Blackwell Reference Online

Extract

Raja Rao, one of the most important contributors to the development of the English novel in India, writes in an English that is uniquely Indian in style, tone, mood, and rhythm. Relying heavily on translation, quotation, and the use of Indian proverbs, idioms, and colloquial patterns, Rao manipulates vocabulary and syntax to enhance the Indian flavoring of his English and achieve a style that is nonetheless evocative and intelligible to non-Indian readers. Rao's preeminence stems from the significance of his first novel, Kanthapura ( 1938 ). Published at a time when Indian English fiction was first gaining recognition – through novels such as Mulk Raj Anand's Untouchable (1935) and R. K. Narayan's Swami and Friends (1935) – Rao's coming-of-age tale was heralded as adventurous and provocative, and is now seen as a classic. Rao was born on November 8, 1908, the eldest son in a large and respected Brahmin family in Hassan, south India. His mother died when he was 4, and the absence of a mother figure and the sense of being an orphan influence his fiction. An early influence was his grandfather, from whom he imbibed his spiritual orientation. Although Rao lived abroad mostly (in France and the United States), his temperament and sensibility remained Indian, and he became a compulsive visitor of his native homeland, returning to India repeatedly for spiritual and cultural nourishment. ... log in or subscribe to read full text