5th and last Caribbean book for this summer: TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO

Well, this is a very lengthy book and I had to pluck up courage to go through with it. Naipaul recalls in his afterword that it was written very early in his career and I am very impressed at how daring and ambitious he has been to take up such a challenge. Don't expect any wonderful happenings about wonderful people in exotic places, this book is a fictional account of the life and customs of poor Indo-Trinidadians struggling to make a living on a small island. They are the sons and daughters of immigrants who came from India as indentured labourers in the West Indies after slavery was abolished.

I cannot say that I was bored because the writing is really excellent, but I was not swept away. The story is very realistic and depressing, and unfortunately all those unending descriptions of house parts did not fascinate me. Mr Biswas is constantly derided by his family-in-law, always fooled and never trusted. I feel that through Mr Biswas's hardships, Naipaul may have tried to call for a more inclusive Indian culture, in which one's life and future may not just be determined by blood or caste, and young girls allowed the same opportunities than boys (the "gods").

A remarkable work, not least because the central character is often so difficult to like. Mohun Biswas, a man with almost nothing in his favour navigates his unsteady, awkward path through a life almost completely devoid of privilege and ease. What few advantages he enjoys, he seems incapable of leveraging to any benefit, most of all because of an innate revolutionary tendency that pits him against his potential benefactors.

The benefactors in this case are the Tulsis, his wife's clannish family, whose overly matriarchal focus thwarts Mohun at every turn. In truth he is a tragi-comic figure who cannot escape his own self-sabotaging tendency. He is not an easy or a likeable character, but he is very often quite hilarious, sometimes intentionally, but usually not.

This makes him a singularly unusual literary creation. Mr Biswas is a person who seems all too plausible, and yet he is neither a hero nor even an anti-hero. Rather than a man with a fatal flaw who is otherwise redeemed in spite of his failings, Mr Biswas just seems a hopeless case. And even so, you are drawn in to his peculiar, lost, post-colonial world with a mix of sympathy and fascinated horror, like watching an accident in slow motion. And in spite of this, the book is a treasure, the prose so beautifully constructed and the observations so charming and delightful that you cannot help but want to read on.

Tediously boring with sudden moments of sorrow and grief, sudden moments filled with silence and long stares, trying to communicate the despair and empathy that they are ultimately unable to ever communicate. A House For Mr Biswas appropriately covers the life of a man then, for whose life is so constantly interesting as to not be tedious and mundane at (most) times? Mr. Biswas’ life, from start to finish, is a struggle, but it is also a struggle for readers to follow along. Is the novel bleak? Maybe. There certainly is no wonderful ending for Mr. Biswas (and as we see, those who are widowed struggle endlessly to make ends meet and are caricaturized in their efforts). Mostly, it is a depiction of human futility softened at times by brief familial expressions of and yearning for love. Despite some wonderfully written moments, overall there were many mind-numbingly boring sections for me—I just don’t care, I guess, to read about someone’s life in its entirety.

UPDATE: So odd to me that this novel isn't listed in "1001 Books to Read Before You Die" as this is a masterpiece, imo. But book critic Michiko Kakutani does mention this novel in her "100+ Books to Read and Reread. Everyone is such a critic.

UPDATE: This brilliant author passed this month and President Obama honored him by reading this masterpiece. It's one of the best books I've ever read so it feels great being a fan along with President Obama, one of our greatest Presidents ever, if not THE BEST ever. Since reading this book, I have read more of Naipaul, and he is indeed a genius.

ORIGINAL REVIEW:
The "house" in the title alludes to a physical structure, a dwelling place, certainly. But it also alludes to self-esteem, to a place in this world, and to personal and professional successes. This book is the entire life of Mr. Biswas, to me an original character in literature. He is a "fish-out-of-water" from cradle to grave, very complex and at times comical. (It seems to me that the modern Mr. Bean comedic character is based on Biswas.) And it's heartbreaking when Mr. Biswas says to his son, 'I don't want you to be like me.' Without elaboration from father and child, we know exactly what this means to Biswas and his family. The setting is Trinadad/Tobago, the culture and geography new for me, always a plus for stories and novels from my perspective. But this is not a page-turner, rather a work best enjoyed leisurely.
As an added note,I'm always on the lookout for authors I've never heard of, books of which I have no knowledge. I pulled this one off the library shelf, opened it up and read it, avoiding book jacket blurbs, an introduction, etc. I will definitely read more work by V.S. Naipaul, truly an original voice.

This book vexed me so very often but kept on calling me back into the world of Mr. Biswas. The storytelling, vivid with its descriptions of characters, locale, and climate of the times, was enthralling. One thinks that you would recognize the characters and places though you had never been there in person. Mr Naipaul certainly created a visual world of solace, greed, and familial relationships that appalled and pushed the reader into liking/disliking people on every page. You never could quite really know anyone as you watched Mr. Biswas search for a home of his own. A truly worthwhile novel for those who wish a challenging book that in the end will reward your diligence and patience.

"So later, and very slowly, in securer times of different stresses, when the memories had lost the power to hurt, with pain or joy, they would fall into place and give back the past." - Page 557

Found near the very end of the novel, this little gem of a sentence is not only a beautiful and evocative bit of prose in it's own right (which it certainly is), but also seems to me a perfect key to understanding Naipaul's wonderful novel about Mohun Biswas, a most unfortunate man trying to get by in post-colonial Trinidad. On the day of his birth, a pundit (after examining the child) announces to the family of Mr. Biswas that he will be something of a curse to them, and to himself. And for the rest of the book we see this prophecy fulfilled time and time again, as our protagonist endures (and causes) a plethora of comical missteps and devastating tragedies. But, hounded by all this bad luck and pestered from every angle by members of his wife's enormous family (as well as his own children), Mr. Biswas persists in the hope of one day having a house of his own, to be king of his own domain.

The book has some unusual pacing to it, sometimes focusing for many pages on a single day, other times covering years in the span of only a few paragraphs. Although a number of the moments or events which are dwelt upon at length are of obvious import in the life of the protagonist, at other points they seem almost arbitrarily selected. But this is no criticism, because I feel it relates back to the quotation above, for the novel seems to me to unfold like a series of memories had by our expiring hero. Memories strung together so as to recapture, as closely as possible, the totality of one man's past. And who can claim to understand the human faculty of remembrance, and what it chooses to cling to?

But to end the review there would be to leave without having mentioned the masterful way in which V.S. Naipaul weaves his tapestry of memorable characters, creating a world in such a way that only a novelist of the highest grade could achieve. And the humor (!). There were times (especially in the second half of the novel, when Mr. Biswas begins his stint as a morally bereft newspaper columnist) when I had to set the book aside for a moment from laughing. There's a reason I love Buster Keaton so much - I feel that a great humorist is something to be cherished, and I have a real fondness for anyone that can make me laugh. This novel did that and so much more. I would recommend this to anyone who hasn't read it, and I fully intend to read more from Mr. Naipaul.

4.5 stars

A house for Mr biswas - v.s.Naipaul

ನಾನು‌ ನನ್ನ ಅತ್ತೆ ಮಗ ಗೋವಾಕ್ಕೆ ಹೋಗಿದ್ವಿ. ಎಲ್ಲೆಲ್ಲೋ ತಿರುಗಾಡಿ ಮಧ್ಯಾಹ್ನ ಆಗುವಾಗ ಜೋರು ಹಸಿವು. ಆಗ ಅಲ್ಲಿ ಸಸ್ಯಾಹಾರಿ ಹೋಟೇಲ್‌ಗಳೇ ಅಪರೂಪ. ಒಂದು ಸ್ವಲ್ಪ ನೀಟಾಗಿದ್ದ ಹೋಟೆಲ್‌ಗೆ ಹೋದ್ವಿ. ಅವ ಹೇಳಿದ ಪದಾರ್ಥಗಳ ಹೆಸರು ಜೀವಮಾನದಲ್ಲೇ ಕೇಳಿರಲಿಲ್ಲ. ಏನೋ ಒಂದು ಆರ್ಡರ್ ಮಾಡಿದೆವು. ವೆಯಿಟರ್ ತಂದ.
ನೋಡಿದರೆ ನಮ್ಮ ಅನ್ನ ಸಾಂಬಾರ್.ಹೆಸರು ಮಾತ್ರ ಬೇರೆ!

ನೈಪಾಲ್ ಅವರ ಬಹುಪ್ರಸಿದ್ಧ ಈ ಕಾದಂಬರಿಯೂ ಹಾಗೇ. ನೊಬೆಲ್ ಬಂತಂತೆ, ಬುದ್ಧಿಜೀವಿ ಅಂತೆ, ಅರ್ಥ ಮಾಡ್ಕೊಳ್ಳೋದು ಕಷ್ಟ ಅಂತೆ. ಏನೋ ವಸಹಾತುಶಾಹಿ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಬರೀತಾರಂತೆ ಎಂಬೆಲ್ಲ ಅಂತೆಕಂತೆಗಳು ಈ ಪುಸ್ತಕ ಕಂಡರೆ ಬೇಡ ಅನ್ನುವಂತೆ ಮಾಡಿದ್ದವು.
ಅವರ ಇಂಡಿಯನ್ ಟ್ರೈಯಾಲಜಿಯ ಮೊದಲ ಪುಸ್ತಕ ಸ್ವಲ್ಪ ಓದುವಾಗ ಎಷ್ಟು ಚಂದ ಗದ್ಯ ಇವರದ್ದು ಅನಿಸಿತು. ಆದರೆ ಓದಲು ಸರಕೇ ಇರದ ಪುಸ್ತಕ ಅದು.(ಭಾರತೀಯರಿಗೆ). ಹಾಗಾಗಿ ಅದರ ಓದು ಮುಂದುವರೆಯಲಿಲ್ಲ.
ಈ ಪುಸ್ತಕ ಓದೋಣ ಅಂತ ಕೈಗೆತ್ತಿಕೊಂಡೆ.
ಬಹುಶಃ ಪ್ರತೀ ಭಾರತೀಯ ಮದುವೆಯಾದ ಗಂಡಸು ಓದಲೇಬೇಕಾದ ಪುಸ್ತಕ ಅನಿಸಿತು.
ಬಿಸ್ವಾಸ್ ಹುಟ್ಟುವಾಗಲೇ ಆರು ಬೆರಳಗಳಿಂದ ಹುಟ್ಟಿದವ. ಇವನಿಂದ ತಂದೆ ತಾಯಿಯರಿಗೆ ಕಂಟಕ ಎಂದು ಜ್ಯೋತಿಷ್ಯಿ ಹೇಳಿದ ಮಾತು ಆಶ್ಚರ್ಯಕರವಾಗಿ ಸತ್ಯ ಆಗುತ್ತದೆ. ಅವ ನೀರಿಗೆ ಬಿದ್ದದ್ದು ಎಂದು ಉಳಿಸಲು ಹಾರಿದ ಅವನಪ್ಪ ಸಾಯುತ್ತಾನೆ. ತನ್ನ ಜೀವಮಾನವಿಡೀ ರೀತಿಯ ದುರಂತ ಅವನ ಬೆನ್ನು ಬೀಳುತ್ತದೆ. ತನ್ನ ಬದುಕನ್ನು ಇನ್ನೊಬ್ಬರ ಮನೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಕಳೆಯಬೇಕಾದ ಅನಿವಾರ್ಯತೆಗೆ ಸಿಕ್ಕ ಮನುಷ್ಯ ಸ್ವಂತ ಮನೆಯ ಕನಸು ಕಾಣಲು ಶುರು ಮಾಡುತ್ತಾನೆ.‌ಒಂದು ಘಟನೆ ಅವನನ್ನು ತುಲ್ಸಿ ಕುಟುಂಬದ ಅಳಿಯನನ್ನಾಗಿ ಮಾಡುತ್ತದೆ. ಅದೊಂದು ಹೊಂದಾಣಿಕೆ ಅಷ್ಟೇ. ದೊಡ್ಡ ಕುಟುಂಬದಲ್ಲಿ ಅವನು ಪ್ರಭಾವಹೀನ. ಅವನ ಗಣನೆಗೇ ತೆಗೆದುಕೊಳ್ಳುವವರು ಇಲ್ಲ. ತನ್ನದೇ ಬೇರೆ ಮನೆ ಮಾಡಲು ಅವನ ಯತ್ನ ಶುರುವಾಗುತ್ತದೆ. ಅವನ ಯತ್ನಗಳೆಲ್ಲ ದುರಂತ ಅಂತ್ಯವ ಕಾಣುತ್ತದೆ. ಅವನು ಮನೆ ಕಟ್ಟುವಲ್ಲಿ ಯಶಸ್ವಿಯಾದರೂ ಅದು ನಿರೀಕ್ಷೆಗೆ ತಕ್ಕಂತೆ ಇರುವುದಿಲ್ಲ. ಕೊನೆಗೊಂದು ದಿನ ತನ್ನ ನಲವತ್ತಾರನೇ ವಯಸ್ಸಲ್ಲಿ ಸಾಲದ ಹೊರೆ ಬಿಟ್ಟು ಅವನು ಹೃದಯಾಘಾತದಿಂದ ಸಾಯುತ್ತಾನೆ.

ಇದಿಷ್ಟೇ ಕಥೆಯೇ?
ಅಲ್ಲ.

ಪ್ರತಿಯೊಬ್ಬ ಭಾರತೀಯನ ,ಸಂಪಾದಿಸುವ ಭಾರತೀಯನ ಆಸೆ ಏನೆಂದರೆ ತನ್ನದೇ ಆದ ಸೂರು. ಹೊಟ್ಟೆ ಬಟ್ಟೆ ಕಟ್ಟಿ ಸಾಲ ಸೋಲ ಮಾಡಿ ಮನೆ ಕಟ್ಟಿ ಅದರಿಂದಾಗುವ ಆರ್ಥಿಕ ತೊಂದರೆಗಳ ಜೀವಮಾನ ಪರ್ಯಂತ ಅನುಭವಿಸುತ್ತಾ ಒಂದು ವಿಷಭರಿತ ಚಕ್ರವ್ಯೂಹದಲ್ಲಿ ನರಳುವುದು ಎಲ್ಲಾ ಭಾರತೀಯರು ಬಯಸಿ ಬಯಸಿ ಪಡೆಯುವ ನರಕ. ಇದರ ಜೊತೆ ಭಾರತೀಯರಿಗೆ ಇನ್ನೂ ಕೆಲವು ಸಂಕಷ್ಟಗಳಿವೆ. ಮದುವೆಯಾದ ಹುಡುಗಿಯ ‌ಜೊತೆ ಅವಳ ಕುಟುಂಬದವನ್ನು ಒಪ್ಪಿ ಅಪ್ಪಬೇಕಾದ ಅನುವಾರ್ಯ ಪರಿಸ್ಥಿತಿ. ಅದು ಇಷ್ಟವಾಗಲಿ ಬಿಡಲಿ. ಅದು‌ ಅವರ ಕುಟುಂಬವೇ ಆಗುತ್ತದೆ. ಇವೆಲ್ಲದರೆ ನಡುವೆ ತಾನು ಪರಕೀಯನೆಂಬ ಭಾವನೆ ಬರುವುದು ಸಹಜ.

ಇದೆಲ್ಲವನ್ನೂ ತನ್ನ ಸುಲಲಿತ ಗದ್ಯದ ಮೂಲಕ ಬರೆದದ್ದು ನೈಪಾಲ್.
1961ರಲ್ಲಿ ಪ್ರಕಟವಾದ ಈ ಕಾದಂಬರಿ ಈಗಲೂ ಪ್ರಸ್ತುತ.
ನಾನೆಂಬ ಪರಕೀಯನ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಇಷ್ಟು ಚಂದ ವಿವರಿಸಿ ಬರೆದವರು ಕಡಿಮೆ.

ತಮಾಷೆ - ಬಹುಶಃ ಕುವೆಂಪು ಬರೆದ ಮನೆಯನೆಂದೂ ಕಟ್ಟದಿರು ಎಂಬುದನ್ನು ಓದದ ಕಾರಣ ಬಿಸ್ವಾಸ್ ಹೀಗೆ ಪಾಡು ಪಡುತ್ತಾನೆ. ಅದಕ್ಕೇ ಹೇಳೋದು ಕುವೆಂಪು ಅವರ ಓದಿ .ನಿರಂಕುಶಮತಿಗಳಾಗಿ ಅಂತ.

ಕಾದಂಬರಿ ಮುಗಿವಾಗ ಆವರಿಸುವ ದಟ್ಟ ವಿಷಾದ ಅದರ ಯಶಸ್ಸಿಗೆ ಸಾಕ್ಷಿ!

I hold this book responsible for the failure of my 2021 reading challenge. I was a few titles away from the finish line, but this was my Everest. It was a slow trudge, but I did it. Hooray for me.

Probably the most joyless read I’ve had in a while, but it felt meaningful enough that I had to give it a couple of stars. Hopefully I learned something along the way.

3.5. I expected more. While I'm certain the novel is deeper than I read, it's difficult to fault one for being so distracted by the protagonist Mr. Biswas' narrative voice, which is undoubtedly one of the most annoying, cringe-inducing in all of literature.


Think: "Coffee Talk" with special guests, Fran Drescher and Sponge Bob Squarepants.

I. Could not. Finish. This book. It is so dreadfully dull and frustrating. I'm sure that's exactly what it's meant to be. And someday perhaps I will pick it up again and discover the revelation that is buried - deeply - in this story. But it has eluded me 400 pages in. Enough.

It took me 9 months to get through this novel. Enough said.

*2.75/5 stars*

This novel is, as Ben Thurley wrote on Goodreads, “excruciating” and yet highly "enjoyable." It succeeds less because of the detritus of the title character’s mostly miserable life than because of the third-person, nearly omniscient narrator’s wonderfully observing voice. There were many times I wanted to put down this overlong novel, but there are so many singularly moving, humorous, and enlightening passages and sections that I would have been foolish as Mr. Biswas to have abandoned it.

If you give this book a try, be as stoical as Mr. Biswas’s favorite philosophers and as Naipaul’s narrator, as well.