V S Naipaul

Home > ... > Literature and the Arts > Literature in English > Miscellaneous English Literature, 20th cent.: Biographies > ...

V. S. Naipaul

The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition | 2008 | The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. Copyright 2008 Columbia University Press. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

V. S. Naipaul (Sir Vidiadhar Surajprasad Naipaul) , 1932-, English author, b. Chaguanas, Trinidad; grad. University College, Oxford, 1953. Naipul, whose family is descended from Indian Brahmins, has lived in England since 1950. A master of English prose style, he is known for his penetrating analyses of alienation and exile. In fiction and essays marked by stylistic virtuosity and psychological insight, he often focuses on his childhood and his travels beyond Trinidad. Writing with increasing irony and pessimism, he has often bleakly detailed the dual problems of the Third World: the oppressions of colonialism and the chaos of postcolonialism.

Among Naipaul's works of international analysis are The Middle Passage (1962), about the West Indies and South America, and an Indian trilogy: An Area of Darkness (1964), India: A Wounded Civilization (1977), and India: A Million Mutinies Now (1990). His novels include The Mystic Masseur (1957), A House for Mr. Biswas (1961), In a Free State (1971; Booker Prize), Guerrillas (1975), A Bend in the River (1979), and Half a Life (2001) and its sequel, Magic Seeds (2004); he has also written numerous short stories. Among his other works are The Enigma of Arrival (1987), A Way in the World (1994), and A Writer's People (2008), autobiographical works combining novel, memoir, and history; Among the Believers (1981) and Beyond Belief (1998), analyses of modern Islam; and many political essays, a representative sample of which are collected in The Writer and the World (2002). Naipaul was knighted in 1990 and awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2001.

Bibliography: See his early letters in Between Father and Son: Family Letters (2000), ed. by G. Aitken; F. Jussawalla, ed., Conversations with V. S. Naipaul (1997); biographies by R. D. Hamner (1973), R. Kelly (1989), and P. French (2008); studies by P. Theroux (1972 and 1998), R. D. Hamner, ed. (1979), P. Nightingale (1987), P. Hughes (1988), T. F. Weiss (1992), W. Dissanayake (1993), B. A. King (1993), J. Levy (1995), F. Mustafa (1995), R. Nixon (1997), N. Ramadevi (1997), A. J. Khan (1998), L. Feder (2001), H. Hayward (2002), and B. King (2003).

Hide all research tools
Print this article Print all entries for this topic Cite this article Link to this article
Link to this article

CloseClose

Create a link to this page

Copy and paste this link tag into your Web page or blog:

<a href="http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/.aspx#1E1-Naipaul" title="Facts and information about V S Naipaul">V S Naipaul</a>

Add this article to Del.icio.usBookmark this article on DiigoShare this article on FacebookSubmit this article to RedditGive this article a thumbs-up on StumbleUpon
Show all research tools

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

"V. S. Naipaul." The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 24 Dec. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"V. S. Naipaul." The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (December 24, 2009). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Naipaul.html

"V. S. Naipaul." The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2008. Retrieved December 24, 2009 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Naipaul.html

Learn more about citation styles

Naipaul, V.S.

World Encyclopedia | 2005 | © World Encyclopedia 2005, originally published by Oxford University Press 2005. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

Naipaul, V.S. ( Vidiadhar Surajprasad) (1932– ) West Indian novelist and short-story writer. He was educated in his native Trinidad and at Oxford, but later settled in London. His novels include A House for Mr Biswas (1961), the Booker Prize-winning In a Free State (1971), and A Bend in the River (1979). His travelogues include Among the Believers: An Islamic Journey (1981) and A Turn in the South (1989). Naipaul received the 2001 Nobel Prize in literature.

Hide all research tools
Print this article Print all entries for this topic Cite this article Link to this article
Link to this article

CloseClose

Create a link to this page

Copy and paste this link tag into your Web page or blog:

<a href="http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/.aspx#1O142-NaipaulVS" title="Facts and information about V S Naipaul">V S Naipaul</a>

Add this article to Del.icio.usBookmark this article on DiigoShare this article on FacebookSubmit this article to RedditGive this article a thumbs-up on StumbleUpon
Show all research tools

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

"Naipaul, V.S." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 24 Dec. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"Naipaul, V.S." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (December 24, 2009). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-NaipaulVS.html

"Naipaul, V.S." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Retrieved December 24, 2009 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-NaipaulVS.html

Learn more about citation styles

Naipaul, Sir V. S.

The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature | 2003 | | © The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature 2003, originally published by Oxford University Press 2003. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

Naipaul, Sir V. S. ( Sir Vidiadhar Surajprasad Naipaul) (1932– ), novelist, born in Trinidad of a Brahmin family, educated in Port of Spain, and University College, Oxford. He settled in England and married in 1955. His first three books, The Mystic Masseur (1957), The Suffrage of Elvira (1958), and Miguel Street (short stories, 1959), are comedies of manners, all set in Trinidad. A House for Mr Biswas (1961), also set in Trinidad, traces the fortunes of its mild hero as he progresses from sign-writer to journalist, is trapped into marriage, but continues to bid for independence, symbolized by the house which he acquires shortly before his death. Mr Stone and the Knights Companion (1963) was followed by The Mimic Men (1967).

From this time Naipaul's work becomes more overtly political and pessimistic. In a Free State (1971, Booker Prize) explores problems of nationality and identity through three linked narratives, all describing displaced characters. Guerrillas (1975) is a portrait of political and sexual violence in the Caribbean; A Bend in the River (1979) is an equally horrifying portrait of emergent Africa. Naipaul's recurrent themes of political violence, innate homelessness, and alienation have given rise to comparisons with Conrad. The autobiographical The Enigma of Arrival (1987) describes a young Trinidadian's experience of post-imperial England. His travel books include The Middle Passage (1962), on the Caribbean; An Area of Darkness (1964), his controversial account of India; The Return of Eva Peron (1980); Among the Believers: An Islamic Journey (1981); and A Turn in the South (1989), about evangelical Christianity in the Southern states of the USA. Recent works include Half a Life (2001, novel) and The Writer and the World (2002, essays). He is the brother of S. Naipaul. He was knighted in 1990, and won the Nobel Prize in 2001. See Anglo-Indian literature; Black British literature; post-colonial literature.

Hide all research tools
Print this article Print all entries for this topic Cite this article Link to this article
Link to this article

CloseClose

Create a link to this page

Copy and paste this link tag into your Web page or blog:

<a href="http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/.aspx#1O54-NaipaulSirVS" title="Facts and information about V S Naipaul">V S Naipaul</a>

Add this article to Del.icio.usBookmark this article on DiigoShare this article on FacebookSubmit this article to RedditGive this article a thumbs-up on StumbleUpon
Show all research tools

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

MARGARET DRABBLE and JENNY STRINGER. "Naipaul, Sir V. S." The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. 24 Dec. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

MARGARET DRABBLE and JENNY STRINGER. "Naipaul, Sir V. S." The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. (December 24, 2009). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O54-NaipaulSirVS.html

MARGARET DRABBLE and JENNY STRINGER. "Naipaul, Sir V. S." The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature. 2003. Retrieved December 24, 2009 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O54-NaipaulSirVS.html

Learn more about citation styles

Free newspaper and magazine articles

Free Article V. S. Naipaul and the 1946 Trinidad general election.(Critical essay)
Magazine article from: Twentieth Century Literature; 3/22/2009
Free Article Doomed to smallness: violence, V. S. Naipaul, and the Global South.(Vidiadhar Surajprasad Naipaul on developing countries)(Critical essay)
Magazine article from: Yearbook of English Studies; 1/1/2007
Free Article THE AUTHORISED V.S. NAIPAUL.(Book review)
Magazine article from: Contemporary Review; 3/22/2009

Facts and information from other sites

Related articles from newspapers, magazines, and more

Author V. S. Naipaul Interviewed
Transcript from: NPR All Things Considered; 5/23/1994; 700+ words ; ...theme music] SIEGEL: Novelist V. S. Naipaul's new book is about Trinidad...and throughout the new world. V. S. NAIPAUL, Author: [excerpt from tape...SIEGEL: And I'm Robert Siegel. V.S. Naipaul's new book A Way in the World...
V.S. Naipaul: A man of many contradictions BOOKS & IDEAS
Newspaper article from: International Herald Tribune; 11/22/2008; ; 700+ words ; ...Herald Tribune 11-22-2008 V.S. Naipaul: A man of many contradictions...Is The Authorized Biography of V.S. Naipaul By Patrick French Illustrated...biography must tell the truth. V.S. Naipaul wanted his monument built while...
V. S. Naipaul and the 1946 Trinidad general election.(Critical essay)
Magazine article from: Twentieth Century Literature; 3/22/2009; ; 700+ words ; ...journalism of Trinidad-born author V. S. Naipaul. Beginning in his first novel...rather than "contempt" ("V. S. Naipaul: A Transition Interview" 59;"A Conversation with V. S. Naipaul" 20). Others, however, accuse...
Analysis: V.S. Naipaul's impressions of Islam
Transcript from: Talk of the Nation (NPR); 10/16/2001; ; 700+ words ; 00-00-0000 Analysis: V.S. Naipaul's impressions of Islam Host...week, the 69-year-old writer V.S. Naipaul was awarded the 2001 Nobel Prize...which came out in 1998. And V.S. Naipaul joins us now from his home in...
V.S. Naipaul's A way in the world: contesting liminality by translating the historical past/ V.S. Naipaul se A way in the world: om liminaliteit te beveg deur die historiese verlede te verklaar.
Magazine article from: Literator: Journal of Literary Criticism, comparative linguistics and literary studies; 4/1/2006; ; 700+ words ; ...or the article discusses Naipaul's strategy of taking distance to counteract...teken van "die Ander", bespreek Naipaul se strategie om liminaliteit te bestry...sectionalised meditations through which V.S. Naipaul arrives at a deeper understanding...
V.S. NAIPAUL'S FULL LIFE NOBEL WINNER REFLECTS ON HIS STYLE AND SUCCESS
Newspaper article from: The Boston Globe; 11/8/2001; ; 700+ words ; ...not his books, but his myth," V.S. Naipaul once wrote. Few writers better...outsider. Like all powerful myths, Naipaul's is grounded in truth. Triply without...has been a touchstone not just of Naipaul's life but also of the 13 novels and...
Interview: Author and 2001 Nobel laureate V.S. Naipaul discusses his first novel in seven years
Transcript from: NPR Weekend Edition - Sunday; 11/4/2001; ; 700+ words ; ...Author and 2001 Nobel laureate V.S. Naipaul discusses his first novel in seven...Nobel laureate in literature is V.S. Naipaul. Just after the announcement...promote his novel. Half a Life is V.S. Naipaul's first novel in seven years...
Analysis: V.S. Naipaul wins Nobel Prize in literature
Transcript from: NPR All Things Considered; 10/11/2001; ; 700+ words ; ...Things Considered (NPR) 10-11-2001 Analysis: V.S. Naipaul wins Nobel Prize in literature Host: ROBERT SIEGEL...LINDA WERTHEIMER, host: And I'm Linda Wertheimer. V.S. Naipaul has won this year's Nobel Prize for literature. The...
ONLY DISCONNECT.(conversation with V.S. Naipaul)(Brief Article)(Interview)
Magazine article from: Harper's Magazine; 4/1/2000; 700+ words ; ...unpublished telephone interview with V. S. Naipaul conducted on January 21 by Akash...journalist based in Oxford, England. Naipaul's most recent book is Between Father...AKASH KAPUR: Can you hear me? V. S. NAIPAUL: Yes, I can hear you. Can you...
Doomed to smallness: violence, V. S. Naipaul, and the Global South.(Vidiadhar Surajprasad Naipaul on developing countries)(Critical essay)
Magazine article from: Yearbook of English Studies; 1/1/2007; ; 700+ words ; ...ABSTRACT This article traces the cultural authority of V S. Naipaul's essays and travel writing to his use of violence to...good reasons at present to trace the development of Naipaul's representation and analysis of global violence, in...

Pictures from Google Image Search

Click to see an enlarged picture
Click to see an enlarged picture
Click to see an enlarged picture

For students and teachers!

Encyclopedia.com provides students and teachers facts, information, and biographies from verified, citable sources, including:

Encyclopedia.com provides students and teachers facts, information, and biographies from verified, citable sources, including:

Popular on Newser:

'Lady Gaga Is Going to Hell!': Rev

(12/24/2009 11:41:00 AM)

Jolie: Not Hot on Fidelity

(12/23/2009 4:52:04 PM)

Tiger Woods Loses One, Wins One

(12/24/2009 9:42:00 PM)

Eerie Final Films of Stars Who Died Young

(12/24/2009 3:11:04 PM)

Pediatrician Molested Up to 100 Kids: Cops

(12/24/2009 11:05:00 AM)