3 Review(s)

The Cat and Shakespeare is a book about two friends and neighbours, Govindan Nair and Ramakrishna Pai. The quiet novel brings to life the raw texture of life in a small town in South India. Summary of the Book The story is narrated by Ramakrishna Pai, Govindan Nair’s quiet and nervous neighbour. Govindan Nair is a grounded philosopher and clerk. He tackles the problems that come with everyday life with great enthusiasm and with the help of an extraordinary common sense. His conclusions of most things in life are fresh and he is not orthodox like most people in his village. This trait of his always creates panic for Ramakrishna Pai, his neighbour and friend. This novel gives us an idea of what life in a small town in India is really about and brings out the humour in it. About Raja Rao Raja Rao was an Indian writer of English language novels and short stories. His works were deeply rooted in Hinduism. His work spans across a variety of genres and has brought about varied and significant contribution to Indian English literature and world literature. Raja Rao was awarded the Neustadt International Prize in Literature in the year 1988. The Serpent and the Rope made him one of the finest Indian prose stylists and eventually won him the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1964. In 1969, he won the Padma Bhushan and in 2007 he won the Padma Vibhushan.