Sir V.S Naipaul's Major Travel Writings A Critical Appraisal

Sir V.S. Naipaul's travel writings are "an incessant attempt to gain social meaning." The literary engineering of his travel world is a reconciliation of substance with form. The present book with a balanced, objective and critical approach highlights the contextuality of V.S. Naipaul's travelogues rooted in social, real and imaginary experiences. In the book, Dr. Amresh Babu Yadav examines systematically and comprehensively the experiences of life as seen by Naipaul and offers a proper perspective substantiating his analysis with textual support. The work, all over, is a critical appraisal and embodies Dr. Yadav's insightful vision of Naipaul's major travelogues. In my view, the present book will open new vistas to many researchers, readers and aspirants of English literature.

Honoured with the prestigious Nobel Prize for literature, immensely gifted, exasperatingly a controversial man and generally considered the leading writer of the English-speaking Caribbean, Sir V.S. Naipaul occupies a prominent place among the most widely read and admired literary figures of the 20th century English literature. He is one of the finest living novelists writing in English. He is a prolific dissenter and has a uniquely authoritative position as an interpreter of colonial societies. My motivation to select V.S. Naipaul for this book lies in his insistence on writing about 'peripheral people' with 'suppressed histories.' He extensively deals with "shifting identities, roots, homes and the changing realties of migrants." Naipaul's creative works comprise novels, travelogues and non fictional writings. In his literary career of about 50 years, he has writ ten 14 novels, 10 travel writings and 05 other non-fictional works. He is a widely travelled writer. His travellings have played a significant role in shifting his writings from fiction to non-fiction in the form of travel writing. His leading theme of rootlessness, the alienating ef fects of colonial past on today's post-colonial people, has taken him to Africa, South America, India and all over the world, not in search of roots but in search of rootlessness. The subject matter of Naipaul's travel writings is the constant negotiation of where an individual is situated: country or city, inside the community or outside, within tradition or outside, and in the colo nized world or post-colonial societies. What emerges out of Naipaul's creations is his stance on displaced individuals, uprooted and without a distinct place called 'home' but longing for it all the same. In fact, his writing is about unhousing and remaining unhoused, and this holds good for both his early and later travelogues. No doubt, Naipiiaul is a writer of global repute. From time to time, he has been awarded many prizes for his creditable achieve ments in the field of fiction and travel writing. Some remarkable books and research works have also been done on his fiction. But to the best of my knowledge so far, no exclusive book has been attempted to explore and establish the critical appraisal of his travel writings. I have a glowing faith that my book will open new vistas for a just and phase wise critical appraisal of Naipaul's travelogues.

The preface will remain incomplete if I fail to acknowledge my indebtedness to my loving, reverend and honourable sir Dr. S.V. Singh, Associate Professor and Head, the Deptt. of English Studies and Research, S.R.K. (P.G) College, Firozabad and aunti ji Mrs. Swarna Lata Yadav for their obliging assistance, co-operation and encouragement at times to complete this book. I extremely owe to my best friend Dr. Shiv Singh Kushwaha "Shashwat," lecturer (Hindi), Shri R.R.M Inter College Bachhgaon, Firozabad. I am highly thank ful to Dr. N.K. Yadav, my only younger brother Mr. Abhishek Yadav and the director of Radha Publications, New Delhi. I acknowledge my deepest indebtedness to my parents Shri Raje Babu Yadav and late Mrs. Indra Devi Yadav without whose persistent co-operation, inspiration and reinforcement, this book would have been merely a dream. I feel pleasure in expressing my special thanks and extreme love to my sweet-hearted wife Mrs. Rekha Yadav, My dear daughter Miss Astha Yadav, my loving son Mr. Gopal Yadav and my father-in-law Shri R.N. Singh who rigorously imbued me with zeal needed to complete this work. Above all, I acknowledge my heartfelt thankfulness to Lord Shri Krishna and Shri ji Radha Rani for steering me out of all hurdles and problems in pursuit of this book.

**Contents and Sample Pages**