V. S. Naipaul (part 2): A Bend in the River

Summary

The work of V. S. Naipaul, who died in August 2018 at age 85, provided an excoriating examination of what it means to be a colonial and postcolonial subject. In 1979, the novelist paid a visit to NYU in order to deliver the James Lectures at the New York Institute for the Humanities. In the second of two archival episodes, Naipaul reads an excerpt from his 1971 novel In a Free State and a passage from his then-just-released A Bend in the River, soon to become one of his most celebrated—and controversial—works.

Special thanks to DJ Cashmere for his work on this episode.

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New York Institute for the Humanities

Since 1977, the New York Institute for the Humanities has brought together distinguished scholars, writers, artists, and publishing professionals to foster crucial discussions around the public humanities. For more information and to support the NYIH, visit nyihumanities.org.

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