In service to Sir Vidia

The more we know about this man, the less we like him - it's the paradox of the literary celebrity age. If Sir Vidia wasn't such a marvellous writer, if he hadn't conjured a modern philosophe, if he didn't visit upon his British audience their post-colonial angst in the midst of our suburban ennui - then we wouldn't be at all interested in his Tuesday afternoon trysts. A great literary bequest laid low by a failure of heart - the heart of darkness seems to be within yourself Sir Vidia.
A good novel, though, well drawn characters standing on different corners of different streets following two rivers - each with a distinct bend.
Naipaul's own opening incantation 'The world is what it is; men who are nothing, who allow themselves to become nothing, have no place in it.' now seems too big a challenge even for a man of Naipaul's exemplitude - what do you amount to old man?

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2 people found this helpful

A flowing history from the heart of Africa

If you're interested in central and east Africa in general, and the DRC in particular, you've doubtless read 'Heart of Darkness', 'King Leopold's Ghost' and 'In the Footsteps of Mr Kurtz'. Don't miss this classic novel, which provides an engrossing first-person account of the life of an Indian shopkeeper in the remote east of what was then called Zaire. The view through the eyes of a single shopkeeper makes a grand accompaniment to those other, broader texts. The story begins before the ascendancy of President Mobutu Sese-Seko, describes the initial excitement that his authoritative reign created - often overlooked by other commentators - then traces the collapse of the regime and the country into corrupt anarchy. The characters that appear along the way symbolise many of the major attitudes towards this abortive African renaissance - the naive academic credulously serving the Big Man, disappointed ex-pats sliding into bored debauchery, arrogant young students bitter as they realise the lies they have been told, the Africa-loving priest brought to a grisly end - and, of course, the foreign traders trying to live in two worlds to profit from it all, yet with the dreadful risk of losing everything hanging over them, a threat that adds real tension to the story.

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A Bend in the River

Excellently read.

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Quality Literature

Beautifully written and beautifully read, though little really happens, so not much of a story arc.
It focusses mainly on domestic detail and the ebb and flow of social and political forces as they alter a once familiar world.
A quality piece of writing - well worth the time investment.

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The horror ?

Heart of Darkness 100 years later? Also set in the Congo, the story recounts the experience of an young Indian man who tries to make a living as a tradesman during the 1960'es and 70'es on the banks of the Congo. The author provides insight and perspective on the post-colonial experience, but the reader is still left outside the phenomena. The darkness remains, the wonder at the seemingly irrational behaviours, the violence, the randomness etc. But maybe that is exactly the message?

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Tedious without redemption

I had such high hopes for this well regarded novel but those hopes were not well met. Simon Vance adopts an affectatious accent throughout which is irritating and relentless. The listening experience is further maligned by monotonous narrative offering very little relief. There is no story or momentum to the narrative at all. I often felt that I wished I was reading it, rather than listening to Vance witter on with his reading, in the hope that I would get more out of it. I persevered to the end, waiting for something to happen, in vain. Each listen felt like an endurance. Mr Naipul does paint a certain picture but he cannot tell a story and in A Bend in the River seemingly there is no actual tale to tell. My advice is to not listen to this version and read the book to try to get some depth from it instead.

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2 people found this helpful