In these eleven extended pieces V. S. Naipaul charts more than half a century of personal enquiry into the mysteries of the written word and of fiction in particular. Here are his boyhood experiences of reading books and his first youthful efforts at writing them; the evolution of his ideas about the extent to which individual cultures shape identities and influence literary forms; observations on Conrad, his literary forebear; the moving preface he wrote to the only book his father ever published; and his reflections on his career, ending with his celebrated Nobel lecture, 'Two Worlds'. A remarkable companion piece to The Writer and the World, Naipaul's previous volume of highly acclaimed essays, Literary Occasions is a stirring contribution to the fading art of the critic, and a revelation of a life in letters. 'An engaging guide to the writing life, full of interest for the would-be novelist' Independent 'He is an exceptionally good and perceptive critic -- a few passages on Dickens are worth whole books by others -- and when he addresses the art of fiction he not only writes beautifully (as always) but with complete humility' New Statesman 'The writing itself is a wonder of clarity, complex ideas given shape in simple English, and achieving that most difficult of tasks -- having writer and reader seem simultaneously to be making the same journey' New York Times Book Review
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
From the Inside Flap:
From a master of the English language?winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature?a collection of essays about reading, writing, and identity.
In these eleven pieces?brought together for the first time?Naipaul charts more than half a century of personal inquiry into the mysteries of written expression and of fiction in particular. Here are his boyhood experiences of reading books and his first youthful efforts at writing them; the early glimmers and the evolution of ideas about the proper relation of particular literary forms to particular cultures and identities. Here, too, is Naipaul?s famous comment on his putative literary forebear Conrad, and a less familiar but no less intriguing preface to the only book Naipaul?s father ever published. Finally, in his celebrated Nobel Lecture, ?Two Worlds,? Naipaul reflects on the full scope of his career, rounding off the volume as an intellectual autobiography. Sustained by extraordinary powers of expression and thought, Literary Occasions is a stirring contribution to the fading art of the critic, and a revelation as well of a life in letters, in its many exemplary instances.
From the Back Cover:
Praise for V. S. Naipaul:
“The world’s writer, a master of language and perception.” -- The New York Times Book Review
“Naipaul is a master of English prose.” -- J. M. Coetzee
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
- PublisherKnopf Canada
- Publication date2003
- ISBN 10 0676975941
- ISBN 13 9780676975949
- BindingHardcover
- Edition number1
- Number of pages224
-
Rating