 Narayan moved to Mysore to live with his family when his father was transferred to the Maharajah 's College High School . The well @-@ stocked library at the school , as well as his father 's own , fed his reading habit , and he started writing as well . After completing high school , Narayan failed the university entrance examination and spent a year at home reading and writing ; he subsequently passed the examination in 1926 and joined Maharaja College of Mysore . It took Narayan four years to obtain his bachelor 's degree , a year longer than usual . After being persuaded by a friend that taking a master 's degree ( M.A. ) would kill his interest in literature , he briefly held a job as a school teacher ; however , he quit in protest when the headmaster of the school asked him to substitute for the physical training master . The experience made Narayan realise that the only career for him was in writing , and he decided to stay at home and write novels . His first published work was a book review of Development of Maritime Laws of 17th @-@ Century England . Subsequently , he started writing the occasional local interest story for English newspapers and magazines . Although the writing did not pay much ( his income for the first year was nine rupees and twelve annas ) , he had a regular life and few needs , and his family and friends respected and supported his unorthodox choice of career . In 1930 , Narayan wrote his first novel , Swami and Friends , an effort ridiculed by his uncle and rejected by a string of publishers . With this book , Narayan created Malgudi , a town that creatively reproduced the social sphere of the country ; while it ignored the limits imposed by colonial rule , it also grew with the various socio @-@ political changes of British and post @-@ independence India . 
