Winner of the Booker Prize 1971 and nominated for the Golden Man Booker Prize in 2018.
In a Free State tells the story first of an Indian servant in Washington, who becomes an American citizen but feels he has ceased to be a part of the flow. Then of a disturbed Asian West Indian in London who, in jail for murder, has never really known where he is. Then the central novel moves to Africa, to a fictional country somewhere like Uganda or Rwanda.
The novel's central characters once found Africa liberating, but now it has gone sour on them. The land is no longer safe, and at a time of tribal conflict they have to make the long drive to the safety of their compound. At the end of this drive – the narrative tight, wonderfully constructed, the formal and precise language always instilled with violence and rage – we know everything about the English characters, the African country and the Idi Amin-like future awaiting it. This is one of V. S. Naipaul’s greatest novels, hard but full of pity.
This is a story about displacement, the yearning for the good place in someone else’s land and the attendant heartache.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
Book Description Soft Cover. Condition: new. Seller Inventory # 9780330524803
Book Description Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. WINNER OF THE BOOKER PRIZE 1971SHORTLISTED FOR THE GOLDEN MAN BOOKER PRIZEFrom Pulitzer Prize winner V.S. Naipaul, In A Free State is set in an imaginary state in Africa against a background of civil conflict. The book travels from America to London to Africa. The first third focuses on the fortunes of Santosh, a young Indian servant, at the mercy of this dreams, of his employers and of the countries in which he is plunged. It then moves into the world of expats in Africa, of government officers and radio people, attempting to understand the country they have found themselves in, to match their ideas to reality. And as always, in the background the threat of violence looms.The voices in this novel are breathtakingly vivid, the feelings of the characters portrayed with an intelligence and sensitivity that is rarely seen in contemporary writing.PRAISE FOR NAIPAUL"For sheer abundance of talent there can hardly be a writer alive who surpasses V. S. Naipaul. [He is] the world's writer, a master of language and perception." The New York Times Book Review"A Tolstoyan spirit. The so-called Third World has produced no more brilliant literary artist." John Updike"V. S. Naipaul has a substantial claim as a comic writer. This humor, conducted throughout with the utmost stylistic quietude, is completely original." Kingsley Amis, The Spectator"Mr. Naipaul travels with the artist's eye and ear and his observations are sharply discerning." Evelyn Waugh Winner of the Booker Prize in 1971 and nominated for the Golden Man Booker Prize in 2018. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability. Seller Inventory # 9780330524803
Book Description paperback. Condition: New. Language: ENG. Seller Inventory # 9780330524803
Book Description Paperback / softback. Condition: New. New copy - Usually dispatched within 4 working days. Winner of the Booker Prize in 1971 and nominated for the Golden Man Booker Prize in 2018. Seller Inventory # B9780330524803
Book Description Paperback. Condition: Brand New. In Stock. Seller Inventory # __0330524801
Book Description Paperback. Condition: New. BRAND NEW ** SUPER FAST SHIPPING FROM UK WAREHOUSE ** 30 DAY MONEY BACK GUARANTEE. Seller Inventory # 9780330524803-GDR
Book Description Condition: New. In. Seller Inventory # ria9780330524803_new
Book Description Condition: New. 2011. Paperback. V. S. Naipaul's Booker Prize-winning novel set in an African state. Num Pages: 256 pages. BIC Classification: FA. Category: (G) General (US: Trade). Dimension: 197 x 133 x 19. Weight in Grams: 216. . . . . . Seller Inventory # V9780330524803
Book Description Condition: New. 2011. Paperback. V. S. Naipaul's Booker Prize-winning novel set in an African state. Num Pages: 256 pages. BIC Classification: FA. Category: (G) General (US: Trade). Dimension: 197 x 133 x 19. Weight in Grams: 216. . . . . . Books ship from the US and Ireland. Seller Inventory # V9780330524803