A Tiger for Malgudi and the Man-Eater of Malgudi

Introduction by Pico Iyer
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$22.00 US
Penguin Adult HC/TR | Penguin Classics
40 per carton
On sale Jul 28, 2009 | 978-0-14-310580-0
Sales rights: US, Opn Mkt (no CAN)
Two comic gems from the father of modern Indian fiction- available in one volume for the first time

These two novels show R. K. Narayan at his best, offering enchanting tales of human absurdity that are also skillfully woven parables infused with Hindu mysticism. A Tiger for Malgudi is told from the point of view of the tiger Raja, now old and toothless, who looks back on his life in the circus and in films, and on his dramatic bid to escape the brutish human world in a quest for freedom. The Man-Eater of Malgudi is the story of Nataraj, a mild-mannered printer who stands up to Vasu, a pugnacious taxidermist, when Vasu begins to covet the beloved temple elephant for his collection.

For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.
" Narayan's comedy . . . is classical art, profound in feeling and delicate in control."
-The New York Times Book Review

"Narayan is a first-rate storyteller."
-The New Yorker

About

Two comic gems from the father of modern Indian fiction- available in one volume for the first time

These two novels show R. K. Narayan at his best, offering enchanting tales of human absurdity that are also skillfully woven parables infused with Hindu mysticism. A Tiger for Malgudi is told from the point of view of the tiger Raja, now old and toothless, who looks back on his life in the circus and in films, and on his dramatic bid to escape the brutish human world in a quest for freedom. The Man-Eater of Malgudi is the story of Nataraj, a mild-mannered printer who stands up to Vasu, a pugnacious taxidermist, when Vasu begins to covet the beloved temple elephant for his collection.

For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

Praise

" Narayan's comedy . . . is classical art, profound in feeling and delicate in control."
-The New York Times Book Review

"Narayan is a first-rate storyteller."
-The New Yorker