New York City laid out the red carpet for literature's newest Nobel laureate, V.S. Naipaul, who turned almost unrecognisably genial under its spell. nyc has always been famous for welcoming poets and writers with open arms and Naipaul is an all-time favourite. He has read to sold-out houses in historic literary venues like Manhattan's 92nd Street, where the world's greatest poets like T.S. Eliot and W.H. Auden and Nobel prize-winners a la Toni Morrison and Nadine Gordimer have loved to read.
So when the Trinidad-born writer was invited to read at New York University (nyu) by its prestigious Creative Writing Program, the demand for tickets was so overwhelming that the venue had to be changed for a larger one. Even so, two "overflow rooms" were set up for a live video broadcast.
After sitting through a glowing half-hour introduction with his head cocked and eyes closed, Naipaul read from Half a Life. He smiled often—the chapter he'd chosen was funny. Then, in a rare gesture, he agreed to take questions from the audience, something he hasn't done for years. But the questions were carefully screened by Lady Naipaul, who took over from the official hostess, the director of nyu's Creative Writing Program. She handpicked a few she thought he should answer.
But not all her censoring could prevent the bombshell that came two days later. The New York Times splashed a story about Naipaul making "big headlines" in Sweden. In an interview to a radio network, Sir Vidia was at his provocative best: he was "grateful", he said, to prostitutes. "They offer comfort, and I was very grateful for them when I needed their services," he reportedly said. "I couldn't, as it were, make passes at other women, because that requires a lot of time." Sir Vidia, 67, said he felt "no shame" for having patronised prostitutes.
The Swedish Academy, which chooses the Nobel winners, took it in its stride. "We judge only the works," stated a spokesman. "There are many Nobel Prize winners I wouldn't want as friends." Another said: "The Nobel prize is a literature prize, not a prize for conduct or morals." The nyt concluded: "Mr Naipaul said through a spokesman that he had no comment." But even in the bohemian world of New York Letters, Naipaul seems to have few defenders left.