Swami and Friends is the first of a trilogy of novels written by R. K. Narayan

R. K. Narayan

R. K. Narayan , shortened from Rasipuram Krishnaswami Iyer Narayanaswami Tamil: ) , Madras Presidency, British India. His father was a school headmaster, and Narayan did some of his studies at his father's school...

, a celebrated English language

English language

English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...

 novelist from India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

. The novel, which is also Narayan's first, is set in pre-independence

Indian independence movement

The term Indian independence movement encompasses a wide area of political organisations, philosophies, and movements which had the common aim of ending first British East India Company rule, and then British imperial authority, in parts of South Asia...

 days in India, in a fictional town called Malgudi

Malgudi

Malgudi is a fictitious town in India created by R.K. Narayan in his novels and short stories. It forms the setting for most of Narayan's works. Starting with his first novel, Swami and Friends, all but one of his fifteen novels and most of his short stories take place here...

. The second book is The Bachelor of Arts and the third is The English Teacher

The English Teacher

The English Teacher is a 1945 novel written by R. K. Narayan. This is the third and final part in the series, preceded by Swami and Friends and The Bachelor of Arts ....

.

A paperback

Paperback

Paperback, softback or softcover describe and refer to a book by the nature of its binding. The covers of such books are usually made of paper or paperboard, and are usually held together with glue rather than stitches or staples...

 edition was issued in Chicago

Chicago

Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...

 by the University of Chicago Press

University of Chicago Press

The University of Chicago Press is the largest university press in the United States. It is operated by the University of Chicago and publishes a wide variety of academic titles, including The Chicago Manual of Style, dozens of academic journals, including Critical Inquiry, and a wide array of...

in 1980 with ISBN 0-226-56829-6. Many other editions have been issued in other countries by several other publishers.

Plot introduction

Swami and Friends is the story of ten-year old Swaminathan, a boy full of innocence, wonder, and mischief, and his experiences growing up in the fictional town of Malgudi. He is a student at the British-established Albert Mission School, which stresses Christianity, English literature, and the value of education. Life changes dramatically for young Swami when Rajam - a symbol of colonial power - joins the school, and becomes his close friend.

Review

Swami and Friends - Book Review