R.K. Narayan
1906–2001
Rasipuram Krishnaswami Narayanaswami, better known as R. K. Narayan, was an Indian writer and novelist known for his work set in the fictional South Indian town of Malgudi. He was a leading author of early Indian literature in English along with Mulk Raj Anand and Raja Rao. In 1980, he was awarded the AC Benson Medal by the Royal Society of Literature, and in 1981 he was made Honorary Member of the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters.