NP- V.S.Naipaul Bio Shocker

[David Morris]

http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/books/article3934615.ece

A shocking biography of the Nobel laureate Sir V.S.Naipaul, which
exposes his cruelty towards those closest to him, is tipped to win its
author the richest prize in non-fiction writing.

Patrick French's The World is What it is: The Authorized Biography of
V.S. Naipaul heads the shortlist for the 2008 Samuel Johnson prize,
worth £30,000. The five other books include an investigation of a
Victorian murder and a study of crows, but it is French's that is
causing waves in literary circles, turning assumptions about official
biographies on their head.

One reviewer has said of it: "Like it or not, this biography will
change the way we read Naipaul's books, and for the worse." Paul
Theroux, who wrote his own wounding account of his relationship with
Naipaul, said: "It is not a pretty story. It will probably destroy
Naipaul's reputation for ever."

French attributes his subject's willingness to bare all to a
combination "of narcissism and humility".