R K Narayan

R K Narayan

6 Series • 52 Books

6
Series
52
Books
6
Active

🎯 Where Should I Start?

Best Starting Point
Publication Order of Standalone Novels
Start with: Swami and Friends (1935)
Popular Choice
Publication Order of Short Stories/Novellas
Start with: A Breath of Lucifer (1985)
Popular Choice
Publication Order of Collections
Start with: Indian Thought (2001)

All Book Series by R K Narayan

1
Swami and Friends book cover

Swami and Friends

Series opener · book 1 of 24 · published 1935

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1935
2
The Bachelor of Arts book cover

The Bachelor of Arts

Book 2 of 24 · published 1937

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1937
3
The Dark Room book cover

The Dark Room

Book 3 of 24 · published 1938

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1938
4
The English Teacher book cover

The English Teacher

Book 4 of 24 · published 1945

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1945
5
Mr. Sampath--the Printer of Malgudi book cover

Mr. Sampath--the Printer of Malgudi

Book 5 of 24 · published 1948

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1948
6
The Financial Expert book cover

The Financial Expert

Book 6 of 24 · published 1951

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1951
7
Waiting for the Mahatma book cover

Waiting for the Mahatma

Book 7 of 24 · published 1955

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1955
8
The Guide book cover

The Guide

Book 8 of 24 · published 1958

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1958
9
The Man-Eater of Malgudi book cover

The Man-Eater of Malgudi

Book 9 of 24 · published 1961

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1961
10
The Vendor of Sweets book cover

The Vendor of Sweets

Book 10 of 24 · published 1967

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1967
11
The Painter of Signs book cover

The Painter of Signs

Book 11 of 24 · published 1976

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1976
12

Uncle

Book 12 of 24 · published 1980

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1980
13
A Tiger for Malgudi book cover

A Tiger for Malgudi

Book 13 of 24 · published 1983

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1983
14
Talkative Man book cover

Talkative Man

Book 14 of 24 · published 1986

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1986
15
The World of Nagaraj book cover

The World of Nagaraj

Book 15 of 24 · published 1990

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1990
16
The Indian Epics Retold book cover

The Indian Epics Retold

Book 16 of 24 · published 1995

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1995
17

Naga

Book 17 of 24 · published 2000

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2000
18
Gods, demons, and others, (Compass books) book cover

Gods, demons, and others, (Compass books)

Book 18 of 24 · published 1964

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1964
19
Swami And Friends A Novel Of MAlgudi book cover

Swami And Friends A Novel Of MAlgudi

Book 19 of 24 · published 1965

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1965
20

a critical study of his works

Book 20 of 24 · published 1969

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1969
21
Mr. Sampath book cover

Mr. Sampath

Book 21 of 24 · published 1989

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1989
22
Mahabharata book cover

Mahabharata

Book 22 of 24 · published 2013

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2013
23

Astrologers Day

Book 23 of 24 · published 2023

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2023
24
Malgudi schooldays book cover

Malgudi schooldays

Latest in the series · book 24 of 24

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1
A Breath of Lucifer book cover

A Breath of Lucifer

Single-title series · published 1985

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1985
1
Indian Thought book cover

Indian Thought

Single-title series · published 2001

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2001
1
Malgudi Days book cover

Malgudi Days

Series opener · book 1 of 12 · published 1942

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1942
2
Lawley Road and Other Stories book cover

Lawley Road and Other Stories

Book 2 of 12 · published 1956

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1956
3
Grateful to Life & Death book cover

Grateful to Life & Death

Book 3 of 12 · published 1961

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1961
4
Gods, Demons, and Others book cover

Gods, Demons, and Others

Book 4 of 12 · published 1964

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1964
5
A Horse and Two Goats book cover

A Horse and Two Goats

Book 5 of 12 · published 1970

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1970
6
The Ramayana book cover

The Ramayana

Book 6 of 12 · published 1972

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1972
7
The Mahabharata book cover

The Mahabharata

Book 7 of 12 · published 1978

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1978
8
Under the Banyan Tree and Other Stories book cover

Under the Banyan Tree and Other Stories

Book 8 of 12 · published 1985

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1985
9
Grandmother's Tale book cover

Grandmother's Tale

Book 9 of 12 · published 1992

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1992
10
Salt and Sawdust book cover

Salt and Sawdust

Book 10 of 12 · published 1993

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1993
11
Tales from Malgudi book cover

Tales from Malgudi

Book 11 of 12 · published 1995

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1995
12
More Tales From Malgudi book cover

More Tales From Malgudi

Latest in the series · book 12 of 12 · published 1997

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1997
1
Mysore book cover

Mysore

Series opener · book 1 of 11 · published 1944

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1944
2
My Dateless Diary book cover

My Dateless Diary

Book 2 of 11 · published 1960

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1960
3
Next Sunday book cover

Next Sunday

Book 3 of 11 · published 1972

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1972
4
My Days: A Memoir book cover

My Days: A Memoir

Book 4 of 11 · published 1973

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1973
5
Reluctant Guru book cover

Reluctant Guru

Book 5 of 11 · published 1974

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1974
6
The Emerald Route book cover

The Emerald Route

Book 6 of 11 · published 1980

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1980
7
A Writer's Nightmare book cover

A Writer's Nightmare

Book 7 of 11 · published 1988

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1988
8
A Story-teller's World book cover

A Story-teller's World

Book 8 of 11 · published 1990

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1990
9
Raghubir Singh: Tamil Nadu book cover

Raghubir Singh: Tamil Nadu

Book 9 of 11 · published 1996 Co-authored · Raghubir Singh

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1996
10
The Writerly Life book cover

The Writerly Life

Book 10 of 11 · published 2001

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2001
11
Malgudi Landscapes book cover

Malgudi Landscapes

Latest in the series · book 11 of 11 · published 2003

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2003
1
Masks book cover

Masks

Series opener · book 1 of 3 · published 1971

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1971
2
Four Continents book cover

Four Continents

Book 2 of 3 · published 2008

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2008
3

Being Boys

Latest in the series · book 3 of 3 · published 2015

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2015

? Frequently Asked Questions

Who is R K Narayan?

R K Narayan has 52 books catalogued in this guide spanning 1935–2023.

Which R K Narayan series should I start with?

R K Narayan's books stand alone rather than forming a numbered series, so there is no reading order to follow. The natural first pick is Swami and Friends (1935).

How many books has R K Narayan written?

R K Narayan has 52 books catalogued in this guide, published between 1935 and 2023. They are filed under 6 categories rather than in numbered series — chiefly Standalone Novels, Short Story Collections and Non-Fiction.

In what order should R K Narayan's series be read?

No reading order is needed: none of the 52 books catalogued here do not form a numbered series, so any title can be picked up first. Within each category they are listed by publication year.

How are R K Narayan's books organised into series?

This guide splits R K Narayan's 52 books into categories rather than numbered series: Standalone Novels (24 books); Short Story Collections (12 books); Non-Fiction (11 books); Anthologies (3 books); Short Stories/Novellas (1 book), plus 1 more.