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A House For Mr Biswas
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‘A work of great comic power qualified with firm and unsentimental compassion’ Anthony Burgess A House for Mr Biswas is V. S. Naipaul’s unforgettable fourth book and the early masterpiece of his brilliant career. Born the ‘wrong way’ and thrust into a world that greeted him with little more than a bad omen, Mohun Biswas has spent his forty-six years of life striving for independence. But his determined efforts have met only with calamity. Shuttled from one residence to another after the drowning of his father, for which he is inadvertently responsible, Mr Biswas yearns for a place he can call home. He marries into the domineering Tulsi family, on whom he becomes indignantly dependent, but rebels and takes on a succession of occupations in an arduous struggle to weaken their hold over him and purchase a house of his own. Heartrending and darkly comic, A House for Mr Biswas has been hailed as one of the twentieth century’s finest novels and this triumph of resilience, persistence and dignity masterfully evokes a man’s quest for autonomy against the backdrop of post-colonial Trinidad. ‘A marvellous prose epic that matches the best nineteenth-century novels’ Newsweek
About the Author
V. S. Naipaul was born in Trinidad in 1932. He went to England on a scholarship in 1950. After four years at University College, Oxford, he began to write, and since then has followed no other profession. He has published more than twenty books of fiction and non-fiction, including Half a Life, A House for Mr Biswas, A Bend in the River and most recently The Masque of Africa, and a collection of correspondence, Letters Between a Father and Son. In 2001 he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
21 of 22 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
A HOUSE FOR MR BISWAS is a thoroughly enjoyable book, a family saga-type book of the style that other writers of Indian origin have subsequently written to such great effect. But Naipaul's prose marks him apart - it is not overblown, like Rushdie's, nor somehow insipid, like Vikram Seth's. It is sharp, clear, smooth and wonderfully seductive.
On top of the wonderful prose, the tale is gripping, and the story of Biswas's struggles with work and family and life and position somehow epitomise much about the legacy of colonialism and the nature of ambition and "success".
What is also interesting, and telling, are the few indications of the later racism against black people which has marred Naipaul's more recent public comments - but this should not detract from a wonderful book.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
By P. Nundlall
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
VS Naipaul's story of the struggle of a poor labourer's son growing up in early 19th century Trinidad is remarkable for its realism - something few people have pointed out, preferring instead to dwell on the oft mentioned tragi-comedy aspect of his writings. Those who come from similar backgrounds in the colonies will surely get the feeling of déjà-vu. For example, one of the things that you aspire to growing up on the islands is to have a house of your own some day, which is what the whole story is about.
Naipaul's trademark comedy permeates the novel - he starts right from the very begining by calling the 21-day old baby Mohun 'Mr. Biswas'. And the name sticks! However, the sense of pathos, gloom and pessimism that surrounds poor Indian immigrants is firmly established from the outset, never to leave the reader even during Mr. Biswas' happier days.
The full characterisation of the people orbiting around Mr. Biswas is left to the imagination of the reader, as Naipaul does not commit to paint the whole portrait of each one of them. The story, even though told by an outside narrator, is nevertheless told from Mr. Biswas' point of view. Therefore this fits Naipaul's characterisation of the 'others' as Mr. Biswas is not your deep, philosophical traditional hero. In fact, he is selfish, uncooperative, rebelious, and as some have said, a 'born loser'. Personally, I don't agree with the loser epithet - I think he is just a product of his background and of the times he is living. For each of the few descendants of indentured labourers who went on to achieve world-wide fame and wealth, there were hundreds of thousands who suffered the same fate as Mr. Biswas.
Naipaul's trademark comedy permeates the novel - he starts right from the very begining by calling the 21-day old baby Mohun 'Mr. Biswas'. And the name sticks! However, the sense of pathos, gloom and pessimism that surrounds poor Indian immigrants is firmly established from the outset, never to leave the reader even during Mr. Biswas' happier days.
The full characterisation of the people orbiting around Mr. Biswas is left to the imagination of the reader, as Naipaul does not commit to paint the whole portrait of each one of them. The story, even though told by an outside narrator, is nevertheless told from Mr. Biswas' point of view. Therefore this fits Naipaul's characterisation of the 'others' as Mr. Biswas is not your deep, philosophical traditional hero. In fact, he is selfish, uncooperative, rebelious, and as some have said, a 'born loser'. Personally, I don't agree with the loser epithet - I think he is just a product of his background and of the times he is living. For each of the few descendants of indentured labourers who went on to achieve world-wide fame and wealth, there were hundreds of thousands who suffered the same fate as Mr. Biswas.
18 of 19 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
`AHFMB' is the story of Mohun Biswas, a Trinidadian of Indian descent, and his lifelong search for a place to call his own. The book follows his life from his birth, to his early life as he searches for a career to call his own, to his marriage and life with his stifling in-laws, to his first (very belated) attempts at complete independence and finally to his death (with which the book actually begins). Mr Biswas is an everyman: not too bright, not too good-looking, not too strong, and his attempts to make a better life for himself are constantly thwarted by his own failings, and the ambition of those around him. Throughout the whole book Biswas, and all the other characters, are trying to define their roles and find a niche in the new post-colonial Trinidad.
`AHFMB' reminded me a lot of Rushdie's `Midnight's Children', both in its subject matter and its construction. There is a touch of magical realism at the beginning, with Mr Biswas' unlucky sneeze bringing disaster, and the dialogue between the Hindu characters is reminiscent of the lyrical `hinglish' often used by Indian writers. Mr Biswas' story represents a nation finding its new identity post-colonialism on many levels. Firstly, there is the lack of definition suffered by all the characters, as they struggle to find what they can achieve in post-colonial Trinidad. The characters also have more allegorical significance, such as the Tulsi's (Biswas' in-laws) representation of the old (and failing) social order, or other characters representing religious institutions or the influx of new money. `AHFMB' is a very clever observation of a society finding its roles.
The thing that made `AHFMB' such an enjoyable read, was the jaunty style in which it was written. Mr Biswas' life is actually pretty depressing on the whole, but Naipaul tells his story as a comic tale, making it an easy read, and never unduly heavy. `AHFMB' is a clever, thought provoking and easy read. It is a big book, but simply flew by as I read. Absolutely brilliant.
`AHFMB' reminded me a lot of Rushdie's `Midnight's Children', both in its subject matter and its construction. There is a touch of magical realism at the beginning, with Mr Biswas' unlucky sneeze bringing disaster, and the dialogue between the Hindu characters is reminiscent of the lyrical `hinglish' often used by Indian writers. Mr Biswas' story represents a nation finding its new identity post-colonialism on many levels. Firstly, there is the lack of definition suffered by all the characters, as they struggle to find what they can achieve in post-colonial Trinidad. The characters also have more allegorical significance, such as the Tulsi's (Biswas' in-laws) representation of the old (and failing) social order, or other characters representing religious institutions or the influx of new money. `AHFMB' is a very clever observation of a society finding its roles.
The thing that made `AHFMB' such an enjoyable read, was the jaunty style in which it was written. Mr Biswas' life is actually pretty depressing on the whole, but Naipaul tells his story as a comic tale, making it an easy read, and never unduly heavy. `AHFMB' is a clever, thought provoking and easy read. It is a big book, but simply flew by as I read. Absolutely brilliant.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
classic
classic book which will stay with you forever. mr biswas is an unforgettable character and his pursuit of self improvement material and spiritual is univesal
Published 4 months ago by W. Blew
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not Naipaul's Best
Read this after enjoying Miguel street but was disappointed overall. Overly long, unlikeable characters, not sure why this is considered a comic novel. But maybe that's just me.
Published 4 months ago by bookfan30
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Testament to Hope
After finally getting a copy of V. S. Naipaul's A House for Mr Biswas, it was not at all as I had expected - it was a hundred times better. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Roberta McDonnell
4.0 out of 5 stars
An enigmatic classic
In A House for Mr Biswas, V.S.Naipaul takes relish in creating an unpromising protagonist and an utterly prosaic plot. Read more
Published 21 months ago by Victor Smart
5.0 out of 5 stars
Biography through the genre of memoir
VS Naipaul is dear to my heart as he is a Trinidadian and I am part Trinidadian. To me this is his best work as it combines the genres of novel writing and memoir writing. Read more
Published 22 months ago by Typically Tropical
3.0 out of 5 stars
Dickens without the humour, characters, or magic
This work is lacking in humour and is rather long-drawn out, but I disagree that the characters lack reality - for me, they are simply not very interesting. Read more
Published on 12 May 2011 by William Shardlow
5.0 out of 5 stars
Indeed a masterpiece
There are a great number of excellent reviews of this book here; read them and you don't really need my interpretation. Read more
Published on 7 Mar 2011 by messageinthemoon
4.0 out of 5 stars
Home sweet home.....
I really enjoyed this book, yes it was depressing in places and Mr Biswas is not a likable character, but somehow I wanted him to find his house and for him to live happily ever... Read more
Published on 30 Nov 2010 by Wren
5.0 out of 5 stars
A fantastic portrayal of family life in Trinidad in the early 20th...
It took me a little while to get into this book, but after the first 100 pages I was thoroughly hooked. Read more
Published on 4 Aug 2010 by Jennifer Malsingh
3.0 out of 5 stars
Naipaul a disappointment
This was my first Naipaul and I was very disappointed. Like other reviewers, I failed to detect the humour- indeed, I found the book very depressing (I had difficulty forcing... Read more
Published on 17 April 2010 by Donald Hughes
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