A slapstick tale of shenanigans during an election in 1950s Trinidad. Harban a wealthy Hindu wants to be elected in Elvira a poor county with Hindu, Muslim, Spanish and Negro constituency. They are superstitious, uneducated and unused to elections. Harban needs the help of Baksh the Muslim Taylor, Chittaranjan the Hindu goldsmith who both can get votes.

What follows is a series of funny scenes with Tiger the dog, Foam, Baksh’s son becoming campaign manager and a lot of bribes. Misunderstanding galore. The battle with Ramogan the owner of the rum shop over fruit trees and in particular bread fruit with Chittaranjan his next door neighbor.

A good 3.5 story with the occasional laugh out loud moments. I felt sorry for Harban as when just when he thinks the bribes are finished along comes another reason for more money, such as the parade.

Sade boss

since I read this as a teenager, as part of the ritual of elections in Trinidad, I would re-read this book. Very few books like this satire are laugh till you cry in places. County Naparoni, the candidate and the plethora of Trinis are so real in places, that you wonder whether fiction imitates reality or vice versa. Mr. Naipaul our first and only (so far) Nobel Laureate for Literature is a master of voice - he uses standard english spelling with the tone and timing to replicate Trinidadian dialect. And what a ride it is, with his caustic eye and master crafting, political satire at its best.

love his dialect books. Reminiscent of Steinbeck's 'Sweet Thursday'. Both of which tell of events circa 1950. Written 1958. The Suffrage as in suffragium or as a pun of suffer age ... poor Harbans, though later, we find that not true.

When I am down and in a funk, VS comes through. Of his many reads, this his most humorous (yes, misanthrope VS appears in the background).

Comic novel of the early days of democracy in Trinidad. Interesting read in this time of Trump.

داستانی درباره اولین انتخابات در ترینیداد، که دو نامزد انتخابات برای اولین بار وارد رقابت انتخاباتی می شوند و ماجراهای جالب و گاها بامزه ای در پی دارد و شکل گیری فساد سیاسی در هر جایی که ثروث و قدرت وجود داشته باشد را نشان می دهد. مردمی که با پول رای می دهند رای فروخته می شود شعار های انتخاباتی و شایعات و...

I want to read more Naipaul, but I couldn't get past p. 16 of this. I guess I'll hang on to it for a few more years rather than toss it in the dumpster, because other reviewers seemed to like its slapstick comedic qualities quite a bit.

Because The Suffrage of Elvira was one of V. S. Naipaul's first books, that it would be the first by him that I read seemed fitting. As one among many Americans who take for granted our ability to vote, I was fascinated by this story of a community first learning that process. Naipaul's endearing characters - even the rascals touched my heart -fascinated me with their love of education and their determination to honor their community of Elvira. In the politically charged environment, power struggles ultimately prove the strength of a culture that learns the change it fears is exactly what it needs. In the midst of chaos, the delicate development of a romance, determined to champion cultural superstition and a rigid social system, gave me hope for the indomitable nature of love. I highly recommend this book.

Naipaul's second novel again takes place in Trinidad. It is a spoof on democracy and elections in a developing country.

Mr Surujpat Harbans is running for General Assembly as representative for the village of Elvira. Of course he doesn't live there but lives in the city. He is financing his own campaign and visits Elvira to line up his supporters. The villagers, in just four years of democracy, have figured out how to make money for themselves by offering various services to the candidate.

This makes for a hilarious story as Harbans is fleeced for everything from posters to a loudspeaking van and a final cavalcade of taxis on election eve. Then there are the niceties of the Hindu vote, the Muslim vote, the Negro vote and the Spanish vote, not to mention various necessary bribes. One of the funniest lines comes from a less wealthy candidate who proclaims that there ought to be a law about how much a candidate can spend on his own election campaign. This story is set in 1950!

Apparently Naipaul's humor turns to a more bitter cynicism in his later novels, which I have not read. So far, in The Mystic Masseur and in this one, he provides great entertainment and an inside look at the various peoples who make up post colonial life in Trinidad.

بر خلاف "خیابان میگل" که قصه‌ای بی‌نمک و ناگیرا داشت، انتخابات الویرا بسیار خواندنی و حتا هیجان‌انگیز است. شخصیت‌های دوست‌داشتنی و بعضن عمیق در داستانی پرپیچ‌وخم و پرجزئیات گرفتارند و هرکدام سعی می‌کنند ماهی‌ی خودشان را از این آب گل‌آلود صید کنند. می‌توان این داستان را در کلاس‌های رمان‌نویسی و حتا فیلمنامه‌نویسی به عنوان نمونه‌ای درخشان در زمینه‌ی گسترش داستان تدریس کرد

A wonderful exploration of (nascent) democracy at its most personal and mercenary. The raw tribality of the process as described captures an aspect of politics and elections which is often underplayed in countries such as the UK today. But it's such a powerful undercurrent in all elections.
Tied to the acute political insight is the literary quality, which being a book by VS Naipaul is inevitably very good. Written in the vernacular of the time (or so I assume) it is very readable. And being only just over 200 pages long would be a good choice as a beach read for a holiday.

Knockabout farce written by the 25 year old V S Naipaul all about amusing/endearing/silly/ exasperating types running an election campaign, buying votes, bribing other amusing/endearing/silly/ exasperating types and so on. Much fun, if that’s what you call it, is had with a starving mongrel dog that everybody thinks is obeah. Even in this borderline fatuous short novel dragged down by its British sitcom level elbow in the ribcage guffaws it’s obvious Naipaul is going to do something great very soon, and he did.