Author(s): V. S. Naipaul

Fiction

The great novel of Africa from the winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature. An acknowledged masterpiece by one of the towering literary giants of our time. When Salim, a young Indian man, is offered a small business in Central Africa, he accepts. Accompanied by Metty, the son of one of the family slaves, he travels deep into the heart of the continent to become a trader in the town on a bend in the river. As Salim strives to establish himself, he becomes closely involved with the fluid and dangerous politics of the newly-independent state. V.S. Naipaul unfolds a powerful story of changing Africa, sustaining his superb characterization and dramatic invention right to the memorable conclusion. He uses the troubled continent as a text to preach magnificently upon the sickness of a world losing touch with its past. Together with A House for Mr Biswas, A Bend In The River established V.S. Naipaul as one of the pre-eminent novelists of our time.