The World of Nagaraj by R. K. Narayan
"The World of Nagaraj" by R. K. Narayan is a novel centered around the character Nagaraj, who aspires to write a biography of the mythological figure Narada, known for his storytelling and gossip. Despite his enthusiasm and dedication, Nagaraj struggles to complete his project, reflecting the challenges faced by aspiring writers who often get lost in planning rather than engaging in the act of writing. The narrative serves as a satirical exploration of Nagaraj’s character, who, while likable, is limited by his inability to immerse himself in the life around him. This irony highlights the complex relationship writers have with the world, needing both observation and participation to create meaningful work.
Set in the fictional town of Malgudi, the novel showcases the vibrancy of the locale and its inhabitants, along with a subplot involving family dynamics that signals a generational shift in values. As Nagaraj retreats further into his dreams, he embodies the theme of unfulfilled ambition, ultimately portraying the life of an ordinary man whose aspirations remain unrealized. Published later in Narayan's career, the work can be viewed as a reflective piece on his own journey as a storyteller, prompting readers to consider the nature of artistic fulfillment. Overall, "The World of Nagaraj" captures the essence of human experience, ambition, and the quiet complexities of life.
On this Page
The World of Nagaraj by R. K. Narayan
Excerpted from an article in Magill’s Survey of World Literature, Revised Edition
First published: 1990
Type of work: Novel
The Work
In The World of Nagaraj, the central character fancies himself as a man with a mission. Nagaraj does not fully understand the nature of this mission, even though he expends considerable energy pursuing it. His main purpose, he believes, is to write a biography of the mythological character Narada, who traveled through the human and heavenly worlds telling stories. No ordinary weaver of tales, Narada was a talented gossip whose revelations planted distrust and raised suspicion wherever he went.
In spite of having such excellent material at hand, Nagaraj can never complete his project, only make preparations. Thus the novel may be read on one level as a satiric examination of the would-be writer who talks about his or her plans, yet never settles down to work. Although a dilettante, Nagaraj still emerges as a likable character who comes to understand his own limitations. Perhaps Nagaraj’s greatest shortcoming lies in his inability to engage in the life around him, for he fails to grasp that in order to write about life he must immerse himself in the doings of his fellow human beings. Narayan thereby describes the irony that afflicts writers, who must not only observe and participate in the world but must also shut themselves away in order to practice their art.
Despite Nagaraj’s faults or pretensions, he emerges, as Narayan’s characters always do, as a thoroughly decent man. Altogether uncomplicated, he achieves nothing of significance, only dreams of the grand gesture, and at the end he retires satisfied as the most ordinary of men.
Published in Narayan’s eighty-fourth year, The World of Nagaraj could be read as a retrospective examination on the part of Narayan himself, who for more than sixty years told stories, much like the mythological character Narada. What, he might be asking, has he accomplished? Has he fulfilled his mission or, like Nagaraj, did he never fully grasp the nature of the mission? The novel may also be a kind of comic reminiscence of Narayan’s own struggles and misgivings in his long career.
In whatever manner The World of Nagaraj might be read—as satire on would-be writers, or as an aging storyteller’s reminiscence or self-examination—the novel is fully engaging. The sounds and smells and bustle of Malgudi, as well as those who people it, once more come alive in all their variety. Further, the subplot of family conflict between Nagaraj’s nephew and his domineering father suggests that changes are afoot in Malgudi as the youth rebel against traditional family discipline. As far as Nagaraj is concerned, he will simply ignore the noise of human activity around him. For at the end he makes his plans: “I shall also acquire a lot of cotton wool and try and pack it all in my ear so that even a thunderclap may sound like a whisper.” It is no small wonder, then, that Nagaraj fails as a writer.
Bibliography
Afzal-Khan, Fawzia. “R. K. Narayan: The Realm of Mythic Realism.” In Cultural Imperialism and the Indo-English Novel. University Park: Pennsylvania State University Press, 1993.
Jussawalla, Feroza. “When ’Sweet Mangoes’ Turn to ’Malt Vinegar.’” In International Literature in English: Essays on the Major Writers, edited by Robert L. Ross. New York: Garland, 1991.
Kain, Geoffrey, ed. R. K. Narayan: Contemporary Critical Essays. East Lansing: Michigan State University Press, 1993.
Kirpal, Viney. “An Analysis of Narayan’s Technique.” Ariel: A Review of International Literature 14, no. 4 (1983): 16-19.
Mason, Wyatt. “The Master of Malgudi.” The New Yorker 82, no. 42 (December 18, 2006): 86-91.
Mishra, Pankrah. “The Great Narayan.” The New York Review of Books 48, no. 3 (February 22, 2001): 44.
Olinder, Britta. “R. K. Narayan.” In A Readers Companion to the Short Story in English, edited by Erin Fallon et al. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 2001.
Sankaran, Chitra. Myth Connections: The Use of Hindu Myths and Philosophies in R. K. Narayan and Raja Rao. 2d rev. and enlarged ed. New York: P. Lang, 2007.
Walsh, William. R. K. Narayan: A Critical Appreciation. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1982.