Who was V. S. Naipaul? Everything You Need to Know

Quick Facts

British Celebrities Born In August

Also Known As: Sir Vidiadhar Surajprasad Naipaul, Vidia Naipaul

Died At Age: 85

Family:

Spouse/Ex-: Nadira Khannum Alvi Naipaul (1996–2018), Patricia Ann Hale Naipaul (1955–96)

father: Seepersad Naipaul

mother: Droapatie

siblings: Shiva Naipaul

Born Country: Trinidad And Tobago

Nobel Laureates In Literature Novelists

Died on: August 11, 2018

place of death: London, England

Notable Alumni: University College, Oxford, Queen's Royal College, Trinidad

More Facts

education: University College, Oxford, Queen's Royal College, Trinidad

awards: Nobel Prize in Literature - 2001
Man Booker Prize - 1971
Jerusalem Prize for the Freedom of the Individual in Society - 1983

Recommended For You

1

What are the major themes in V. S. Naipaul's novels?

V. S. Naipaul's novels often explore themes such as post-colonialism, identity, displacement, and the impact of colonialism on societies and individuals.
2

How has V. S. Naipaul's writing been received by critics?

V. S. Naipaul's writing has received both high praise and criticism from literary critics, with some lauding his sharp insights and others critiquing his portrayal of characters and themes.
3

What influence did V. S. Naipaul have on the literary world?

V. S. Naipaul is regarded as a significant figure in post-colonial literature and has influenced many writers with his unique narrative style and exploration of complex themes.
4

How did V. S. Naipaul's background influence his writing?

V. S. Naipaul's Trinidadian-Indian heritage and experiences of colonialism greatly influenced his writing, providing rich material for his exploration of identity and cultural displacement.
5

What are some key works by V. S. Naipaul and their significance?

Some of V. S. Naipaul's key works include "A House for Mr. Biswas," "A Bend in the River," and "A Bend in the River," which are celebrated for their exploration of post-colonial themes and complex characters.

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Childhood & Early Life

V. S. Naipaul was born on 17 August 1932 in Chaguanas in Trinidad into a family of indentured laborers shipped from India to Trinidad. He was the second child born to Seepersad Naipaul and Droapatie.

He grew up in a largely peasant Indian immigrant community. Even though his grandparents had worked as indentured laborers, his father managed to get an education and became an English-language journalist. His father’s career as a journalist and his admiration for writers inspired Naipaul, and as a young boy he too aspired to become a writer.

In 1939, his family moved to Trinidad's capital, Port of Spain and he took admission at the government-run Queen's Royal College, in Port of Spain. V. S. Naipaul was a good student and his hard work earned him a Trinidad Government scholarship and he left the country to study at the Oxford University in 1952.

He was very confused and unsure about his future as a student at the Oxford. He tried focusing on his writing but was not satisfied with his own efforts. He felt very lonely and depressed and was on the verge of a mental breakdown.

Mentally disturbed, he embarked on an impulsive trip to Spain in 1952 and spent all his savings on the trip. The death of his father the following year was another emotional blow to him. However, one saving grace in his life was a young woman, Patricia Ann Hale, whom he had met in college. She helped him recover and rebuild his life. Both Hale and he graduated from Oxford in 1953.

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Career

V. S. Naipaul moved to London in 1954 and was hired as a presenter by Henry Swanzy, the producer of a BBC weekly program called ‘Caribbean Voices’. This was a part-time job where he also wrote short reviews and conducted interviews.

In 1955, he wrote ‘Bogart’, the first story of ‘Miguel Street’. He sent it to the publishing company André Deutsch where the owner, though reluctant to publish ‘Miguel Street’, encouraged him to write another book.

He quickly wrote a novel, ‘The Mystic Masseur’ which was accepted by André Deutsch for publication and Naipaul was paid £125 for it. Published in 1957, the novel tells the tale of an impoverished writer who aspires to become a successful politician.

He wrote a travelogue, ‘An Area of Darkness’ in 1964 in which he described his trip through India in the early sixties. It was the first of his acclaimed Indian trilogy which includes ‘India: A Wounded Civilization’ and ‘India: A Million Mutinies Now’.

The year 1979 saw the release of his highly acclaimed novel, ‘A Bend in the River’. The book is narrated by an ethnically Indian Muslim shopkeeper in an unnamed African country. The novel received critical reviews and was shortlisted for the Booker Prize.

Much renowned for his fictions and novels, Naipaul was also famous for his works of non-fiction which include ‘Finding the Centre: Two Narratives’ (1984), ‘A Turn in the South’ (1989), ‘India: A Million Mutinies Now’ (1990), and ‘Beyond Belief: Islamic Excursions among the Converted Peoples’ (1998).

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Major Works

His novel ‘In a Free State’ (1971) is considered one of his masterpieces. The novel consists of three short stories set in three different countries, each exploring the concept of freedom and the price one has to pay for it.

His novel ‘Half a Life’ (2001), which tells the tale of a fictional character, Willie Somerset Chandran, the son of a Brahmin father and a Dalit mother, who immigrates to England and then Africa borrows considerably from Naipaul’s own life as the son of immigrant Indians.

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Awards & Achievements

In 1971 he won the coveted Man Booker Prize for his short story, ‘In a Free State’.

In 1993 he was presented with the biennial British literary award, The David Cohen Prize for Literature.

V. S. Naipaul was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2001 "for having united perceptive narrative and incorruptible scrutiny in works that compel us to see the presence of suppressed histories".

Personal Life & Legacy

He met Patricia Ann Hale, a fellow student in Oxford at a college play in 1952. Their relationship was met with disapproval from the families of both yet they remained committed to each other. They got married in 1955 without the knowledge of their families and shared a happy marriage that lasted till Hale’s death in 1996.

Thereafter, he got married to a Pakistani journalist Nadira Khannum Alvi Naipaul.

VS Naipaul died on August 11, 2018, at London. He was 85.

Facts About V. S. Naipaul

Naipaul was known to be a meticulous writer who often wrote his novels longhand with a pencil on yellow legal pads.

Despite his reputation for being a serious and sometimes controversial figure, Naipaul had a quirky sense of humor and enjoyed telling jokes to his friends and family.

Naipaul was a voracious reader and had an extensive personal library that included books on a wide range of subjects, reflecting his diverse interests.

Naipaul was known to be a bit of a perfectionist when it came to his writing, often revising and editing his work multiple times before considering it complete.

In his later years, Naipaul developed a love for gardening and spent much of his free time tending to his plants and flowers, finding solace and inspiration in nature.

V. S. Naipaul Biography

You wanted to know

What are the major themes in V. S. Naipaul's novels?

How has V. S. Naipaul's writing been received by critics?

What influence did V. S. Naipaul have on the literary world?

How did V. S. Naipaul's background influence his writing?

What are some key works by V. S. Naipaul and their significance?