Synopsis
At seventeen, V.S. Naipaul wanted to "follow no other profession" but writing. Awarded a scholarship by the Trinidadian government, he set out to attend Oxford, where he was encountered a vastly different world from the one he yearned to leave behind. Separated from his family by continents, and grappling with depression, financial strain, loneliness, and dislocation, "Vido" bridged the distance with a faithful correspondence that began shortly before the young man's two-week journey to England and ended soon after his father's death four years later.
Here, for the first time, we have the opportunity to read this profoundly moving correspondence, which illuminates with unalloyed candor the relationship between a sacrificing father and his determined son as the encourage each other to persevere with their writing. For though his father's literary aspirations would go unrealized, Naipaul's triumphant career would ultimately vindicate his beloved mentor's legacy.
About V.S. Naipaul
See more books from this AuthorHe relies on his son to see to the practical affairs of submitting his own work in England, and makes collegial observations about the life of the mind (as well as on the genesis of his own novel, The Adventures of Gurudeva).
| Read Full Review of Between Father and Son : Fami...The origin of this book seems to be in a letter from Seepersad Naipaul to young Vido (or Vidia): ""If you could write me letters about things and people--especially people--at Oxford, I could compile them in a book: Letters Between a Father and Son...."" Although the correspondence (much of it wi...
| Read Full Review of Between Father and Son : Fami...An aggregated and normalized score based on 8 user ratings from iDreamBooks & iTunes