Set in an unnamed African country, V. S. Naipaul's A Bend in the River is narrated by Salim, a young man from an Indian family of traders long resident on the coast. He believes The world is what it is; men who are nothing, who allow themselves to become nothing, have no place in it. So he has taken the initiative; left the coast; acquired his own shop in a small, growing city in the continent's remote interior and is selling sundries - little more than this and that, really - to the natives.
This spot, this 'bend in the river', is a microcosm of post-colonial Africa at the time of Independence: a scene of chaos, violent change, warring tribes, ignorance, isolation and poverty. And from this rich landscape emerges one of the author's most potent works - a truly moving story of historical upheaval and social breakdown.
ISBN: | 9780330522991 |
Publication date: | 1st April 2011 |
Author: | V S Naipaul |
Publisher: | Picador an imprint of Pan Macmillan |
Format: | Paperback |
Pagination: | 325 pages |
Genres: |
Classic fiction: general and literary Narrative theme: Interior life Narrative theme: Sense of place Narrative theme: Social issues |