A glimpse in the evolution of the man known as Naipaul
This is a good book if you want to see what makes someone who is hell-bent to become a good writer, to actually succeed and achieve his dream. I think Naipaul's father was a brilliant man, who nurtured, supported and provided much needed confidence to a man who would eventually become a nobel prize winning author.
The time span of the book covers early young life of Naipaul, in the early 20s and you see many immature statements made in the book. The problem with Naipaul is that he was produced in a society where bars were set by the white men. You see in the book how Naipaul is always trying to do things in a way that will help him compete in the world he inherited. I do not blame him for that.
For example when Naipaul quotes and agrees with Huxley - "He said that it was half-diets that produced ascetics and people who spend all their time in meditation". That is such a simplistic materialistic western view point and completely invalidated by such a obvious example as Gautham Buddha, who quit his kingdom to explore the nature of human existence.
The genius of Naipaul is in his ability to come out of his cultural conditioning and try to see the world as objectively as possible. His observations on the British people are very interesting. This book gives you a glimpse on how a father, son duo overcame the insurmountable barriers to success to achieve their dreams.
On the other hand the weakness of Naipaul is in his inability to come out of what I would call for a lack of better words - white ass kissing attitude. All that glitters is not gold may be a cliche, but it is an apt commentary on the western world. You will not get such insights from Naipaul.
