Here's a thought. Swami, R. K. Narayan's protagonist in Swami and Friends, is a forerunner of . . . take a deep breath . . . none other than Bart Simpson. Swaminathan, the plucky ten-year old, the classic irreverent underachiever, is always in one pot of hot water or another. He can be selfish, prevaricating, disrespectful to his elders, and dishonest in his dealings with his peers. Not your basic role model. But he still retains a boyish innocence, a fading purity in his search for what is fun. His father, while certainly not as laughably stupid as Homer Simpson, is no Father-Knows-Best figure of paternal perfection. He is over-involved with his work and does not always treat his children or wife with the respect and kindness they deserve. Swami's grandmother sleeps in a darkened hall, sometimes loved, and sometimes neglected, her advancing dotage often burdensome to the child.Swami thinks like a 10 year old. Everything he wants is of utmost urgency. He cannot conceive of consequences or of delayed gratification. Peer relationships are far more important to him than long-term success in school. He is still concrete in his thinking and struggles with his studies. But within his delicate, formative being are competing forces battling for his very soul. There is a lot of personality we see here, already formed, and some of it is disturbing. He is easily swayed, lacks self-confidence, and can easily lose himself in the crowd. How will this young person fit into India as it struggles for independence and into the India that will follow?The Simpsons is arguably one of the best satires of contemporary American life because it forces us to look closely at ourselves. When we laugh at the Simpsons, we laugh at ourselves. There is something awfully familiar about their imperfections. Swami and Friends is a lot like that. There is something funny and familiar in Swami and Friends, even for this 21st century American reader. Narayan gives us a very clear picture of southern India in 1930 and he is setting the stage for India's place in the post-colonial world. This vision is presented through the hopeful but not-so-innocent eyes of a child.