V.S. Naipaul’s House for Mr. Biswas in Trinidad & Tobago converted to a museum

Nobel Prize winning author, Sir Vidiadhar Surajprasad Naipaul or “V. S.” Naipaul, is one of the world’s literary greats coming out of Trinidad and Tobago.

Nobel Prize winning author, Sir Vidiadhar Surajprasad Naipaul or “V. S.” Naipaul, is one of the world’s literary greats coming out of Trinidad and Tobago. In recognition of his accomplishments, the house at the center of one of his best-known novels will be opened to the public in the form of a literary museum in October 2013.

Literary buffs visiting Trinidad in the near future can add a stop at the residence made immortal in the 1961 novel, “A House for Mr. Biswas,” as a “must do” activity while on the island. Ranked at number 72 on list of 100 best English-language novels of the 20th century by Modern Library Review, “A House for Mr. Biswas” tells the sometimes tragic, often hilarious, story of Mohun Biswas, an Indo-Trinidadian whose elusive search for success finally ends when he achieves the goal of owning his own home.

Naipaul drew some elements of the book from the life of his father and the author’s childhood home, located in the Port of Spain suburb of St. James, which provided the inspiration for Mr. Biswas’ house. Still standing today, the main structure of the house fits perfectly with the description in the novel, and after years of planning, the building, with many of its original furnishings and fittings, will be opened to the public.

The group, Friends of Mr. Biswas, with the government’s assistance, began renovations in 2008, and these were completed in 2010. With the input of members of the Naipaul family, renovation work included the restoration, and in some cases reconstruction, of furnishings and fittings described in the novel. Items such as the yellow typewriter, which actually exists, the hat rack, bookcase, and dining table, will all be on display.

Born in Chaguanas, in the central part of the island of Trinidad, Sir V. S. Naipaul is the holder of the 2001 Nobel Prize for literature. The museum aims to bring to life for visitors the literary genius that is Trinidad and Tobago’s own Sir V. S. Naipaul, while providing a rare glimpse into the early life and inspiration of the notoriously private author.

About the author

Avatar of Linda Hohnholz

Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

Share to...