The grandmother's tale and selected stories

Description

Characters include a storyteller whose magical source of tales dries up, a love-stricken husband who is told by astrologers he must sleep with a prostitute to save his dying wife, a pampered child who discovers that his beloved uncle may be an impostor or even a murderer. Standing supreme amid this rich assortment of stories is the title novella. Told by the narrator's grandmother, the tale recounts the adventures of her mother, married at seven and then abandoned, who crosses the subcontinent to extract her husband from the hands of his new wife. Her courage is immense and her will implacable -- but once her mission is completed, her independence vanishes. Gentle irony, wryly drawn characters, and themes at once Indian and universal mark these humane stories, which firmly establish Narayan as one of the world's prominent storytellers.

Description

For the new generation of readers about to discover India's R.K. Narayan, there could be no better introduction to his delightful writing than The Grandmother's Tale, a collection of new and selected stories celebrating a body of work that spans five decades. Standing supreme amidst this rich assortment of stories is the new title novella, brimming with Narayan's characteristic blend of masterful tragicomedy and revelatory domestic detail. As told by the narrator's grandmother, it recounts the adventures of her mother, married at ten and abandoned soon after, who spends the next twenty years tracking her runaway husband across the subcontinent to extract him from the hands of his new wife and life. Her immense courage and implacable will are the stuff of legend - but once her mission is completed, her independence vanishes. Other characters that leap from these pages include a storyteller whose magical source of tales dries up; a naive and love-stricken husband who, his astrologers say, must sleep with a prostitute in order to save his dying wife; a pampered child who discovers that his beloved uncle may be an imposter or even a murderer. . Gentle irony, wryly drawn characters, and themes at once Indian and universal mark these humane stories, which firmly establish Narayan as a peer of V.S. Pritchett, Richard Yates, and William Trevor.

Subjects

Other Editions

• The grandmother's tale and selected storiesViking1994-01-01
• The grandmother's tale and selected storiesEcco Press1999-01-01