Word: naipauls
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...Race is a frequent subject in this book, and not a happy one. Naipaul has been praised for being consistent in his crustiness, but his consistency is often little more than the rehashing of tired observations. "They have the Negro openness to new faiths," he writes of the black population of Anguilla. In Belize, "Negroes in jackets and ties?famous throughout Central America for their immunity to disease?walk behind the hearses" and "The Premier is a man of mixed race: Maya Indian, European, some seepage of African." In Mauritius, he insists that the Foreign Minister Gaetan Duval...
...Naipaul's early novels are hilarious, but his essays, sententious and sermonizing, have an unflagging seriousness. Even when he is traveling he is wagging his finger. He mocks the West Indies; he is unsparing on India. For him, Africa is simply a study in nihilism. He misses the joy in Africa, is panicked by the sight of bush, takes African leaders to be representative of their people. The point about Africa is not that it is hideously governed?anyone can see that?but that its people have learned survival skills and thrive in spite of their greedy governments...
...Ironically enough, much of Naipaul's contempt is reserved for title-conscious ex-colonials. "Calcutta still has an isolated aging set with British titles," he writes. On St. Kitts, "the governor is a Negro knight from another island." And in Belize, "the Premier likes to use titles." These are unlikely observations from a Trinidadian of Indian descent who accepted a British knighthood with both hands. But, along with many other characterizations in this collection, they are from the archive. Naipaul has ceased to be so breezy and has stopped accepting the sort of assignments that in the past resulted...
...Behind the Scenes: Kill Bill Movies: So Close Books: Theroux on Naipaul Books: Mysterious Massacre Books: Waylaid in New Jersey...
...Behind the Scenes: Kill Bill Movies: So Close Books: Theroux on Naipaul Books: Mysterious Massacre Books: Waylaid in New Jersey...