Swami and Friends

Swami and Friends is a 1935 novel by R. K. Narayan, marking his debut as an English-language novelist from India. It is the first book in a trilogy set in the fictional town of Malgudi during British India. The novel is followed by The Bachelor of Arts and The English Teacher, completing the trilogy. The novel follows a ten-year-old schoolboy, Swaminathan, and his attempts to court the favour of a much wealthier schoolboy, Rajam. Malgudi Schooldays is a slightly abridged version of Swami and Friends, and includes two additional stories featuring Swami from Malgudi Days and Under the Banyan Tree (1985).