Profile of the Day: V.S. Naipaul

V.S. Naipaul

Today we remember award winning writer V.S. Naipaul, who passed away earlier this week on August 11 at the age of 85.

He was born Vidiadhar Surajprasad Naipaul on August 17, 1932 in Trinidad and Tobago to Seepersad Naipaul and Droapatie Capildeo. His father was also a writer and worked as a journalist for the Trinidad Guardian. His paternal grandparents had emigrated from India to work as indentured servants on a sugar plantation. Naipaul’s mother was a member of the Capildeo family, a large and prosperous Indo-Trinidad family. At the age of 6, Naipaul and his family moved in with his maternal side of the family in Trinidad’s capital, Port of Spain. It was there that Naipaul was able to enroll in school and eventually attend college at Oxford in England.

Naipaul became known for his early novels set in Trinidad and Tobago and later his non-fiction works. In 1961, he published A House for Mr. Biswas, which was inspired by his childhood memories of his father. Considered one of his most famous works, the novel would earn him worldwide success and acclaim. In 2001, Naipaul was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature.

The acclaimed writer died on August 11, 2018 at his home in London, only a few days before his 86th birthday.

Explore V.S. Naipaul’s family tree on Geni and discover your connection to the author.
 

View V.S. Naipaul’s Geni Profile

Image: Faizul Latif Chowdhury, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)