A BEND IN THE RIVER - NAIPAUL, V. S. 0.40KG IN SOUTH AFRICA

Paperback. English. Penguin. 1980. In fair/used condition. Set in an unnamed African country, the book is narrated by Salim, a young man from an Indian family of traders long resident on the coast. He believes The world is what it is; men who are nothing, who allow themselves to become nothing, have no place in it. So he has taken the initiative; left the coast; acquired his own shop in a small, growing city in the continent¿s remote interior and is selling sundries ¿ little more than this and that, really ¿ to the natives. This spot, this ¿bend in the river¿, is a microcosm of post-colonial Africa at the time of Independence: a scene of chaos, violent change, warring tribes, ignorance, isolation and poverty. And from this rich landscape emerges one of the author¿s most potent works ¿ a truly moving story of historical upheaval and social breakdown.