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In a Free State: A Novel Paperback – February 12, 2002

by V. S. Naipaul (Author)
4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 388 ratings
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From the Nobel Prize-winning author comes a riveting tour de force that examines emigration, dislocation, and dread.

“The coolest literary eye and the most lucid prose we have.” —The New York Times Book Review

No writer has rendered our boundariless, post-colonial world more acutely or prophetically than V. S. Naipaul, or given its upheavals such a hauntingly human face. 

In the beginning it is just a car trip through Africa. Two English people—Bobby, a civil servant with a guilty appetite for African boys, and Linda, a supercilious “compound wife”—are driving back to their enclave after a stay in the capital. But in between lies the landscape of an unnamed country whose squalor and ethnic bloodletting suggest Idi Amin’s Uganda. And the farther Naipaul’s protagonists travel into it, the more they find themselves crossing the line that separates privileged outsiders from horrified victims. Alongside this Conradian tour de force are four incisive portraits of men seeking liberation far from home. By turns funny and terrifying, sorrowful and unsparing, In A Free State is Naipaul at his best.
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Previous page
  1. Print length
    256 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Vintage
  4. Publication date
    February 12, 2002
  5. Dimensions
    5.2 x 0.6 x 8 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1400030552
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1400030552
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“V. S. Naipaul tells stories which show us ourselves and the reality we live in. His use of language is as precise as it is beautiful.” —The London Times

“A Tolstoyan spirit....The so-called Third World has produced no more brilliant literary artist.” —John Updike, The New Yorker

 “The coolest literary eye and the most lucid prose we have.” —The New York Times Book Review

From the Inside Flap

s rendered our boundariless, post-colonial world more acutely or prophetically than V. S. Naipaul, or given its upheavals such a hauntingly human face. A perfect case in point is this riveting novel, a masterful and stylishly rendered narrative of emigration, dislocation, and dread, accompanied by four supporting narratives.

In the beginning it is just a car trip through Africa. Two English people--Bobby, a civil servant with a guilty appetite for African boys, and Linda, a supercilious compound wife [117]-- are driving back to their enclave after a stay in the capital [111]. But in between lies the landscape of an unnamed country whose squalor and ethnic bloodletting suggest Idi Amin s Uganda. [111-12, 120, 130-1, 150, 178, 220-40] And the farther Naipaul s protagonists travel into it, the more they find themselves crossing the line that separates privileged outsiders from horrified victims. Alongside this Conradian tour de force are four incisive portraits

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Vintage; 1st Vintage International ed edition (February 12, 2002)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 256 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1400030552
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1400030552
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 8 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.2 x 0.6 x 8 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 388 ratings

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V. S. Naipaul

V. S. Naipaul

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Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars
4.1 out of 5
388 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

transargonaut
5.0 out of 5 stars "race" and the great--often unseen--pressures of contemporary historical change without ever losing the vivid flow of really gre
Reviewed in the United States on June 11, 2015
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V.S. Naipaul's "In a Free State" takes the reader through four narratives of the post-war 20th Century. In each, characters whose identities are deeply rooted in their cultural backgrounds find themselves encountering situations in which the social environment has become disjointed. Who they are inside just suddenly does not correspond to the world outside; the world has begun to change faster than many of us can keep up. The polyglot melange of a ferry from Greece to Egypt, a Pakistani who finds employment in Washington D.C., the anxieties of British caucasians in central Africa, and tourist encounters at Luxor; these four narratives confront the construction of identity, culture, "race" and the great--often unseen--pressures of contemporary historical change without ever losing the vivid flow of really great fiction. This book provokes questions that we (post)moderns have yet to suitably answer. I cannot recommend this book highly enough for anyone who wishes to expand their horizons. Happy Reading!
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M. C. Buell
4.0 out of 5 stars Brutal and Suffocating
Reviewed in the United States on July 8, 2021
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Containing five narratives: two short vignettes, two short stories, and the title novella. The two vignettes are good, if insubstantial. The two short stories focus on men cut adrift on foreign shores, searching for identity and finding their rage. You know, the standard Naipaul themes. They are well written, but for some reason I could never find a rhythm while reading them, and they just seemed to drag for me. But then we get to the title novella, and it is vintage Naipaul, with the stark, brutal prose; sharp social commentary; and above all, the suffocating atmosphere. This is what I came here for.

Bobby and Linda are two English officials driving across a recently independent unnamed African country. Most of the story takes place inside the car, and the atmosphere is tense and uncomfortable from the very beginning. There is political unrest unfolding in the background, but the real turmoil is happening inside the heads of our characters. Through Bobby and Linda, and a handful of other characters we meet along the way, Naipaul eviscerates the British imperial mindset. Linda is outwardly dismissive of, and disgusted by, Africans. Bobby thinks he’s better than that, hates Linda for her attitude. But he is not better; he is in fact, arguably worse. At least Linda is honest in her prejudices. Bobby however, thinks he understands Africa and it’s people, thinks he belongs here. But he is a predator, using the whiteness of his skin and the money in his pocket to dominate. He is a weak and pathetic man come to Africa to make himself feel superior. And he never misses an opportunity to show off his supposed superiority.

In a Free State won the Booker Prize, and is one of Naipaul’s better known works. It might not be quite on the same level as Biswas or A Bend in the River, but it’s close, and definitely worth the read.

5 stars for the title novella, 3 stars for everything else.
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MR CLINT W CAWARD
5.0 out of 5 stars BRUTAL LUCIDTY
Reviewed in the United States on March 10, 2014
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People love to bag Naipaul and sit in judgement of him especially after the 2008 biography, but that kind of pass time can best be left to boring reactionaries who can't separate the man from the work. People also argue his characters have no chance of redemption and there is little hope for them, well - boo hoo. This book, along with Guerrillas, crackles so sharply it's hard to look away. At it's heart it's a dialogue driven road trip. I won't waste any time telling of plot and characters because, for this reader, those were secondary to the breathtakingly lucid vision Naipaul holds. His prose is simply so clear and precise, so attuned to the moment by moment nuance of human nature. I just want to keep using the word 'lucid', because his writing makes you feel like you've smoked something that has sharpened all your senses. The sheer level of his concentration is awe inspiring. How incredibly lucky we've been to have him with us.
6 people found this helpful
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JAK
3.0 out of 5 stars A Bit of a Puzzle
Reviewed in the United States on December 3, 2018
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In a Free State is a literary assmemblage.It's not a unified novel. It begins with a piece about someone traveling via freighter to Alexandria from Athens.It's followed by two short stories - One out of Many and Tell Me Who to Kill .Then there is a short novel ,In a Free State.It closes out with a short piece where the traveler to Alexandria is back and in Egypt right before the 67 War , 25 or so years later.

My favorite part was One out of Many because it's actually pretty funny. It's the story of an Indian peasant who moves to Bombay and is content .Then his boss gets a job in Washington DC and brings him along.The urban West is a shock.His reactions to what he sees and experiences and how he ultimately adapts makes for a good story.

Tell Me Who to Kill is less succesful.It's set in what we can deduce is Trinidad and centers around a man of Indian descent who lives in a village from which he immigrates to London to follow his brother whose success he has dedicated himself to.In London he gradually finds out his brother is conning him .He's not a student but pretty much a near do well.He opens a restaurant .Is harassed by White people and winds up killing someone.The story has a certain amount of power and color but it's unduly murky.While well written , it's too remote.

Then there is In a Free State which is a decidedly strange piece of work.It kept me going and I admit held my interest but I wondered why at times.It's set in a version of what is obviously Uganda.It could be called Bobby and Linda go for a drive because that's what is going on for most of the novel.Bobby , a rather strange guy from England works for the government .Linda is married to someone who works for local broadcasting (I think).Both of them are kind of creepy.They drive from the capital to what 's refered to as the compound , I gather a considerable distance.Something like a civil war is going on.They have adventures.They are unpleasant to each other.The country is falling apart.They get to the compound .It's over.It's weirdly interesting.

I read this back to back with Guerillas and am now convinced that as time went on , Naipaul became a better essayist than he was a novelist.I think his books on travel in the Islamic world are brilliant.His early novel A House for Mr Bisawas may be a great book .But these books are lesser.That doesn't mean they aren't worthwhile. Naipaul is a fine writer with a fine mind.You can get a lot out of him even in these works. One Out of Many even reminds you that he can be quite funny.However the books have a dyspeptic quality to them which gets irritating at times.I felt like kicking Linda and Bobby.I also found him unecessarily opaque here.Yet , for all my complaints ,I think he is an essential writer.I'll take his sourness any day of the week over the phoney sanctimonious goo that so many writers go in for.
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Top reviews from other countries

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Client d'Amazon
5.0 out of 5 stars Ce livre est très intéressant
Reviewed in France on October 20, 2022
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J'aime lire en Anglais et ce livre m'a enchantée. Il n'était pas trop dur à lire.
Il y a une bonne ambiance.
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome Book
Reviewed in India on June 27, 2021
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This is a VS Naipaul book. Enough said.
One person found this helpful
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BeachSamurai
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing Book
Reviewed in Australia on December 24, 2021
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Love V.S Naipaul work. He merited his Nobel Prize.
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Mr. S. Harris
5.0 out of 5 stars A powerful novella
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 23, 2014
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This version of "In a free state" contains only the central novella, but what an interesting read it is. The central characters are vividly drawn, with great insight into human nature and cultural differences. I couldn't wait to learn more about them (as they drive each other up the wall!) and to see how the story of their journey through a war torn African state unfolded. As ever with Naipaul this is beautifully written. Powerful stuff, it certainly doesn't pull any punches.
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recluse
3.0 out of 5 stars 喪失感
Reviewed in Japan on April 11, 2006
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またnaipaulを読みましたが、本当に難しいね。この中には３篇いや４篇それとも５編かな、複数の作品が収められています。不思議なのはこのプロローグとエピローグです。そしてもっとも難解なのが、表題作でもあるin a free stateです。自分の英語力に疑念を抱かせてしまうほどの難解な作品です。英語自体はそれほどの難しさはないのですが、とうとう最後までしっくりこないままでした。ある部分は理解できるのですが、また次に展開されるシーンは理解不能という連続の繰り返しです。それに比べて第２編と第３篇は、私にとっては、はるかにとっつきやすい作品でした。これは両方ともにインド人が主人公となっているせいでしょうか。主人公のインド人が、故郷から切り離されて、新しい環境の中で、近代の流儀に目覚めて生きながらも、そこに漂うどうしようもない喪失感は私がnaipaulの作品にいつも求めるものだからでしょうか？決してnaipaulはそれだけではないのでしょうけど。
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