Editing Swami and Friends (section)

== Publication ==
''Swami and Friends'' is the first novel written by Sir R. K Narayan.<ref name="britannica1">{{cite web|url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/403425/RK-Narayan#ref242193 |title=R. K. Narayan (Indian author) - Encyclopædia Britannica |publisher=Britannica.com |access-date=2014-02-01}}</ref> It was published through the intervention of a friend and neighbour, "Kittu" Purna, who was studying at Oxford. Through him, [[Graham Greene]] came into contact with Narayan's work, became especially interested in it and took it upon himself to place the book with a reputable English publisher, [[Hamish Hamilton]].<ref>Pier Paolo Piciucco, ''A companion to Indian fiction in English'' 2004, Atlantic Publishers & Dist</ref> Graham Greene was responsible for the title ''Swami and Friends'', changing it from Narayan's ''Swami, the Tate'', suggesting that it would have the advantage of having some resemblance to [[Rudyard Kipling]]'s ''[[Stalky & Co.]]''<ref name="autogenerated2004">Pier Paolo Piciucco, ''A Companion to Indian Fiction in English'' (2004) Atlantic Publishers & Dist</ref>

Greene arranged the details of the contract and remained closely involved until the novel was published. Narayan's indebtedness to Greene is inscribed on the front endpaper of a copy of ''Swami and Friends'' Narayan presented to Greene: "But for you, Swami should be in the bottom of Thames now".<ref name="autogenerated2004" />