S. Krishnan Book order (chronological)

A master of observation and gentle wit, R.K. Narayan brings to life the fictional town of Malgudi in South India, making it as real to readers as any actual location. This volume features three quintessential Malgudi novels: Swami and Friends, The Bachelor of Arts, and The Vendor of Sweets. The first, published in 1935, follows ten-year-old Swaminathan and his friends Rajam and Mani on their adventures, earning praise from Graham Greene as a "novel in ten thousand." The second novel, The Bachelor of Arts, delves into the mind of Chandran, a college student who falls in love and must leave Malgudi to find resolution to his emotional turmoil. The Vendor of Sweets presents a generational clash between Jagan, a widower committed to Gandhian values, and his modern son Mali, who returns with a half-American wife and ambitious plans for selling story-writing machines. This collection, part of Penguin India’s series of collectors’ editions, includes an introduction by S. Krishnan and is sure to captivate both new readers and long-time fans of Narayan.