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A Definite Mind: V. S. Naipaul 6/11/2016 4:36:10 PM
I first read the name V. S. Naipaul during a vacation trip to Trinidad in the early 1970's. I've read most of his novels since then and probably half his non-fiction. His work made a strong impression on me. I've thought of him as one of the few present-day writers in English whose work will be read in a hundred years. His dedication to his art is legendary. He wrote that he's practised no other profession than writing. He brings a master's sense of expression and quality of thought to an examination of post-colonial life.
Thinking that I would renew and perhaps deepen my acquaintance with his writings, I made two trips to one of Toronto's used book stores and came away with paperback editions of five of his books.
I haven't read "An Area of Darkness" before. It's an early work, published in 1964, after his classic "A House for Mr. Biswas". Here, he describes his first trip to India, the country his grandparents left for Trinidad.to live for a time as indentured servants.
Life can seem strange at times for most of us -- unexpected events redirect our steps, we never know for sure what's around the corner, big relocations can challenge us. "I never thought that..." "How can I ever cope?". And there can be losses -- someone we love can die, wealth can disappear, we can lose heritage and culture.
I suspect that people who live in areas that were once subject to foreign power can tell many stories of oppression and loss of standing. However...
Human beings are often resilient. We adjust, we adapt, we reflect and find new equilibria. His presentation of one man's ability to grapple well with whatever life sends him is one of Naipaul's gifts to his readers. Whatever he has to contend with,. whatever his people have endured, he never loses his capacity for reflection and self-criticism. He slips and always recovers his balance. He challenges his readers -- indirectly, of course -- to figure out how to outsmart forces that would oppress, to develop consciousness so that life is always interesting, amusing, and food for creativity.
II
I'm glad that I waited till I finished reading "An Area of Darkness" before I continued writing this post.
You see, Naipaul has a very definite mind. He knows what he thinks and doesn't waver. He has a strong sense of who he is and sees no need to grow or change or become something else.
I came upon a passage in the last half of his book where he applies his definite ways of thinking to political issues. He is so definite that he never allows room for another point of view than his own. He almost lost me.
I next realized that "An Area of Darkness" is very personal -- 40% about India, 60% about himself. He has a right to do that. I have no cause to complain, except to say that if I ever went to India, I would see it with a different pair of eyes and come to different conclusions from his.
Definiteness has its value, of course, and no doubt contributed to the kind of success Naipaul achieved. But who wants to spend hours with a man who never lets anything outside himself stay with him for long?
And yet...Naipaul is an intelligent man and a masterful writer. While he reports what he considers the failings of India, he also describes his own weaknesses -- short temper, impatience, occasional bursts of cruelty. He tells us about the remorse he feels.
I decide that he must know exactly what he's doing. He goes a long way to win back one nearly-disenchanted reader when he describes a visit to members of his mother's family, who are well-established in a Brahmin village. While there, he enjoys ordinary feelings and takes part in age-old, universal family sociability. Even then, though, defensive barriers go up and he sinks to rude behavior that he later regrets.
A creative, interesting, complex, difficult man, who has reached a high level of achievement and benefited millions of readers. He reminds us, at the same time, that none of us are perfect.
I enjoyed this memoir and decided that if I don't understand everything Naipaul said about India, I do have a decent grasp of what he says about one very good, dedicated writer.
