Miguel Street (Caribbean Writers) [Paperback]

V. S. Naipaul (Author)

Book Description

Series: Caribbean Writers | Publication Date: October 18, 2000

Life in Trinidad as described through the eyes of a street arab.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Life in Trinidad as described by Mr. Naipaul through the eyes of a "street arab" in Miguel Street is enchanting, mysterious, varied and richly comic. His happy-go lucky community, in what to the stranger's eye would be a slum, abounds in eccentric characters: indeed everyone is eccentric, and tolerant of other eccentrics.”–The Scotsman

From the Inside Flap

?A stranger could drive through Miguel Street and just say ?Slum!? because he could see no more.? But to its residents this derelict corner of Trinidad?s capital is a complete world, where everybody is quite different from everybody else. There?s Popo the carpenter, who neglects his livelihood to build ?the thing without a name.? There?s Man-man, who goes from running for public office to staging his own crucifixion, and the dreaded Big Foot, the bully with glass tear ducts. There?s the lovely Mrs. Hereira, in thrall to her monstrous husband. In this tender, funny early novel, V. S. Naipaul renders their lives (and the legends their neighbors construct around them) with Dickensian verve and Chekhovian compassion.
Set during World War II and narrated by an unnamed?but precociously observant?neighborhood boy, Miguel Street is a work of mercurial mood shifts, by turns sweetly melancholy and anarchically funny. It overflows with life on every page. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 172 pages
• Publisher: Heinemann; 1 edition (October 18, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0435989545
• ISBN-13: 978-0435989545
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #516,434 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars hilarious early voice, May 11, 2001

By 

Robert J. Crawford (Balmette Talloires, France) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Miguel Street (Caribbean Writers) (Paperback)

This novel crackles with laughter and detail, using local language to great effect. While there are some issues of sadness in the background, Naipaul puts the liveliness to the fore, in this, his first novel. He wrote it while freelancing at the BBC, just out of Oxford and a fearfully anxious young man. It is so different from the utter darkness of his later work that it is hard to believe it is from the same pen. But that is a measure of the talent of this man and the breadth of his vision.

Warmly recommended.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Amusing and poignant, November 24, 2003

By 

HORAK (Zug, Switzerland) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Miguel Street (Paperback)

A beautiful portrait of the inhabitants of Miguel Street located in a derelict corner of Trinidad's Capital Port of Spain. Set during World War II, the story is narrated by a precociously observant neighbourhood boy. The mood shifts from sweet melancholy to anarchical fun as we discover the lives of Popo the carpenter, Man-man staging his own crucifixion, Big Foot the bully or the lovely Mrs Hereira in thrall to her monstrous husband. An amusing and poignant book.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent Read, March 8, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Miguel Street (Paperback)

Naipaul's novel about daily life on Miguel Street is a masterful piece of literature. The characters are colorful and believable, the writing style is fluid and very readable, and the issues raised about (post)colonialism and neocolonialism are oh so real. Entertaining at times; thought-provoking at others--Naipaul's MIGUEL STREET is a must read for any fan of literary genius.