Man has desires to explore the unexplored, to chart the uncharted, and to know the unknown. R K Narayan takes us to different terrain in his work My Dateless Diary: An American Journey (1960). Though the book was written quite late by Narayan, it has an unmistakable stamp of his style and ease. Written in the first-person, it takes us directly to the core of the writer's persona and his idiosyncrasies. The book is about a journey to America and self in the act of writing, journeying inside and outside the world. It is a conglomeration of fact and fiction, memories and desires, experience and observation, self and other, and the East and the West. The word 'dateless' is metaphoric in a way that many things are still prevalent in the present time. In his witty and amusing tone, Narayan draws up the subtle difference in linguistic, cultural, social, economical, religious and professional aspects of American and Indian ways of life, which at once invites comparison and contrast. It seems to be a mingling of two cultures in literature. Narayan reveals how we Indians get easily adjusted and assimilated in any culture. He also depicts no desire on the parts of Indians to subvert this general representation. The paper aims to dwell on these aspects as reflected in the text. It also attempts to see how Narayan juxtaposed the Indian and American ways of life, and how they complement each other in their ways.
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Cross- Culture Dialogue in R.K. Narayan's My Dateless Diary
Pulkita Anand
Assistant Professor, Department of English and Modern European Languages, Banasthali
Vidyapith, Rajasthan. ORCID: 0000-0003-0586-3975. Email: pulkitaanand@ymail.com
Abstract
Man has desires to explore the unexplored, to chart the uncharted, and to know the unknown. R K Narayan
takes us to different terrain in his work My Dateless Diary: An American Journey (1960). Though the book
was written quite late by Narayan, it has an unmistakable stamp of his style and ease. Written in the first-
person, it takes us directly to the core of the writer's persona and his idiosyncrasies. The book is about a
journey to America and self in the act of writing, journeying inside and outside the world. It is a
conglomeration of fact and fiction, memories and desires, experience and observation, self and other, and
the East and the West. The word 'dateless' is metaphoric in a way that many things are still prevalent in the
present time. In his witty and amusing tone, Narayan draws up the subtle difference in linguistic, cultural,
social, economical, religious and professional aspects of American and Indian ways of life, which at once
invites comparison and contrast. It seems to be a mingling of two cultures in literature. Narayan reveals
how we Indians get easily adjusted and assimilated in any culture. He also depicts no desire on the parts of
Indians to subvert this general representation. The paper aims to dwell on these aspects as reflected in the
text. It also attempts to see how Narayan juxtaposed the Indian and American ways of life, and how they
complement each other in their ways.
Keywords: India, America, culture, life, travel, self.
Introduction
Each one of us has travelled for some reason or the other, from our home, from our country, from
one country to another. Despite the death of many genres and forms, travel is still alive and will
remain an enchanting experience for the traveller across the globe. People have been travelling
across the globe out of curiosity too. Sigmund Freud postulated that "a great part of the pleasure
of travel lies in the fulfillment of these early wishes….. to escape the family." (quoted in Weinstein,
2001, p.79). In this sense, the act of travelling is an act of rebellion, subverting the authority, a
challenge to the state of affairs, and dismantling the status quo. According to Barbara Korte "the
travelogue is a genre not easily demarcated" (2000, p.1). She further adds, "As far as its theme and
content matter are concerned, the travel account has not emerged as a genre hermetically sealed
off from other kinds of writing" (2000, p.8). William Spengemann and Charles Batten have
explicated that the equation between fact and travel writing is complex; the difference between
fact and fiction in this most eclectic of genres would be difficult to fix it (Spengemann, 1977;
Batten, 1978). Paul Fussell in his work Abroad: British Literary Travelling between the Wars further
adds that if a person doesn't travel there would be, "a loss of amplitude, a decay of imagination
and intellectual possibility corresponding to the literal loss of physical freedom." (1982, p. 10)
Rupkatha Journal on Interdisciplinary Studies in Humanities (ISSN 0975
Indexed by Web of Science, Scopus, DOAJ, ERIHPLUS
Themed Issue on "India and Travel Narratives" (Vol. 12, No. 3, 2020)
Guest-edited by: Ms. Somdatta Mandal, PhD
Full Text: http://rupkatha.com/V12/n3/v12n327.pdf
DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.21659/rupkatha.v12n3.27
Rupkatha Journal, Vol. 12, No. 3, 2020
R.K. Narayan as a travel writer
R. K. Narayan (1906 -2001), the famous Indian writer in English, won the coveted Sahitya Akademi
award in 1958 and other eminent awards for his contribution to literature. He is also remembered
for creating Malgudi in the life and heart of Indians. His renowned works are Swami and Friends,
The Bachelor of Arts, The English Teacher, Mr. Sampath, The Financial Expert, The Man-eater of
Malgudi and many more. Apart from novels, he wrote non-fiction, short stories, essays, articles,
and travelogue. My Dateless Diary: An American Journey is his autobiographical travelogue which
transcends boundaries. In 1956, at the age of fifty, Narayan left India for the first time and
journeyed to America on a Rockefeller Fellowship. My Dateless Diary is the output of a daily
journal he maintained during this visit where he gives detached and impersonal comments on the
things he observed and the people he encountered. In this account of his journey, he captures the
clamour and energy of New York City, the friendliness of the West Coast, the wealth and
insularity of the Mid-West, the magnificence of the Grand Canyon. Threading their way through
the narrative are a host of delightful characters—from celebrities like Greta Garbo, Aldous
Huxley, Martha Graham, Cartier Bresson, Milton Singer, Edward G. Robinson and Ravi Shankar to
the anonymous business tycoon on the train who dismissed the writer when he discovered
Narayan had nothing to do with India's steel industry. To add to this, there are interesting
vignettes of those small but essential aspects of American life—muggers, fast food restaurants,
instant gurus, subway commuters, TV advertisements, and American football.
In this work there is an indelible stamp of Narayan's style which includes his art of
storytelling, humour, gentle sarcasm and lucidity, graphic details, swiftness, racy and vigorous
manner. There are snippets and titbits of historical accounts too that rouses the imagination of
the reader. It is marked with enlivening observation, picturesque description, brevity and
liveliness. We also come to know about the different facets of his life. A. Phaniraja Kumar rightly
states, "It is the study of the cultural differences which Narayan observed, experienced and
recorded." (2013, p. 363) We come across different views of Narayan which at times seems Indian
and at times American.
Narayan's travelogue demonstrates his awareness of the genre and his devotion to the
craft of fiction. He warded off the banality of travel writing through his keen observation and
charming humour by using the same craft that he has used in his fiction writing. He has
employed drama, suspense, simile, metaphor, and personification. Narayan is the character and
narrator in this work. His nature will unfold in the process of self-discovery that writing can
provide. Thus narration of travel writing is a conduit that provides Narayan a medium through
which he turned out to be an absorbing storyteller. He at times avoids describing mundane and
banal things. He paces up his telling to sustain suspense and interest. Every incident that Narayan
describes has a grain of drama and fiction in it. Travel is a quest which at times seems spiritual
with respect to Narayan. He is a mystic from India who enquired after the meaning and purpose
of life. On his journey, he meets many tormented souls undergoing trial and tribulation. The
unique nature of this travel narrative is revealed by the author himself in the Foreword to the
Penguin edition of the book which he wrote as late as 1988:
Datelessness has its limit. Sooner or later the seal of date shows up even in the most
indifferently maintained diary.
I don't know how to classify this book. It is not a book of information on America, nor is it
a study of American culture. It is mainly autobiographical, fill of 'I' over a short period of
time in relation to some moments, scenes and personalities.
Culture Dialogue in R.K. Narayan's My Dateless Diary
The book was written thirty years ago and I do not know, as I've said at the beginning of
this foreword, how far 'dateless-ness' can hold. (Narayan, Foreword, 1988; n.p.)
But it seems the work is dateless in its own way, as it is fresh, vibrant, inspiring, guiding,
and enlightening. Written in the first person, it takes us on a journey with Narayan who discovers
America, a nation peopled by beautiful humane and amusing, men and women. The text is
divided into various sections indicating the places and people that he visited and met in the
course of his journey. We feel we too have been travelling to these places and meeting these
people. Narayan, a writer true to his vocation, takes his readers to the place where he wants them
to, we transcend the limits of time and space, and the journey seems to be 'dateless.'
Analysis of My Dateless Diary: An American Journey
From the very beginning of the narrative, the cultural variation between India and America is
depicted subtly and slyly when Narayan goes to a Broadway cafeteria. In our country, we are used
waiting for a waiter to take our orders. Narayan states how at a cafeteria he mistakes, "waiting for
someone to ask what I wanted." (Narayan, 1969, p. 7) He learned that he has to "pull out a
'check'..." pick up his tray and spoons and adjudge the content of the dish, if he does it longer
they might ask, "What do you want?" (p.7). While in India, you just take a seat, ask for the
newspaper, you may order or delay it further by asking, "What have you?" (p.7). It's amusing
when he was asked about his liking for coffee, "Black or White? (p.8)" to which he replied brown.
That must have sounded like a crazy thing to an American ear. It is a reflection of how we, and
how they look at things. When someone heard him saying this, approached him, and inquired
about the coffee, which Narayan described in detail. He felt as if he had a "God-given opportunity
for me to start off a lecture on coffee, its place in South India…its place in our social life…(p.9). He
explicated that how making a good coffee is a matter of pride, reputation and family prestige in
India. It requires deliberate efforts at every stage, from "feeling for quality" to "eye for colour,"
from "adding sugar" to "without producing sweetness," from the selection of seeds to roasting,
from grinding to straining (p.9). Narayan was astonished to see aged people doing daring things
and felt, "With so many facilities in civilization one simply could not afford to grow old" (p.11) and
further he heard, "Age has no chance in New York". He saw how women try to hide their age
through various means. He found some in "the skirts and jackets had a resemblance to the dhoti
that South Indians wear." (p.12) He was much surprised to see "the abandoned fashion of India
adopted by the women of New York as the latest." (p.12) In India, women put castor leaf on their
heads to protect from the sun, but their women put it as a fashion.
Narayan takes us to various places in New York such as the Statue of Liberty, the Empire
State Building, and Rockefeller Plaza. When he chanced to see a shop selling Indian stuff, he had
a peek into it, a passerby asked him, whereon upon he felt proud to describe ivory of Mysore. In
his witty manner, he talks about the reasons why people give the address of their known,
"mercenary …to carry pickles and spices from India, to know them..." (p.15). He was baffled at the
linguistic variations when asked at the subway counter, "Up-town or down-town?"(p.15). Humour
is interspersed in his writing everywhere. When he said, "Vegetarian" people around were
shocked as if he had said, "Man-eater". They wonder how he is alive on this diet. People around
him got inquisitive about Gandhi and asked many things about the Mahatma. They were "proud
to have seen a man from 'Gandhian land." (p.17)
Narayan was overwhelmed by publishers' responses to his work. He was impressed by
their enthusiasm, warmth and genial nature. But at the same time, he failed to decide among
Rupkatha Journal, Vol. 12, No. 3, 2020
them. Once on his walk, he met a dog lover with his two dogs. On getting into the conversation
with him, the man asked, "Is it a fact that you have a population –over 400 million, Oh God, what
a number, and most of them die of starvation?" (p. 23) He came to know that a lady whom he met
at J's home at dinner was interested to meet him. She read his work, Grateful to Life and Death
(The English Teacher). She was fascinated by the ending and had some queries about afterlife
communication to which Narayan didn't know what to say.
He was impressed by the response of the lady, Miss Roser, at National Broadcasting
Corporation, Broadway. "She was interested in India and had a fantastically remote, unguessable
link with it." (p.31) There was Halloween celebration when he visited Mrs. X, during this time
pumpkin seeds were roasted. He observes an interesting fact about Americans, they "like to know
how far they are being liked by others." (p.36) He realizes that within the country itself there were
small prides and prejudices which one must fully appreciate if one is to understand the country
and its people. Apart from that, Narayan finds other differences within this country, "To a
Southerner the rest of the United States is an immature undeveloped country… the New
Englander is proud of his heritage of sober English qualities…the West Coast is an extremely
proud country, their wealth."(p.37) On being asked by Mrs. Dorothy, what marks an average
American from an Indian, he replies, "…American is totally materialistic in the best sense of term,
work, wages, good wife, and good life, while an Indian will be bothering about the next life also in
addition to all this." (p. 38) Narayan longs for Indian food. When he gets an opportunity to have
an exquisite dinner with ex- Maharaja at the Indian Consulate, he savours, "South Indian food—
Rasam, Sambhar, Masala Dosai, pickle and so forth." (p. 40) He describes how he is understood
and misunderstood by the people there.
Narayan saw that the American people were not excited on election day , whereas in India
it was " full of noise, crowd and movement, with all normal work suspended; and above all loud-
speakers rending the air." (p.46) In a discussion on his book, The Financial Expert which he wrote
earlier, he didn't recall it fully and dreaded on being asked questions on it. In reply to one of the
questions, he talked about joint family in India; towards the end of the lecture an elderly person
came to him and showed his photograph that they too lived in a joint family. Indian Society, its
origin, joint family, are the fascinating topics of discussion in America. Americans are amused by
the exotic lifestyle.
At East Lansing, he then describes how Indian youth succumb to the lifestyle of America
and adopt the American way of living by citing the story of Govind. In his tongue in cheek
manner, he expresses how he was flabbergasted when asked about his book, The English Teacher,
as odd or eccentric. Rattner, an artist asked him about the solution for American civilization, he
added, "We have everything in the world, yet are unhappy. We as a nation are terribly bored; and
so seek continuous forgetfulness in excitement, gadgets and so forth." (p. 54) Suicide and divorce
cases are also increasing. The questions about how should human beings live, boggle people since
the time of Aristotle. To this Narayan gives a solution, which lies in prayer and meditation,
looking at the Indian side, "it may be one of the reasons why, with all our poverty and struggle, we
still survive, and are able to take a calm view of existence." (p.54) It was a dreadful experience for
him when he travelled in a train from Chicago to Madison, as football was in the air. The train
was full of football players, he felt himself, "a heretic in this land of football worshippers." (p.56)
His visit to Henry and Virginia in Adam Street consists of moments of joy and sorrow, as Benny,
their child disappeared for some time. His writing is interspersed with some advice as: "an author
should never give a reading of his or her own masterpiece, nor should he try to explain it. It
always produces an effect of bathos." (p. 62)
Culture Dialogue in R.K. Narayan's My Dateless Diary
An interesting thing about the English language is its accent. J. C. Wells aptly states,
"There are Indians educated at British public schools whose accent is unquestionably RP. There
are Indians with a fair knowledge of English whose accent is ….impenetrable that English people
can understand them, if at all, only with the greatest difficulty." (1982, p. 624) During his visit to
the University Union, Narayan met a lady Mrs R, who started making fun of him when he said,
"Gil suddenly developed pneumonia" and she corrected his accent to which Narayan felt, "So
much of accent seems to me a waste of breath; we've always been taught to speak without accent."
(p. 63) She repeated jokes on 'developed pneumonia' which resulted in her catching pneumonia.
As people are affluent in America most of them have cars, which result in the problem of parking.
It is available at ten minutes' time. So, one has to watch the watch to get the parking space.
Narayan displays how awkward it becomes for him and others when he met people from
the English Department. They were wondering, how he would take, as they didn't read his books,
what to ask about his books, what questions to be put forth. His presence seems to them like,
"…having a living author on hand may be like having a live lobster on your plate (p.66)". In his
lively, playful tone Narayan presents the psyche of the human beings. We get into the banal,
vapid and inane conversation for the sake of communication. He also makes a splendid
comparison of Indian and American architecture when he visited with Henry's friend to see Frank
Lloyd Wright's design and Sullivan's. "American cherish antiquities –in many of the homes, the
most cherished object is a piece of mat or a brass vase or a verdigris- covered image from India,
while in an Indian home the proudest possession would be a chromium-finished cigarette-lighter
or a cuckoo-clock from Switzerland."(p.67) He is at his loss when he was travelling in the train, as
the train has 'Coach Class' and 'Parlour Class' in it.
In Chicago, he spent time with Redfield, a singer, and Shils, an eminent professor. There,
he also met Dr. M. N. Srinivas, an eminent sociologist. Dr. Srinivas read his manuscript of Swami
and Friends and mentioned that it is readable. He desired to meet him, not only because he would
speak Tamil with him but also get betel-nut of which he was addicted to. He attends a class at the
suggestion of Milton Singer, and the lecture was on Joint Family, which was a rage in academic
circles in that country. They wondered how many people live, work and budget things under one
roof, to which Narayan highlighted the benefits, "...an extreme sense of security in the
children…disciplined by uncles or others…the old parents never lose touch with the affairs of the
family." (pp.72-3) Evening at Milton Singer's house was Madras-in-Chicago; he enjoyed Madras'
food, titbits from Madras, discussion on Madras culture, religion, architect, and music. Singer's
interest made him to comment, "He must have been a Tamilian in a previous birth." (p.77). On
Thanksgiving Day, he enjoyed the hospitality and cordial dinner at Shil though, on the same day,
when he was charged high from the barber on the pretext of Thanksgiving, he observes that on
Thanksgiving, "No shop, no bank, nothing doing … 'Legal' holiday." (p.78)
During his stay at Berkeley, Narayan hunted for a house and thought of leaving his hotel
room, as staying in an apartment would be economical. But his hunt turned futile, he could not
come to a conclusion and shuttled from hotel to apartment and back to the hotel. He visited
various places in San Francisco along with John, and with him also went to Oakland to see the
haunts of Jack London. He had a frightening experience at San Francisco Key Station, when two
strangers snapped his ticket, and then threatened him, and persuade him to buy a watch. Narayan
has shared his strange behaviour initially in his writing that he never kept a watch, as he didn't
rely on this instrument. On being forced by these strangers, he with his sound argument
convinced them and left them dumfounded.
Rupkatha Journal, Vol. 12, No. 3, 2020
On his way to Albany, he was amused by the name of the places such as, "Euclid, Scenic,
Cedar, Spruce, Sonoma, Pomona, Carmel." (p.98) There, the Indian community celebrated Diwali
with the same fanfare as we did in India. Fixico states, "Indian people learn to adjust, altering
their family structure and personality, and simultaneously threatening their distinct culture,
forcing them to deal with society's problems such as racial differences in an urban setting." (2000,
p. 176).
Once he was interviewed by Bob, a young man. Though Narayan was amused whenever
asked, "Are your books available in English translation?" (p.109) he was impressed by the
versatility, warmth and affection shown by this young man. He finds their love for "yeah" words.
This he has also used in one of his essays entitled, "Toasted English." He was baffled and felt
dejected when he saw mortician's advertisements. It seems in this country everything is for sale.
At the post-office, a lady inquired about Gandhi, revolution, and found an affinity between India
and America, as both were ruled by the Britishers.
Americans pronounce Buddha as Bew-da or Booda. He finds that they make fun of God.
They are impressed by Buddhism. They claim to be a follower of Buddhism, when asked what you
do, they simply reply, "Nothing. You are just a Buddhist—that's all." (p.118) He observes,
"Irreverence, Blasphemy, are here as compelling a creed as any religious practice in a monastery."
(p.119) Discussing with his friends how old people have been taken care of in America, he came to
know about the old age homes and also about the estranged parents-children relationship. He
came to know another fact of American life, children are considered, "an unmanageable nuisance
in this country." (p.122) The Americans in turn, are interested to know about the difference
between Hindu and Muslim, and the reason for the flight between them in India.
On a sudden encounter with an old man, who inquired about his daughter, to the joy of
both Narayan and the old man, he knew who the old man was talking about. To which the old
man comments, "The world is a small place indeed." (p.123) After spending a long time in
Berkeley, Narayan develops an attachment to the place and becomes attuned to its ambiance. He
wonders, "I survive without a view of the Sather Gate Book Shop…I shall miss all those musical
names of the streets…I shall miss all those scores of friends." (p.124) On his visit to Los Angeles, he
was enchanted and enthralled by the city. He admires men and women. Mrs. Dorothy Jones
arranges a tour for him to Hollywood. He met many people over there and was amazed to see the
documentation of the work. He enjoyed cordial and cheerful conversation with the driver. There
is also an interesting conversation about Narayan with the stranger, where the man spoke, "Your
Country! A great job it's doing to keep the peace of the world. ….people don't want to live and let
live, that's all…How Britain exploited India and other countries." (pp.130-1)
Narayan was delighted to see the idol of Shiva and Ganesha in the US. On his visit to
Universal International Studios, he found that the people of film fraternity were disturbed by the
attitude of the Indian government. They complained about how it is difficult to get permission for
a movie project. Hollywood is full of yoga and philosophy. He saw Vedanta Plaza. In a self-
realization centre, he found that the first step for self-realization is good-food, then listening to
lecture on vedanta. He saw many Americans attending lectures and living in an ashram. With
Aldous Huxley, he went to see hills and a lake. He was amazed by Huxley's encyclopaedic mind.
Huxley comments that in this country you find fantastic things side by side, "At one place you'll
see huge advertisement for Forest Lawns, next to it whisky, health food and gambling at Las
Vegas….you found things jumbled up, in this country." (p.142)
It seems Narayan is mesmerized by the beauty of the Grand Canyon which he has
described in detail. He observes "its mighty quality… has to be felt…has versatility… a work of art
Culture Dialogue in R.K. Narayan's My Dateless Diary
by Nature…forms defy classification" and further adds, "all religions meet and merge…an
unbearable agony, a mystic mood." (p.154) It leads him to compare with South Indian temples of
Mahabalipuram and others such as their variegated architecture. He gives magnificent and
picturesque descriptions of the canyon and it feels as if we were transported there. On his journey
to Santa Fe through the desert of Arizona, he is amazed by the array of things coming across.
From Lamy to La Fonda, he views a varied culture and cuisine. In the Museum of Folk Art, he
found semblance with Indian artefacts. To him, "It must be co-ordinated work of Indian and
American anthropologists" and the places give "appearance of Monkombu, Krishnarajapuram,
Sivaganga and Seringapatam ...Santa Fe flavours…Indian background…Indian in deliberate
costumes selling souvenirs." (p.157) At Bandelier National Monument there was an "amazing
collection of relics of Pueblo Indians, who lived in …eighth century ago" and it seems "a delicious
moment of escape into a dim, pre-historic period." (158) He also visited St Miguel's Church, "the
oldest church in the US." (p.161)
Narayan's visit to beautiful Sewanee, a place like Gurukula, is cheerful and happy. He likes
its remote setting, free from distractions and allurement, an ideal place to "practise studies and
discipline without any distraction." (p.163) However, on his journey to Washington D.C., he found
in the bus depot "For Coloured" and "For White" being displayed. (p.164) Inside the bus the
Whites were allowed to sit first, and even the driver manoeuvred the bus in such a way that they
would board first. In Washington D.C., he sees "Government buildings, Government quarters,
Government offices, and...officials of Indian embassy." (p.166) He visited several places such as
Washington Memorial, Jefferson Memorial, and Lincoln Memorial and felt that they had the
stamp of New Delhi and Bangalore. It seems Narayan could not resist the desire of comparing and
contrasting the history and culture that energised him. He was impressed by the cleanliness and
taxi service of the city. On St Patricks Day, there was a lot of festivity and fervour, a procession
and drunkards.
His meeting with various people left him with the experience to have met "the finest types
of human being," "rich and potent," "generous, ever-cheerful". (p.162-3) At Lexington, he met
many of his Indian and American friends. When he met Greta Garbo, a Hollywood personality, he
found himself enveloped by the questions related to our existence and life to which Narayan
spoke about Karma, Gayatri Mantra, so on and so forth. During a concert of Ravi Shankar's sitar
recital, when Narayan and other Indian were asked to sit down, other in the audience followed it.
In recounting his experience, his readers enlists their own experience in it. Under his pen,
America is assessed, resurrected, defined and created.
Conclusion
My Dateless Diary concludes with the words of Greta Garbo, "How I wish we could stop time from
moving and always taking us on to a moment of parting!" (p.203) We also feel the same after
reading the text. Through reading we "bring our experience, our active sense of life, to the
different conceptions we encounter, working through them, comparing the alternatives they
present, with, …developing sense of what is important….we can live with, seeking a fit between
experience and conception (Nussbaum, 1990, p. 25).
Travel imparts us insight, joy, experience, excitement, delight, knowledge, wisdom and
discovery of our self. Travel indeed imparts new vigour to our life, it helps us in exploring and
discovering our self, it also helps in self-realization and self-actualization. With further growth in
the tourism industry, we hope that this genre of literature will grow further in the future.
Rupkatha Journal, Vol. 12, No. 3, 2020
Narayan's experience reminds of "Little Gidding" by Eliot: "We shall not cease from exploration/
And the end of all our exploring / Will be to arrive where we started / And know the place for the
first time." Before concluding it would not be out of place to quote from the end of Narayan's 1988
Foreword to the Penguin edition of the book:
But to return to the subject of this book. This is not a well-researched historical study of
America and its inhabitants, merely a record of first impressions of people and places in
that country. It should perhaps be read as a sort of subjective minor history of a country
that I love. (n.p.)
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Weinstein, F. (2001). Freud, Psychoanalysis, Social Theory: The Unfulfilled Promise. New York: State
University Press New York.
Wells, J.C. (1982). Accents of English. Volume 3: Beyond the British Isles. New York: Cambridge University
Press.
ResearchGate has not been able to resolve any citations for this publication.
- Donald L Fixico
Historian Donald Fixico has done a valuable service by synthesizing a large body of literature into a readable survey of the issues that have faced urban Indians since World War II. Organized thematically, the book begins with an overview of the federal government's relocation program, which sponsored about 100,000 Indians who moved from reservations to cities in the 1950s and 1960s. Subsequent chapters deal with the "urban Indian" as a stereotype, the survival of cultural traditions, economics, education, alcoholism, health care, the creation of new forms of pan-Indian recreation and association, and mid-dle-class Indians. Fixico drew some of the material for this study from his first book, Termination and Relocation: Federal Indian Policy, 1945–1960 (1986), and therefore this new book could be considered a sequel, taking up where the relocation program left off to follow the story of Indian urban life into the 1960s and 1970s. Although Fixico provides a useful introduction to the topic, he unfortunately does not break away from the stereotypes of urban Indians that he derides. This is main-ly due to the sources he used. Fixico relied extensively on federal government reports investigating what, during the relocation era, was commonly called "the Indian prob-lem." He also used the findings of sociological studies conducted during the 1960s and 1970s, many of which framed their research questions on minority urban life around social problems: poverty, ghettoes, unemploy-ment, drinking, poor health, broken families, and failure at school. He did not conduct any new oral histories but does refer occasionally to existing collections. As a conse-quence of his research approach, Fixico's basic premise matches that of the paternalistic bureaucrats and researchers who have conceptualized cities as bad for Indians. Even the chapter on "Retention of Traditional-ism" dwells on social pathologies as captured in such phrases as "This dismal situation threatens family unity" and "Serious social and psychological problems disturb the spiritual balance of the Indian child and cause iden-tity problems." Fixico's pessimistic stand on cities could have bene-fited from a reading of historian Robin D. G. Kelley's humorously, wisely titled Yo' Mama's Disfunktional!: Fight-ing the Culture Wars in Urban America (1998). Kelley cri-tiqued scholars, mainstream social institutions, and American popular culture for characterizing black urban neighborhoods and family life as pathological and inher-ently a problem. Instead, Kelley argued that the city is a site for creativity in music, art, and other forms of cultural expression. Since the majority of American Indians moved to cities on their own and not under the auspices of the federal relocation program, as implied by Fixico's opening chap-ters, there must have been incentives that drew them. Fixico does mention powwows, and he lists many Indian organizations that formed in cities throughout the United States, but these more positive urban Indian experiences do not receive as much attention and detail as they deserve. Still, because so little has been written about this im-portant change for American Indians—more than half now live in urban areas according to the U.S. census—The Urban Indian Experience in America provides a good ground-ing for learning this basic history. Reviewed by Nancy Shoemaker, associate professor of history at the University of Connecticut-Storrs and the author of American Indian Population Recovery in the Twentieth Century (1999) and "Urban Indians and Ethnic Choices: American Indian Organizations in Minneapolis, 1920-1950," published in The Western Historical Quarterly (1988).
- Charles L Batten
Batten, Charles L. (1978). Pleasurable Instruction. Berkeley: University of California Press.
R. K. Narayan as a Pragmatic Essayist
- A P Kumar
Kumar, A. P. (2013) "R. K. Narayan as a Pragmatic Essayist", Language in India. 13 ( 10, October). 359-366. Retrieved from www.languageinindia.com
The Adventurous Muse: The Poetics of American Fiction, 1780-1900
- W C Spengemann
Spengemann, W. C. (1977). The Adventurous Muse: The Poetics of American Fiction, 1780-1900. New Haven: Yale University Press.
Freud, Psychoanalysis, Social Theory: The Unfulfilled Promise
- F Weinstein
Weinstein, F. (2001). Freud, Psychoanalysis, Social Theory: The Unfulfilled Promise. New York: State University Press New York.
- J C Wells
Wells, J.C. (1982). Accents of English. Volume 3: Beyond the British Isles. New York: Cambridge University Press.
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