Before You Read An Astrologer’s Day Meet R. K. Narayan (1906-2001) s.a young boy, R. K. Narayan (ni 1” Aisi metro Going to school seemed to be a never- fending nuisance each day,” he once wrote. Narayan much preferred spending time with his pet monkey, who liked to hang by is tail from the rof, and his pet peacock, who acted as the family watchdog. Despite his aversion to school, Narayan’s family placed a high value on education. But Narayan never changed his opinion that school was too serious. Today, Narayan’s stories are regulary assigned to stu- dents in schools around the world. Considering his unenthusiastic view of formal education, Narayan might have enjoyed this irony. “] want a story to be entertaining, enjoyable, and illuminating in some way.” =R.K. Narayan ‘The Decision to Be a Writer Rasipuram Krishnaswami Narayan was born in Madras, India, and brought up by his grandmother. After graduating from college, he turned to fiction writing as a career. He chose to write in English, a language that he was fond of and knew well. “English is a very adaptable language. And it's so transparent it can take ‘on the tint of any country.” Narayan did not find immediate success as a writer and once said that writing “was all frustration and struggle for more than fifteen years.” His first novel, Swami and Friends, was finally pub- lished in 1935 with the help of British writer 54 UNIT1 THE SHORT STORY ws » Graham Greene. Narayan went on to publish ‘numerous other works. A Literary Voice of india Narayan is probably best known as the creator of Malguai, a fic- tional South Indian village that has been called “zany, eccentric and, at the same time, true to life world.” Itis the setting for almost all of Narayan's novels and short stories, including, “An Astrologer’s Day.” Of his invented village, Narayan remarked, “Malgudli was an earth- shaking discovery for me, because Thad no ‘mind for facts and things like that, which ‘would be necessary in writing about... any. real place.” Narayan’s stories about Malgudi are often comic considerations of individuals trying to find peace in a turbulent world. Critic Judith Freeman writes that Narayan “takes a Wester reader into the very heart of an Indian village... The foreignness of the setting, rituals and traditions may seem to us exotic, but the underlying humanity of Narayan’s dramas can't fal to strike a familiar chord.” x i and enter Quikass code GLS97S4U,Literature and Reading Preview Connect to the Short Story In your opinion, how much of one future is decided by the choices one makes by fate, or by coincidence? Freewnte for a few minutes about an event, coincidence, ar a choice you ‘made that changed the couse of your life Build Background Astrology is a form of fortune-eling,toignated in ancient Babylonia and has been practiced in many cultures, induding those of ancient Rome, Greece, India, and China, Some astolo- es claim the abilty to foetell an indivi future by drawing and studying a chart called a horoscope. horoscope shows the configuration ofthe planets and stars atthe moment of an indvuals birth Set Purposes for Reading EIEN] Matters of Life and Death As you read "An Astrologers Day” ask yoursel, What is revealed when a man asks about his future? EXE Moos The mood is the overall emotional quality ofa Iiterary work. The ites choice of language, subject matter, seting diction, and tone al contibute to conveying a mood that helps draw the reader into the experience ofthe characters As you read, ask yoursel, How does Narayan create a perva- sive mood that helps me relate toa time and a culture differ cent fom my own? Analyze Cultural Context When you analyze cultural contest, you pay atertion to