Shiva Naipaul (1945-1985) was an Indo-Trinidadian and British novelist and journalist. He wrote several famous works, such as “Fireflies” (1970), “The Chip Collector” (1973), “North of the South” (1978), “Black and White” (1980), “Hot Country” ( 1983), and the novel and nonfiction collection Beyond Long’s Mouth: Stories and Fragments (1984).
Wiki/Biography
Shivadhar Srinivasa Naipaul was born on Sunday 25 February 1945 in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago (age 40 at the time of death). Shiva Naipaul attended Queen’s Royal College and St. Mary’s College in Trinidad before immigrating to England. He won a scholarship to study Chinese at University College, Oxford. He was educated at Queen’s Royal College and St. Mary’s College, Trinidad. After winning a scholarship, he immigrated to England and studied Chinese at University College, Oxford.
family
He was born into the Capidio family.
Parents and siblings
Shiva Naipaul’s father, Seepersad Naipaul, was an English journalist. In 1929 he began writing stories for the Trinidad Guardian, Trinidad and Tobago’s oldest daily newspaper, and in 1932 became a reporter for Chaguanas Province. In 1953, Shiva Naipaul’s father suffered from coronary thrombosis and lost his life due to health problems. His work at The Guardian. In October 1953, Sipersad Naipaul died. Shiva Naipaul’s parents’ family immigrated from British India to work as indentured labor on sugar plantations in the 1880s. He has an older brother, VS Naipaul, a British writer born in Trinidad. VS Naipaul died at his home in London on August 11, 2018.
Seepersad Naipaul, father of Shiva Naipaul
Shiva Naipaul and his brother VS Naipaul
wife and children
Shiva Naipaul married Jenny Stewart. He met her in Oxford. Jenny Stuart worked as a secretary at the Observer magazine. Their union produced a son named Talon.
Signature/Autograph
Profession
In Naipaul’s first two novels, Fireflies (1970) and The Chip-Chip Gatherers (1973), he focused on the Indian Hindu community in Trinidad. The Chip Collector delves further into Naipaul’s native community, creating a profound commentary on society that is both heartbreaking and humorous, although the humor is less obvious than in the first novel, resulting in an increasing sense of bleakness. “Fireflies” depicts the social changes brought about by the decline of an ancient family, while “The Chip Collector” tells the story of a social climber who seizes the opportunity to improve his status. His third book, A Hot Country (1983), is set in Cuyama, a fictional country in South America.
novel
- Firefly(1970)
- Chip Collector(1973)
- Hot Country(1983)
non-fiction
After the first two novels, Naipaul took a break from writing novels. Instead, he turned to nonfiction, producing several critically acclaimed works such as North and South: An African Journey (1978), which combined travel writing with social and political commentary and featured the author’s experiences of Kenya, Tanzania and a visit to Zambia. “Black and White” (1980) is a bold work, a fascinating read, and an exhaustive study of tragedy.
- North and South(1978)
- Black and White(1980)
- The Unfinished Journey(1986)
collect
Naipaul published Beyond the Dragon’s Mouth (1984), a collection of fictional stories and non-fiction articles that continued to examine and discuss Indian, African and Caribbean societies, as well as the author’s life experiences in Britain.
- Beyond the Dragon’s Mouth: Stories and Fragments (1984)
- The Mystery Man and Other Stories (1995)
Awards, Honors, Achievements
- Shiva Naipaul received the Winifred Holtby Memorial Award from the Royal Society of Literature and the New Statesman Award for her first novel, Fireflies (1970).
- In 1973, his second novel, The Chip Collector, won the Whitbread Prize.
- Naipaul received a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1978, and his journalistic works include two works of non-fiction: North and South (1978) and Black and White (1980).
- Shiva Naipaul is one of 22 writers shortlisted for the Booker Prize for a one-off book published in 1970.
die
Shiva Naipaul died in London on the evening of Tuesday, August 13, 1985, at the age of 40, after suffering a heart attack while working at his desk.
Facts/Trivia
- In a 2019 article written by VS Naipaul for The New Yorker,
This doesn’t surprise me. He was an alcoholic and I saw death on his face last year at my sister’s funeral. “
- In 2008, Christopher Hitchens wrote an article for The Atlantic praising Shiva Naipaul’s first novel, Firefly, as “one of the best tragicomic novels of our time.” .
- Shiva Naipaul’s literary archive is currently held by the British Library. The collection includes handwritten manuscripts and typescripts of his works of fiction, nonfiction, and travel writing, as well as studies and drafts related to his articles, short stories, and essays. Additionally, the archive includes a collection of autographed notebooks filled with notes and research collected by Shiva Naipaul during his travels in India, Trinidad and Tobago, Suriname, Guyana, the United States, South Africa, Africa and Australia Results.
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education