On August 11th, 2018, one of the Caribbean’s most recognized and celebrated literary voices, Sir Vidiadhar Surajprasad Naipaul, passed away at age 85.
Born in Chaguanas, Trinidad, on August 17th 1932, the future Nobel Laureate, led a distinguished academic life graduating from Queen’s Royal College, Trinidad, before earning a scholarship to Oxford’s University College in England. Upon his death, Sir V.S. Naipaul held honorary doctorates from Cambridge University and Columbia University in New York, and honorary degrees from the universities of Cambridge, London and Oxford.
V.S. Naipaul, a Writer of Many Contradictions and Obvious Greatness – NY Times.
Sir Naipaul spent half a century documenting his views on racism, religion, elitism, colonialism and his true feelings of the West Indies, in a series of novels, non-fiction work and travelogues.
My collection of V.S.Naipaul books.
Lady Nadira Naipaul confirmed her husband died peacefully in their London home. “He was a giant in all that he achieved and he died surrounded by those he loved having lived a life which was full of wonderful creativity and endeavour,” she told The Guardian.
In the same article, author Sir Salman Rushdie paid tribute to Naipaul, writing: “We disagreed all our lives, about politics, about literature, and I feel as sad as if I just lost a beloved older brother. RIP Vidia.”
Disagreement was par the course with Sir Naipaul. His views were nothing short of controversial. His often unflattering portraits and sometimes inflammatory statements were the truth he stood in – his truth. In addition to him being a gifted writer, his personal truth also entailed him being a womanizer, woman-beater and abuser. These facts have been documented in his own words and in his biography, written by Patrick French.
Critics worldwide have either applauded his work or spoken out in disdain for his harsh criticism of the West Indies, India, Africa and Islam. In spite of his personal character flaws, Sir Naipaul’s works are must-haves in any literary buff’s home.
Here are a list of some of his most famous and acclaimed fictitious works:
A House for Mr Biswas (1961)
Mr Stone and the Knights Companion (1963)
The Mimic Men (1967)
In a Free State (1971)
Guerrillas (1975)
A Bend in the River (1979)
The Enigma of Arrival (1987)
A Way in the World (1994)
Half a Life (2001)
Magic Seeds (2004)
To add Sir Naipaul’s books to your reading collection, purchase HERE.
Sir Naipaul’s legacy includes the Somerset Maugham Award in 1961, the 1968 WH Smith Literary Award, the Booker Prize in 1971 and the David Cohen British Literature Prize in 1993. He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1989 and awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2001.
Leave your favorite V.S. Naipaul book in the comments below!
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