Novel
The Guide
R. K. Narayan · 1958
Synopsis
Just released from prison, Raju settles for the night in an old temple beside a river. A peasant takes him for a sage and comes to consult him; willy-nilly, Raju takes on the role of spiritual guide that the whole village wants him to play. In alternation, he relives his past in Malgudi: the son of a station shopkeeper turned tourist guide, he met Rosie there, the neglected wife of an archaeologist and a passionate dancer, whom he helped become a famous dancer.
Context
The novel was published in 1958 in New York by Viking, then in London by Methuen. Vijay Anand brought it to the screen in 1965, with Dev Anand and Waheeda Rehman, in a Hindi version and an English version written by Pearl Buck; the author, displeased with the liberties taken, criticised them in an article in Life magazine. Harvey Breit and Patricia Rinehart adapted it for Broadway in 1968: the play, opened at the Hudson Theatre with Zia Mohyeddin and music by Ravi Shankar, ran for only a few performances.
Who it is for
A novel of about two hundred and twenty pages, alternating between two periods of the hero's life; the town of Malgudi recurs in many of the author's books, which can be read separately.
Prizes and reception
Winner of the Sahitya Akademi Award, the Indian Academy of Letters; regarded as one of its author's best novels.
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