As a writer who has twice suffered displacement, from his ancestral
land and his native island of Trinidad in the West Indies, V.S. Naipaul
brings an extra dimension to the notion of post-colonial writing. Whether
he opts for the short story or the novel form, for the travel narrative or
the personal interview, it soon becomes apparent that Naipaul’s biography
is inseparable from his work.
This article analyzes how Naipaul’s Indian heritage, inextricably
linked to the memory of his father, Seepersad Naipaul, has created the
tension prompting his life’s work and at the same time has brought him
the conviction that alienation is not merely the lot of colonized people,
but a fundamental aspect of all human existence.
