Author(s): V S Naipaul

Travel Literature

A passionate and vivid recreation of the history of Trinidad. The Loss of El Dorado exposes the barbaric cruelties of slavery and torture and their consequences on all strata of society - from the idealist to the reactionary - in a moving account which penetrates aspects of a complex society more often overlooked by professional historians. It is made up of two forgotten stories - the first being Walter Raleigh's raid on Trinidad and South America in 1595 and ends with his return in 1617, paroled from the Tower of London. The second story occurs nearly two hundred years later - the story of the British-sponsored attempt from the newly captured island of Trinidad to set going a revolution in the Spanish Empire. A brilliantly written narrative history of scandals, betrayal, colonisation and forgotten lands - ideal for readers of general history and travel writing. V.S. Naipaul was born in Trinidad in 1932. He is the author of more than fourteen works of fiction, including A House for Mr Biswas and A Bend in the River, and ten works of non-fiction including An Area of Darkness and India: A Wounded Civilization. He has won every major literary award bar the Nobel. He lives in Wiltshire. Paperback