Nataraj, owner of a small, friendly printing press in the enchanted city of Malgudi, has never been very successful at making enemies. Until, that is, he meets Vasu. Almost accidentally, Vasu, a pugnacious taxidermist, moves into Nataraj's attic, bringing an alarming stuffed jungle of hyenas, pythons, and tigers, and an assortment of dancing girls who clump up and down the printer's stairs. Vasu is definitely not a man to tangle with. But when, in search of bigger game, he threatens the beloved temple elephant, Nataraj rises to the occasion--and R. K. Narayan invests his story with all his warm, wicked, and delightful sense of comedy.

Publication Year: 1993