The winner of the 1971 Booker for his novel In a Free State, the Trinidadian-British writer, who passed away on August 11, 2018, was known for his complex novels of the wider world. Though known for his controversial views, Naipaul, who received a knighthood in Britain in 1990, and the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2001, published more than thirty books in a career that spanned fifty years. The acclaimed author passed away at his home in London less than a week short of his 86th birthday.
On the author's first death anniversary, here's looking at 5 books by Naipaul one must read.
A House for Mr Biswas (1961)
Naipaul's first work that gave him international fame, A House for Mr Biswas traces the story of Mohun Biswas, an Indo-Trinidadian who strives for success and mostly fails. He marries into the Tulsi family only to find himself being dominated by the allaince. The protagonist finally sets the goal of owning his own house.
In a Free State (1971)
The plot of the book consists of a framing narrative and three short stories - “One out of Many,” “Tell Me Who to Kill,” and “In a Free State" all of which seem to be converging towards a common theme, surrounding the price of freedom.
The Loss of El Dorado (1969)
The non-fiction is a history book about Venezuela and Trinidad and took two years to write, its scope widening with time. The Loss of El Dorado is an attempt to dig out an older, deeper history of Trinidad that precedes the commonly taught history of a British-run plantation colony.
India: A Million Mutinies Now (1990)
It is a travelogue written during the author's sojourn in his ancestral land of India. The book is the third in Naipaul's Indian trilogy which includes An Area of Darkness and India: A Wounded Civilization.
A Bend in the River (1979)
The novel, telling the story of Salim, a merchant in post-colonial mid-20th century Africa, is one of Naipaul's best known works and was widely praised. Notably, Although A Bend in the River did not win the Booker Prize, despite being shortlisted, it is discussed by two characters in The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai, which won the prize in 2006.
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