U.R. Ananthamurthy’s autobiography, Suragi, is a simple and straightforward telling of his life and times. It brings alive his childhood in an orthodox family in a little central Karnataka village, his academic life in Mysuru and Birmingham, his role in shaping premier literary institutions such as the Sahitya Akademi and National Book Trust, and his distinguished tenure as the vice-chancellor of Mahatma Gandhi University. He also talks intimately about the celebrated writers and politicians he met, the controversies that dogged his life, his run-ins with ultra-nationalists, and his dream of an India defined by a diversity of languages and experiences.