Date: Fri, 7 Aug 1998 09:37:50 -0500
From: kak-AT-sol.ee.lsu.edu (Subhash Kak)
Subject: Theroux on Naipaul


 Theroux on Naipaul 


Was Paul Theroux's recent article about the end of his
friendship in the New Yorker and his book on the same
subject a joke, or is Theroux a jerk? 

Theroux mentions that he was one of the judges when [in 1979]
Naipaul's `A Bend in the River' was shortlisted for the
Booker Prize. He adds, ``When it came to the decision I
voted against it. I preferred Patrick White's novel
`The Twyborn Affair.' Mine was the deciding vote.''

You can see the list of the Booker finalists for 1979 on the
Amazon.com site. Here it is:

                    1979 

                             Offshore by Penelope Fitzgerald--Winner! 
                             Confederates by Thomas Keneally 
                             A Bend in the River by V.S. Naipaul 
                             Joseph by Julian Rathbone 
                             Praxis by Fay Weldon

Patrick White's book is not in the list. Penelope Fitzgerald
won the prize that year.

This little anecdote is an important element in Theroux's
story. If he has not got his facts right here how can we
trust him to recall conversations that took place 30 years
ago?

-Subhash Kak




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