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India: A Wounded Civilization Paperback – April 8, 2003

by V. S. Naipaul (Author)
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 431 ratings
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From the Nobel Prize-winning author comes a masterpiece of astonishing insight and candor about a society traumatized by centuries of foreign conquest and immured in a mythic vision of its past.

“Extraordinarily forceful.... Naipaul is an elegantly precise and exacting writer.” –Newsweek

In 1975, at the height of Indira Gandhi’s “Emergency,” V. S. Naipaul returned to India, the country his ancestors had left one hundred years earlier. Out of that journey he produced a vibrant, defiantly unsentimental portrait of India.  Drawing on novels, news reports, political memoirs, and his own encounters with ordinary Indians—from a supercilious prince to an engineer constructing housing for Bombay’s homeless—Naipaul captures a vast, mysterious, and agonized continent inaccessible to foreigners and barely visible to its own people. He sees both the burgeoning space program and the 5,000 volunteers chanting mantras to purify a defiled temple; the feudal village autocrat and the Naxalite revolutionaries who combined Maoist rhetoric with ritual murder. Relentless in its vision, thrilling in the keenness of its prose, India: A Wounded Civilization is a work of astonishing insight and candor.
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  1. Print length
    176 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Vintage
  4. Publication date
    April 8, 2003
  5. Dimensions
    5.18 x 0.48 x 7.9 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    9781400030750
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1400030750
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“Extraordinarily forceful. . . . Naipaul is an elegantly precise and exacting writer.” –Newsweek

“A deep pleasure to read. . . . Adventurous, inquiring, observant, penetrating, intelligent.” –The Washington Post Book World

“Typical Naipaul–brilliantly lucid, terse, with something hardbitten yet resigned in the emotional background.” –The New York Times Book Review

From the Inside Flap

In 1975, at the height of Indira Gandhi?s ?Emergency,? V. S. Naipaul returned to India, the country his ancestors had left one hundred years earlier. Out of that journey he produced this concise masterpiece: a vibrant, defiantly unsentimental portrait of a society traumatized by centuries of foreign conquest and immured in a mythic vision of its past.

Drawing on novels, news reports, political memoirs, and his own encounters with ordinary Indians?from a supercilious prince to an engineer constructing housing for Bombay?s homeless?Naipaul captures a vast, mysterious, and agonized continent inaccessible to foreigners and barely visible to its own people. He sees both the burgeoning space program and the 5,000 volunteers chanting mantras to purify a defiled temple; the feudal village autocrat and the Naxalite revolutionaries who combined Maoist rhetoric with ritual murder. Relentless in its vision, thrilling in the keenness of its prose, India: A Wounded Civilizationis a work of astonishing insight and candor.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ 1400030757
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Vintage; Reprint edition (April 8, 2003)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 176 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9781400030750
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1400030750
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 5.4 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.18 x 0.48 x 7.9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 431 ratings

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V. S. Naipaul

V. S. Naipaul

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Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
431 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Vincent Poirier
5.0 out of 5 stars India will go on
Reviewed in the United States on December 10, 2009
Verified Purchase
In 1975, India was not finished, it was wounded. It would recover and go on, as it had gone on for thousands of years. This sentence, India will go on, must have impressed Naipaul. In fact he opens not one but two chapters with this quote from a novel by R.K. Narayan.

This is typical of Naipaul's prose. Starting with someone else's words, he superimposes his own voice on theirs and creates what, to my mind, must be the finest contemporary English prose around. Through it, we experience not one person after another, but a whole cast of characters all in layers. Naipaul interviews an engineer who takes him to a village where he is introduced to a money lending landlord and his tenants. In one paragraph we are exposed to many relationships. Naipaul's and the engineer's, then the engineer's relationship with the powerful landlord who could forbid his tenants to talk to the him thus making him unable to carry out his land improvement projects. There's the relationship between the tenants and the landlord, between Naipaul and the tenants, and so on. It is almost like an opera which, unlike theater, remains coherent even if everyone is talking all at once.

Economy is a mark of great art. The title makes this point too. India was wounded, not dead. But during Indira Ghandi's Emergency, it was in critical condition. And the point is made in four words.

India has a long history of art and culture but their natural development was largely interrupted during the British Raj. The forms have remained but the conscious sense of continuity was lost. What remains is the here and the now. The people no longer remember their past but at any moment they feel its presence around them.

I've never been to India so cannot say if Naipaul's picture of it is true or faithful. I suspect it is, but that is immaterial. It is certainly an accurate presentation of what he himself thought and felt as a foreign-born Indian returning to the land of his ancestors, and that is how we ought to measure an artist's achievement, by his ability to make us feel precisely what he wishes us to feel.

Vincent Poirier, Tokyo
8 people found this helpful
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Roy
4.0 out of 5 stars Hinduism .,. Acceptance of fate.
Reviewed in the United States on August 1, 2014
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Now I understand Desai's "The Inhertiance of Loss".
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Richard Barker
5.0 out of 5 stars probably it would be best to begin reading this book in the middle
Reviewed in the United States on May 21, 2018
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Very thoughtful and thought provoking. A gem. But for those only beginning to trace India's past and example in the development of world civilizations, probably it would be best to begin reading this book in the middle, with the Gandhi chapter, Part 3, Chap 5.. Then read to the end; and only then try the earlier parts. This isn't easy reading, to come to understand what Naipaul is writing about. How to explain India? How could or would India adjust to modern trends? The book will make you want to read more about the history of India. Rethink Gandhi. Wonder about Indira Gandhi. Look into Hinduism teachings. It's a book both for those who know a lot about India and for those who want to be stimulated to learn more about India.
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Lizabeth
5.0 out of 5 stars for a true understanding of India
Reviewed in the United States on February 25, 2010
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I have made 2 trips to India and never really understood the country until I read this book. Naipaul is as much a philosopher as a writer, and gives the reader the cultural background of Indians which is completely different from the western outlook. A must for anyone who wants to know the effect of the caste system and Hinduism on the world view (or lack of it) of Indians. Naipaul doesn't white-wash anything. He describes the problems of this troubled country without the rose-colored glasses that so many western people look through when they talk about India.
6 people found this helpful
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K Watson
3.0 out of 5 stars somewhat insightful, dated
Reviewed in the United States on March 12, 2007
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The important thing to know if you are considering this book is that many of its insights are obsolete as the book was written in the 1970's and references many specific conditions and controversies specific to that time. Naipaul criticizes Indian traditionalism which continues to be a live issue. He believes that glorying in the past, a common Indian preoccupation, is counterproductive to India's progress into the future. He certainly agrees that Hindu nationalism is unlikely to help actualize the potential of India, which is more relevant today than when Naipaul wrote his book. To that extent, we can consider Naipaul to have been prophetic.

What I enjoyed most were passages describing visits that Naipaul made as a semi-outsider to the home of a village Brahmin, and to a suburban Mumbai squatters settlement. Social description was my desire in obtaining this book, but it disappointed me in that there was not more of it.
2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Mradulla
5.0 out of 5 stars Very good satisfying read.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 21, 2023
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One of the author's best works.
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Abhishek Thakur
5.0 out of 5 stars A phenomenal piece of work
Reviewed in India on February 28, 2023
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A phenomenal piece of work.

With the benefit of hindsight, it becomes clear how right Naipaul was (of course, not totally right, but right to quite a surprising extent all the same!). It makes India's post liberalization success look even more impressive. It also, somewhat inadvertently, explains why India trails China and why Indians still appear to crave validation.

The answer is in the title itself- a civilization wounded by hundreds of years of foreign rule that was unable to provide solutions to the problems of the modern world. The inadequacy of great men like Gandhi who were able to rouse the people up but unable to provide them a way forward. The destruction of places like Vijayanagara that, unbeknownst to the people, still stalk their consciousness. Concepts of 'dharma' which, depending on the state of the civilization and what is expected of people, can be creative or crippling.

And he does all this in about 160 pages!

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Some additional context is needed for the lay reader. Naipaul wrote 3 books on India. The first, An Area of Darkness, was largely negative, as the title suggests. This is the second book which is less negative, as Naipaul begins to make some sense out of India. The third book is A Million Mutinies Now, where he is somewhat positive about India, in 1990.

India changed its economic policies due to economic and geopolitical reasons in 1991- and one can easily claim that 75% of India's post independence progress has come in this period, lifting hundreds of millions of people out of poverty and creating a stronger middle class which has been trying to make sense of everything around it.
7 people found this helpful
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Supreeth
5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Reading Experience
Reviewed in Germany on February 18, 2014
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I waited quiet a bit to receive this book via mail, but nonetheless I enjoyed it very much. The condition of the book is fine. I like the author's analysis very much! I plan to buy his other books as well!
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AmazonCustomer
5.0 out of 5 stars A must-read book
Reviewed in India on June 19, 2022
Verified Purchase
This book needs to be read by all Indians. Naipaul lays bare our shortcomings in this wonderfully written book. It’s painful to be shown the mirror when the image we see isn’t flattering. But it is essential for us to look dispassionately at our recent as well as distant past if we are to build a new civilisation state.
4 people found this helpful
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devendra mani tripathi
4.0 out of 5 stars very good
Reviewed in India on March 5, 2024
Verified Purchase
I recently delved into this literary gem, and I'm compelled to share my enthusiasm for the captivating world it unfolds. Without giving away too much, this book is an immersive journey that seamlessly blends imagination and profound insights.

The author's storytelling prowess is evident from the first page, drawing readers into a rich tapestry of characters and events. The narrative unfolds with a perfect balance of suspense and revelation, keeping me eagerly turning each page to uncover the next twist in the plot.

What sets this book apart is its ability to transport readers to a different realm, where every word feels like a brushstroke painting a vivid picture. The characters are thoughtfully developed, each with a unique voice and purpose, making it easy to connect with their experiences and emotions.

Beyond the captivating storyline, the thematic depth of the book struck a chord with me. The author skillfully weaves in profound insights and reflections on [specific themes or concepts], adding layers of meaning that linger long after the book is finished. It's a rare find when entertainment and enlightenment coalesce so seamlessly.

The writing style is both eloquent and accessible, making it a joy to read. The pacing is impeccable, ensuring that the narrative unfolds at just the right rhythm, keeping readers engaged from start to finish. Whether you're a seasoned reader or someone looking for a captivating entry into the world of literature, this book caters to a wide audience.

In conclusion, this book is a literary triumph that deserves a place on every bookshelf. It's a testament to the author's storytelling prowess and ability to craft a narrative that transcends the boundaries of fiction. If you're seeking a book that sparks your imagination while leaving you with lasting insights, look no further – this one's a five-star masterpiece!
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