgudi Days to re-read it. RK Narayan’s stories paint the daily lives of people in the most visually colourful yet simple way and that’s simply a winning combination!
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Yes, Shilpa. The kind of modern literature we tend to read these days can get a bit too much at times, and a book such as this can sure have a calming effect!
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The simple life is what we miss in today’s fast paced world. The strolling instead of scrambling, easy going people with patient ears and warm hearts. The new age has made us more robotic than human and such stories take us back to our roots. Must add it to my TBR list. Loved the way you have described Krishna and his marital life without letting us in on the secret. A good review leaves us wanting for more and your review has whetted our appetites but left us ravenous for the entire dish. Superb writing, my friend.
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I wrote a book review after ages, Sulekha, and was frankly a tad nervous as I typed it. I wasn’t sure if I should reveal a few more details, or leave it as is. Your words are an assurance that it wasn’t as bad as I thought it had turned out.
Thank you so much, dear! You sure know how to lift someone’s morales! I really need to do reviews more often.
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R.K. Narayan is one of my favourite authors. I was pleasantly touched when a friend once told me my writing reminds me of his! Not true, of course because the elegance in his writing is quite unmatched.
But your review just reinforces my belief in that power he has in his storytelling.
I think that’s a fact that many writers of the pre-internet era can relate to. The lack of distraction, the simplicity of just being, the contentment with what we have. Now we have everything and more and people are never satisfied, always complaining and always finding fault with the way others behave. It saddens me. Having an opinion and sharing it all the time is not really necessary.
I sometimes think I don’t belong in this world. As much as I enjoy blogging, I infinitely enjoy reading and writing for its own sake and far removed from the instant connectivity that the world offers.
Okay, I seem to have rambled a lot!
Agree with Sulekha 🙂 I LOVED the review and immediately went looking for it on my Kindle but there’s no e-book version available. I’ll wait for it to come and add it to my reading list for this year 🙂
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I so agree with every word you say, Shailaja. I too wish we could just go back to that simple living, uncluttered lives and minds, and peaceful co-existing.
Thank you for rambling, sweetie. Metanoia is a place where such ramblings by dear friends is most welcome! And, enjoyed!
And, thank you for your comments about my review!
❤ I will be doing more reviews henceforth so I don't lose touch with this kind of writing. 🙂
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Sounds like a good book. I have never heard of this author, no doubt because I have lived most of my life in Africa. Thankful Thursday Week 2 Link-up.
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It is a good book, Shirley. R.K.Narayan was one of the finest writers of his generation and most widely read author.
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Sounds like a wonderful book! In this age of instant communication , we seem to have lost touch with the simplicity of life…with the little things that matter more than social media views. Reading the story of characters living in 1940s, now that would bring us a completely different perspective! Putting this on my alarmingly heigh TBR!
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Yes, Shinjini…do read it. The poignancy brought about by R. K. Narayan is touching and so is the mundaneness of everyday life brought alive by his words.
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Sometimes simple things in life helps us get focus back. Enjoyed this review of The English Teacher.
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Thank you, Amrita!
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I love reading RK Narayan’s books. They do have strong messages in the simplest and most mundane lives. I seemed to have missed this one. Will pick it up.
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Yes, Lata…do read this one…you will love it!
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I’ve only read R.K.N’s Malgudi Days till days, but this sounds like such a likeable earthy read. Thank you for the well detailed review, Shilpa. I’m adding this to my TBR now.
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Yes, do that, Soumya. I am sure you will like it! 🙂
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