The English Teacher
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. Please discuss this issue on the talk page or replace this tag with a more specific message. This article has been tagged since November 2006. |
| Author | R.K.Narayan |
|---|---|
| Country | India |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Autobiographical novel |
| Publisher | University of Chicago Press |
| Released | October 15, 1980 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 184 pp |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-226-56835-0 |
The English Teacher is a 1945 novel written by R.K.Narayan. This is the third & final part in the series which was preceded by Swami and Friends (1935) and The Bachelor of Arts (1937).
This novel, dedicated to Narayan's wife Rajam is not only autobiographical but also poignant in its intensity of feeling. The story is a series of experiences in the life of Krishna, an English teacher, and his quest towards achieving inner peace and self-development (Iranga Fernando, www.wmich.edu/dialogues/texts/englishteacher).
[edit] Plot introduction
Krishna is an English lecturer at the Albert Mission College. For several years he has enjoyed a bachelor's life, but this changes when his wife, Susila, and their child, Leela, move in with him. Krishna's life expands to include the happy domesticity of living with his wife and child: nearly half the novel focuses on the mundane joy of his day-to-day experiences with his family. However, one day Susila contracts typhoid after visiting a dirty lavatory and dies from the illness. Krishna is destroyed by his loss but receives a letter from a stranger indicating that Susila has been in contact with him and wishes to communicate with Krishna.
[edit] Literary significance & criticism
The synopsis at the back of 'The English Teacher' by Indian Thought Publications say, "Never has the magical storyteller of imaginary Malgudi woven tragedy and humour so deftly together."
[edit] Book information
A paperback edition was issued in Chicago by the University of Chicago Press in 1980 with ISBN 0-226-56835-0. Many other editions have been issued in other countries by several other publishers. It was published in the US as Grateful to Life and Death in 1953 by The Michigan State College Press.
| The Works of R. K. Narayan |
| Novels: Swami and Friends | The Bachelor of Arts | The English Teacher | Mr. Sampath - The Printer of Malgudi | The Financial Expert | Waiting for the Mahatma | The Guide | The Man-Eater of Malgudi | The Vendor of Sweets | The Painter of Signs | A Tiger for Malgudi | Talkative Man | The World of Nagaraj |
| Collections: The World of Malgudi |
| Short Stories: Dodu and Other Stories | Cyclone and Other Stories | An Astrologer's Day and Other Short Stories | Lawley Road and Other Stories | A Horse and Two Goats | Malgudi Days | Under the Banyan Tree and Other Stories | The Grandmother's Tale and Selected Stories |
| Non-Fiction: Next Sunday | My Dateless Diary | My Days | The Emerald Route | A Writer's Nightmare | Like The Sun |
| Mythology: Gods, Demons and Others | The Ramayana | The Mahabharata |
