The World Is What It Is

Starred review from September 8, 2008
V.S. Naipaul's biographer aims not “to sit in judgment of the Nobel laureate, but to expose the subject with ruthless clarity to the calm eye of the reader.” In this he succeeds admirably. Descendant of poor Brahmins, born in 1932 in Trinidad and educated in Oxford, Naipaul is haunted by matters of race, colonialism and sex. He is, says award-winning author French (Younghusband
), both the racist (against those darker than he) and the victim of racial prejudice, tendencies that come through in his novels and in his treatment of friends and lovers. Haunting this biography are Naipaul's women. His wife, Pat, supported him, overlooked his affairs and his visits with prostitutes, and subordinated herself to his genius; Naipaul gave equally little to Margaret, his mistress. Naipaul and his books may be the subject of this work, but it is these and the other women whom he depended on and took for granted—from his editor to his mother—whose stories will keep that “calm eye of the reader” glued to the pages of this disturbing biography. 16 pages of photos.

October 15, 2008
This sweeping biography follows the Nobel laureate from his childhood in Trinidad to his college years at Oxford, through his struggles as a young writer, across continents, and eventually to the accomplished literary figure we know today. French ("Tibet, Tibet") pulls extensively from private papers and personal recollections, having conducted five research trips to the University of Tulsa, where Naipaul's papers are located. Those familiar with Naipaul know he is controversial for his political and social views. What may not be as widely known, which French reveals at length, is the controversy of his private life. Naipaul married Patricia Hale at the age of 22. During the decadeslong marriage, he visited prostitutes and had an intense sexual relationship for 24 years with Margaret Gooding, whom he often treated harshly and physically abused. Hale, diagnosed with breast cancer, likely declined in health after learning of Naipaul's encounters with prostitutes. On the closing pages, French provides an empathetic image of Naipaul, leaving final judgments of this complex personality up to the reader. Highly recommended for public and academic libraries.Stacy Russo, Chapman Univ. Libs., Orange, CA

Copyright 2008 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from October 15, 2008
Nobel laureate Naipauls readers know of his fierce intellect and literary prowess, hisirascibility and pitiless condemnations. So how authorized was this living biography? And how did French cope? One should never underestimate a narcissists craving for attention, and French is fearlessly inquisitive. He is also a superb stylist who combines sharp observations with judicial analysis, a skill much in demand in portraying such a contrary, celebrated, and controversial man of letters.French sensitively documents Naipauls Trinidad childhood and the prejudice his immigrant Indian family faced as well as Naipauls paralyzing depression as an outsiderin England. To understand Naipaul, one must understand his father, and French perceptively recounts Seepersads improbable riseas a journalist and his terrible fall. But it is the women inNaipuls life who have empoweredhim and who make this such a riveting, heartbreaking biography. Patricia Hale defied her family to marry Naipaul, and sacrificed everything to support his literary quest, only to have her Genius fall passionately in love with a woman who was his conspicuous mistress for more than two decades. Frenchs deep respect for Pat infuses this sexually candid biography with sorrow, wonder, and dignity, and one cant help but assume that this was the ever-wily, truth-seeking Naipauls secret intention.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)