R K Narayan is one of my favourite writers. I am particularly impressed with his use of simple English as opposed to the pompous bombast of some other writers. A sensitive portrayal of human emotions is the central theme of his novels, most of which have an autobiographical tinge. Since his authorized biography by N Ram has only recently been published (and is very affordably priced), I don't need to give any links about his life. His essay, My America , is written in his trademark lucid style peppered with mild satire, and is as an apt introduction to Narayan for the uninitiated.
Dostoevsky is another of my favourite writers. As with Narayan, human emotions form the crux of most (I haven't read all of his works, so let me be careful about what I say!) of his works, though unlike Narayan, he can sometimes be tiresome. That however, doesn't and can't, take away the sheen from his works.
Early in his life, the Czarist regime managed to find something seditious in his actions and sentenced him to death. Fortunately, his sentence was later commuted to 6-years imprisonment, but not before a mock death trial. After his imprisonment, he shamelessly switched his loyalty to the royalty (he was a liberal before his imprisonment) and his obsequiance was "suitably" rewarded with a reduction in his prison term. He was however barred from visiting Petersburg for quite a few years. In his later years, he was to stay away from Petersburg for an entirely different reason.
Dostoevsky's personal life, especially after the death of his brother, was a struggle against odds. Though many of his books were bestsellers and he made quite a fortune out of them, his extravagant living ensured that he was eternally under debt, so much so that fear of debtors kept him away from St.Petersburg for most of the time. The casinos in London (he was addicted to gambling, in which he was no good) was another reason why he spent a lot of time there (and away from Petersburg). Fortunately, several of his works are available online at
-- "The definitive reference site for the study of Dostoevsky"
-- Contains the English translations of several of his works
Bertrand Russell was a master logician, philosopher, libertarian, and social activist. He had a chequered career, winning the Order of Merit and the Nobel Prize for Literature, and getting dismissed from both Trinity College, Cambridge, and City College, New York. He was also twice rewarded with prison terms, for anti-war and anti-nuke protests. The following sites have all that you will ever want to know about him.
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
The Bertrand Russell Archives at McMaster University