A House for Mr. Biswas chronicles the life of Mohun Biswas, a man struggling for independence and a sense of belonging in post-colonial Trinidad. Despite facing myriad obstacles—from his oppressive in-laws to societal expectations—Biswas dreams of owning his own house, a symbol of his personal triumph. Naipaul's vivid prose paints a poignant picture of the clash between tradition and modernity, as Biswas navigates his tumultuous family life. Through humor and heartbreak, the novel explores themes of identity, aspiration, and the complexities of the human condition. Will Biswas ever find the stability he longs for, or will life's forces sweep him away?
By V. S. Naipaul
Published: 2001
""He was a man in search of his own identity, struggling against the currents of life and circumstance, forever caught between belonging and solitude.""
From the Nobel Prize-winning author: an unforgettable comedy of manners inspired by the author's father that has been hailed as one of the twentieth century's finest novels. “A marvelous prose epic that matches the best nineteenth-century novels for richness of comic insight and final, tragic power.” —Newsweek In his forty-six short years, Mr. Mohun Biswas has been fighting against destiny to achieve some semblance of independence, only to face a lifetime of calamity. Shuttled from one residence to another after the drowning death of his father, for which he is inadvertently responsible, Mr. Biswas yearns for a place he can call home. But when he marries into the domineering Tulsi family on whom he indignantly becomes dependent, Mr. Biswas embarks on an arduous—and endless—struggle to weaken their hold over him and purchase a house of his own. A heartrending, dark yet comedic novel, A House for Mr. Biswas masterfully evokes a man’s quest for autonomy against an emblematic post-colonial canvas.
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“"He was a man in search of his own identity, struggling against the currents of life and circumstance, forever caught between belonging and solitude."”
A House for Mr. Biswas
By V. S. Naipaul
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V. S. Naipaul (1932-2018) was a Trinidadian-British writer and Nobel laureate, known for his incisive exploration of postcolonial themes and the complexities of identity, culture, and displacement. His notable works include "A House for Mr. Biswas," "In a Free State," and "A Bend in the River," each reflecting his keen observations of the socio-political landscapes of the Caribbean, India, and Africa. Naipaul's writing style is characterized by a sharp, unsentimental prose that blends narrative and autobiography, revealing the profound struggles faced by individuals in a rapidly changing world.
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