圖書標籤: Naipaul
发表于2024-07-04
A Bend In The River pdf epub mobi txt 電子書 下載 2024
Review
'Brilliant and terrifying' Observer --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
"For sheer abundance of talent, there ca hardly be a writer alive who surpasses V.S. Naipaul." —The New York Times Book Review
"Confirms Naipaul's position as one of the best writers now at work." —Walter Clemons, Newsweek
"The sweep of Naipaul's imagination, the brilliant fictional frame that expresses it, are in my view without equal today." —Elizabeth Hardwick
115 of 124 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars This is not really fiction, April 14, 2000
By Ed Gibbon www.congocookbook.com (Washington DC) - See all my reviews
This review is from: A Bend in the River (Paperback)
Naipaul's "A Bend in the River" is almost as much reportage as fiction. The novel is set in the city of Kisangani, on the Congo River in Congo (formerly the Zaire river in Zaire) -- though interestingly, the author never says this explicitly. I have never seen an account as to what Naipaul's experiences in Zaire were exactly, but he manages to tell the story of the early days of Zaire's independence, after colonial rule as the Belgian Congo.
The protagonist is a young Indian from the Eastern coast. ("Indian" in the sense of his ethnicity, his family has been in Africa longer than they can remember.) He has purchased a shop in Kisangani, and trys to build up his business as the "big man" consolidates power in the newly independent country. Things go from bad to worse, for the new shopkeeper and the country. Though this is fiction, every word is true.
Naipaul writes beautifully, and has many insights into Africa, colonialism, history, and life. This is one of the few books that I have read and enjoyed more than once.
Some people recommend Chinua Achebe's "Things Fall Apart" to readers looking for an "African" novel. But to recommend "Things Fall Apart" over "A Bend in the River" makes sense only if you can read just a single book about Africa. Achebe's novel is set in Nigeria; Naipaul's is about Zaire. It's like saying don't bother with "Brothers Karamozov", read "Great Expectations" instead. I should hope a serious reader would turn his attention to both.
(The last days of the Belgian Congo is the setting for Barbara Kingsolver's "The Poisonwood Bible". Many good nonfiction stories from this time and place are found in "A Doctor's Life: Unique Stories" by William T. Close. A literary approach to the early days of the Belgian Congo is Joseph Conrad's "Heart of Darkness".)
V.S.奈保爾(1932—2018 )
英國著名作傢。1932年生於特立尼達島上一個印度移民傢庭,1950年進入牛津大學攻讀英國文學,畢業後遷居倫敦。
50年代開始寫作,著有《米格爾街》、《斯通先生與騎士夥伴》、《自由國度》、《大河灣》、“印度三部麯”、《非洲的假麵劇》等。20 01年榮獲諾貝爾文學奬。
幸运能读到奈保尔这本重要的书,何况是个好译本。读后你似乎不会怀疑,作者就是一个货真价实的新非洲人,新非洲城镇居民生活的窗户缝儿里,就那么透出光来。毕竟,只有奈保尔什么都能、愿、敢写。不過坦率地說,後半部裏浮現出的不安和焦躁有點不匹配大師的穩穩手筆。即便只是...
評分还是在大三时读的,并不觉得像多少人所说的那样精彩,全篇有很浓郁的无奈感,不过那种沉重远没有当时自己所处的心态沉重。 文中描写的大量氛围其实在新开发的地方都能感受的到,不过可能是写非洲才让人觉得有吸引力吧。旧势力的衰落新力量的崛起是历史的必然,至于想借助外来文...
評分 評分 評分发音就像脸一样,是一种个性化、身份化的标志。当换一种方言或语言说话的时候,其实也换了一幅面孔、一种身份。伊顿公学毕业的乔治.奥威尔有句话,“英国人的[阶级]烙印是打在舌头上的。”,他的那种上等阶级的口音令这位一心要与穷人打成一片的作家无比困扰。就像他侄女对他...
A Bend In The River pdf epub mobi txt 電子書 下載 2024