Under the Banyan Tree and Other Stories (1985) is one of Narayan's best-known collections of short stories and includes many brief pieces that are little more than character sketches, originally written for The Hindu in Madras during his early career. One of them, "Like the Sun," gives an Indian version of the often-told tale of a man who can only tell the truth.

Of his fourteen novels, Narayan has said that his own favorite is A Tiger for Malgudi. Set in the same fictional town as most of his fiction, this fable incorporates Indian folktales and myths and is narrated by Raja, a tiger.

Saros Cowasjee has edited two collections of Indian short fiction, Stories from the Raj: From Kipling to Independence  (1982) and More Stories from the Raj: From Kipling to the Present Day (1986). Although both volumes are out of...