Naipaul's Second Chance

Don't worry. I'm not gracious enough to offer V S Naipaul a second chance. His brutal demolition by the late Prof Edward Said (in amongst other places the essay 'Among the Believers' found in his remarkable collection of essays entitled 'Reflections on Exile') rendered me more likely to eat a vegetable than read anything by Naipaul. (Those of you who know me will no doubt be smiling in recognition of my carnivorous tendencies). However, I must admit to being pleasantly surprised at the wonderful dialogue in Radio 4's dramatisation of Naipaul's book 'A House for Mr Biswas' over the weekend.

I couldn't possibly end with praise of Naipaul so here are some snippets of Said's cutting prose:

"In the post-colonial world he's marked as a purveyor of stereotypes and disgust for the world that produced him - although that doesn't exclude people thinking he's a gifted writer."

"…on the basis of his being a Trinidadian, [Naipaul] has had ascribed to him the credentials of a man who can serve as witness for the third world; and he is a very convenient witness. He is a third worlder denouncing his own people, not because they are victims of imperialism, but because they seem to have an innate flaw, which is that they are not whites."