Diasporic Transformations: Novels of V.S. Naipaul

This book is an exploration of writer V.S. Naipaul's maturing diasporic experiences and the sensibilities that shaped his works throughout his career. Starting his journey with an inconsequential piece of land which he considers as merely 'a dot on the map of the world,' Naipaul locates himself in the center of imperial power. His passionate journeys around the globe enabled him to internalize the enigma of a nomad and to come out with remarkable outpourings on diasporic issues. In a theoretical framework provided by Homi K. Bhabha, Naipaul's works portray the essential ambivalence, mimicry, and in-betweenness marking the lives of displaced migrs who realize the half-ness of their lives due to the loss of their native cultural identities. His novels are replete with the metaphors of homelessness and represent the divided selves of the shipwrecked diaspora who have been trapped into the elusive realities of the alien territory. The book traces the shifting paradigms of diasporic ambivalence in Naipaul's novels. The concepts of globalization, de-territorialization, and multiculturalism might have trivialized the diasporic debates, but the book resuscitates and sustains the charm of the subject by exploring the uncharted territories of the Nobel Laureate's fictional representation. Read more