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3.42 AVERAGE
3.42 AVERAGE
Una historia muy bien contada pero lamentablemente mal, muy mal traducida. Aún así, un libro para disfrutar, si se consiguen pasar por alto los errores, que son muchísimos.
Naipaul entwirft hier das Bild der postkolonialen Gesellscahft in einem afrikanischen Staat, in der alle nur an ihren Träumen scheitern können. Genau beobachtet und schonungslos dargestellt, spürt man die Intensität der verschiedenen Lebensentwürfe, die in einer Kleinstadt aufeinanderprallen - und scheitern. Aus den unterscheidlichsten Gründe,, aber das koloniale Erbe und die eigenen kulturellen Hintergründe der Hauptfiguren machen ein zufriedenes Ende einfach unmöglich.
Would have been rated higher if not for that weak, rushed ending. :(
A Bend in the River is a novel that totally impresses you, leaves you with philosophical insights about colonization, assimilation, international relations, and the still unanswered existential question of "What are we? Who are we? Why are we in this world?". That is not to say that this novel reads like a textbook or a Kierkegaard lite. There is a plot (a thinly-disguised account of the life of an Indian foreigner in Zaire during Mobutu Sese Seko's tyrannical reign). There are characters, although all of them are beset with existential problems.
I gave only four stars because I didn't thoroughly enjoyed reading this. I feel like I'm studying for an exam. This novel takes away the joy in reading. Despite the fact that I filled several pages of my notebook with scribbles from this novel, there was no "pause for a while, take a deep breath, and say a cuss word in deep admiration for this book" instance.
I gave only four stars because I didn't thoroughly enjoyed reading this. I feel like I'm studying for an exam. This novel takes away the joy in reading. Despite the fact that I filled several pages of my notebook with scribbles from this novel, there was no "pause for a while, take a deep breath, and say a cuss word in deep admiration for this book" instance.
I hate giving books star ratings. I give this one 4 stars though. There's a lot going on beneath the surface, which is something I really appreciate in a novel. I could re-read this one or two more times before feeling like I have a good handle on everything that's going on.
I found V.S. Naipaul's "A Bend in the River" to be a hard book to rate. The novel really excelled in giving a sense of place in a particular time period, though I didn't care for the way characters were portrayed or the rather bleak view that Naipul appears to take of Africans in general.
Set in an unnamed country in post-Colonial Africa, the book is narrated by Salim, who attempts to make his way in the newly emerging world order. His fortunes ebb and flow depending on the country's politics at the time, as do the fortunes of the people who surround him.
The book, on the whole, is more of a narration than a story -- it straddles the line between being dry and interesting pretty frequently. What I liked best, and what kept me reading, was the descriptions of the way Salim's town changed, rather than the trials and tribulations of the people populating the book.
Set in an unnamed country in post-Colonial Africa, the book is narrated by Salim, who attempts to make his way in the newly emerging world order. His fortunes ebb and flow depending on the country's politics at the time, as do the fortunes of the people who surround him.
The book, on the whole, is more of a narration than a story -- it straddles the line between being dry and interesting pretty frequently. What I liked best, and what kept me reading, was the descriptions of the way Salim's town changed, rather than the trials and tribulations of the people populating the book.
Moet ik nog een keer herlezen.
Het enige wat ik nog weet is de indruk die het op mij maakte.
De beschrijving van een mij totaal onbekende cultuur. Het zoog mij op...
Het enige wat ik nog weet is de indruk die het op mij maakte.
De beschrijving van een mij totaal onbekende cultuur. Het zoog mij op...
One of the worst books I've ever read in my life! Crest-fallen I was, trying not to let this book beat me, so many times I wanted it out of my house but worried the Nobel Committee were right .... they so were not! The NC have gone way down in my estimation. Honestly -terrible writing, nothing redeemable; not a character, a plot line or a landscape could rescue this sterile and uninspiring jumble of words somebody somewhere deemed fit to call a novel!
Naipaul has vividly sketched the location and ambience here, and it's none too pretty. It reads depressingly realistic, and has aged well. Definitely worth tracking down.