R.K. Narayan is one of the most prominent Indian novelists of the twentieth century. Born in 1906, Narayan was the recipient of the National Prize of the Indian Literary Academy, India's highest literary honor. His numerous works Mr. Sampath - The Printer of Malgudi, Swami and Friends, Waiting for Mahatma and Gods, Demons and Others, all published by the University of Chicago Press.At the age of fifty, when most people have settled for the safety of routine, R. K. Narayan left India for the first time to travel through America. In this account of his journey, the writer's pen unerringly captures the clamour and energy of New York city, the friendliness of the West Coast, the wealth and insularity of the Mid-West, the magnificence of the Grand Canyon...Threading their way through the narrative are a host of delightful characters-from celebrities like Greta Garbo, Aldous Huxley, Martha Graham, Cartier Bresson, Milton Singer, Edward G. Robinson and Ravi Shankar to the anonymous business tycoon on the train who dismissed the writer when he discovered Narayan had nothing to do with India's steel industry. As a bonus, there are wry snapshots of those small but essential aspects of American life-muggers, fast food restaurants, instant gurus, subway commuters, TV advertisements, and American football. An entrancing and compelling travelogue about an endlessly fascinating land.
