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My Days is the contemplative autobiography of the Indian writer, R. K. Narayan. Summary of the Book R.K. Narayan was a pioneer of English writing in India. He still represents the face of Indian writing in English the world over, and is popular for his interesting characters and ethnic stories that painted a fascinating picture of the pre-independence and post-independence India. My Days traces Narayan’s life journey up to the point when he became a well-established writer. It starts with his childhood days and proceeds on to his struggle to find a publisher, and then his ensuing success and popularity. R.K. Narayan grew up at his grandmother’s house in Madras. He remembers the days he spent in the garden of the house playing with his pet peacock, his first experiences of school, initial fear of the teachers, and trying to be as unnoticeable as possible. He then describes his life in Mysore, his college days there, and his long walks in the city, especially around the Chamundi Hills. This begins another phase in his life, as he settles down in the beautiful city. He becomes a teacher after graduation. Meanwhile, in spite of the opposition from his father, he tries to establish himself as a writer. Although he failed to find a publisher initially, his manuscript of the now celebrated Swami and Friends had come to the attention of writer Graham Greene, who had convinced his publisher to pick up the book. R.K. Narayan also shares his poignant love story. His married bliss with Rajam ends in tragedy when she dies a few years later from typhoid. He talks about his time in the US, when he visited the country at the invitation of the Rockefeller Foundation. It was during this period that he wrote The Guide, which was also made into a major Hindi feature film. My Days is an interesting and compelling memoir of a literary genius. About R. K. Narayan R. K. Narayan was born in Madras in 1906, and was educated there and at the Maharaja’s College in Mysore. His first novel, Swami and Friends, and the next, The Bachelor of Arts, are both set in the fascinating imaginary territory of Malgudi. Narayan’s work, The Guide, won him the Sahitya Akademi Award, the country’s highest literary honour. Narayan has also authored other collections of short stories, including A Horse and Two Goats, Malgudi Days, and Under the Banyan Tree. He has penned travel books, essays, memoirs, and has re-told legends like The Ramayana and The Mahabharata. In the year 1980, he was honoured with the A.C. Benson Medal by the Royal Society of Literature. R. K. Narayan passed away in 2001.