Talkative Man is the thirteenth novel written by R. K. Narayan, and it was published in the year 1986. Similar to the other famous stories written by Narayan, even Talkative Man is set in the fictional village created by the author, Malgudi. The story revolves around the protagonist, who is a wealthy journalist. He is known as the Talkative Man or TM. He follows a mundane routine in life till a new person from a place called Timbuctoo arrives in his village. Timbuctoo is another fictional destination created by Narayan, and is considered to be his representation of the real-world USA. A representative of the United Nations, Dr. Rann, the new visitor in Malgudi, states that he has come for some official work. However, the story soon reveals what the real purpose behind his stay is and expounds how the protagonist of the story tries to solve the problems in his area. The story has been presented from the point of view of the protagonist. As a journalist, the Talkative Man narrates the story to the reader. True to his tone and approach, Narayan presents intricate details about places and characters in this book.

R. K. Narayan, born on October 10, 1906, is an eminent Indian author. He is placed among the leading authors of Indian literature in English, along with Raja Rao and Mulk Raj Anand. He is popularly known for creating an entire series of books that are centered around an imaginary town called Malgudi. Narayan has been honored with various awards for taking Indian literature to the world. Some of these awards are the Padma Vibhushan, Sahitya Akademi Award, AC Benson Medal, and Padma Bhushan. His other popular books include Swami and Friends, Malgudi Schooldays, The Guide, The English Teacher, The Grandmother’s Tale and Selected Stories, and The Man-Eater Of Malgudi.