Vol. 1, Issue 4, Part A (2019)

If Indo-Anglian novel has secured a place of prestige, it is mainly the result of contribution of the leading writers like Anand, Narayan and Raja Rao. Each of them has contributed in his own way to the rich thought and technique of the form. If Anand's strength lies in the pathos of the lives of his characters, Narayan's forte is genial ironic comedy. The perennial appeal of Narayan as a novelist is due to his genius for humour. The sympathetic humour and broad humanity of Narayan has no parallel in Indo-Anglian fiction. In his novels and short stories Narayan creates a world of sunshine and laughter, a happy. Warm and compassionate humanity under whose shade eccentric individuals polish their absurdities, If Anand has power and amplitude, Narayan has the gift of healthy, refreshing, invigorating humour, compassionate, sympathetic and even profound. R.K. Narayan is now regarded as one of the greatest Indian writers in English. He is the most artistic of the Indian writers, his sole aim being to give aesthetic satisfaction, and not to use his art as a medium of propaganda or to serve some social purpose, as is the case with Mulk Raj Anand.