Book description
This collection of V.S. Naipaul's essays, the first of two volumes, showcases a lifetime of intelligent and profoundly enjoyable writing. It features pieces taken from his earlier books - The Overcrowded Barracoon, The Return of Eva Peron and Finding the Centre - and also includes several previously uncollected essays.
ConcentratingâŠ
Why read it?
1 author picked The Writer and the World as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?
Naipaul's long-form reportage "Crocodiles of Yamoussoukro," included in this collection of essays from around the world, including Africa, taught me to root my stories simply.
When I was struggling to locate the core thread of Stringer, I stumbled upon this essay about the Ivory Coast, and more than the descriptions of the placeâoften dark and mysticalâwhat moved me most was when Naipaul described his reasons for traveling to the Ivory Coast: in part because he was enamored with his French teacher, an elegant woman wearing an African headdress.
It seemed to me marvelous that a large journey could beginâŠ
From Anjan's list on The best foreign correspondent memoirs of Africa.
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