The Mimic Men

by V. S. Naipaul Narrated by Sam Dastor

Overview

Former government minister Ralph Singh is the perpetual outsider: displaced, disillusioned and now living in exile, Ralph reflects on his earlier life and the searing effects of colonialism. Ralph's constant estrangement sees him ever attempting to fit into various communities, only to find home in more transient spaces. Born on the tropical island of Isabella, he is one of West India's many 'Mimic Men'. Booker and Nobel Prize-winning author V.S. Naipaul's sixth novel is a brutal and perceptive commentary on the postcolonial condition of the colonial man.

Editorial Reviews

Alfred Kazin

"He is the most compelling master of social truth that I know of in the contemporary novel." -- The New York Times Book Review

From the Publisher

A Tolstoyan spirit.... The so-called Third World has produced no more brilliant literary artist.” —John Updike, The New Yorker

“Ambitious and successful.” —The Times (London)

JUNE 2017 - AudioFile

Rarely do listeners encounter as unique a protagonist as Naipaul’s Ralph Singh. He lives in London, though he grew up in the Caribbean and even shared ruling power for a time on the island with an Afro-Caribbean politician. Sam Dastor’s strong narration enlivens Singh as he remembers his childhood and political career. Dastor ensures that Singh’s disillusionment becomes evident as he returns to his politically torn island home. Dastor’s low tone sometimes hovers between thoughtful and monotonous, a tone that befits Naipaul’s story. Spanning 20 years as Singh travels from London to the Caribbean and back amid a failed marriage and vacillating political power, the novel examines the complicated social and ethnic struggles of its time. A.G.M. © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine

Product Details

BN ID:	2940174970045
Publisher:	Naxos Audiobooks
Publication date:	04/01/2017
Edition description:	Unabridged

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