A hero

Introduction

The hero, by R. K. Narayan, is a story about a boy who is afraid to sleep alone but is forced to do so by his father. But at the end of the day he emerges as a hero. Apart from sleeping alone he also catch a thief.

About the Author

R. K. Narayan (10 October 1906 – 13 May 2001), full name Rasipuram Krishnaswami Iyer Narayanaswami, was an Indian writer, novelist and short story writer, best known for his works set in the fictional South Indian town of Malgudi. He is one of three leading figures of early Indian literature in English (alongside Mulk Raj Anand and Raja Rao), and is credited with bringing the genre to the rest of the world.

The setting for most of Narayan's stories is the fictional town of Malgudi, first introduced in Swami and Friends. His narratives highlight social context and provide a feel for his characters through everyday life. He has been compared to William Faulkner, who also created a fictional town that stood for reality, brought out the humour and energy of ordinary life, and displayed compassionate humanism in his writing. Narayan's short story writing style has been compared to that of Guy de Maupassant, as they both have an ability to compress the narrative without losing out on elements of the story. Narayan's simple, direct and restrained prose style belies his cognitive profundity, his humour and his emotional depth. Narayan's wide ranging and prolific accomplishment has made a complete estimation of his achievement challenging, and he is widely admired as being amongst the most eminent Indian English language novelists and short story writers.

In a writing career that spanned over sixty years, Narayan received many awards and honours. These include the AC Benson Medal from the Royal Society of Literature and the Padma Vibhushan, India's second-highest civilian award. He was also nominated to the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of India's parliament.

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Assessment

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Additional Resources

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