A Way in the World

Cover of the first edition of "A Way in the World" by V.S. Naipaul

First edition cover
Author V.S. Naipaul
Language English
Published Knopf, 1994
Media type Book
Pages 380
ISBN 9780394564784
OCLC 29519580

A Way in the World is a 1994 book by Nobel laureate V. S. Naipaul. Although it was marketed as a novel in America, A Way in the World is arguably something different.

Novel or sequence?

Naipaul reportedly agreed to call A Way in the World a novel at the request of his publisher, having himself suggested "sequence" as a sub-title:[1] the word sequence has been adopted by some reviewers.[2] Despite his achievements as a novelist, in later life Naipaul has described the novel as an outmoded form.[3]

Relationship to The Loss of El Dorado

A Way in the World is more fictional than the Naipaul's earlier historical work The Loss of El Dorado (1969), which deals with some of the same material, for example the lives of Sir Walter Raleigh and Francisco de Miranda. Naipaul also includes autobiographical material, partly fictionalised, which was not in the first book.

Recognition

The book was short-listed for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award.

References

  1. ↑ Gussow, Mel (April 24, 1994) "V. S. Naipaul in Search of Himself: A Conversation", The New York Times
  2. ↑ Ronald Warwick (25 April 1997), "A voyage around V. S.", THES.
  3. ↑ Maya Jaggi (8 September 2001),"A singular writer", The Guardian, London.