V.S. Naipaul's Empty Chapel

About the Book

St. Cloud, FL – Considered the leading novelist of the English-speaking Caribbean, Vidiadhar Surajprasad Naipaul received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2001. Now in the brilliant new book, V. S. Naipaul’s Empty Chapel, scholar and critic John Kuar Persaud Ramphal presents a critical analysis of Naipual’s fiction, non-fiction, journalism and interviews juxtaposed with current critical analysis. Well-researched and coherently organized, the book delves into the religious, cultural and historical background which shaped Naipaul’s mind while growing up in Trinidad. It also discusses his excellent works, his visions of the Third World, what he views as the future of these countries, and how these topics are manifested in his writings.

The book comes with high recommendations from international experts. Dr. Frank Birbalsingh from York University in Ontario, Canada, comments, “the book is the result of solid scholarly commitment--written by someone with first-hand knowledge of Naipaul’s Caribbean background,” while Dr. Kevin McCabe, a professor at Brock University, writes: “The Empty Chapel will be required reading for all future writers of the Nobel Laureate.” Author Balkrishna Naipaul, V.S. Naipaul’s first-cousin, who provided unique family background of the Naipaul family for inclusion in the book, regards it as “the best critical analysis of V.S. Naipaul’s work I have ever read…I have every confidence that this book will obtain the kind of success it so richly deserves.”

About the Author
Born in Guyana, John Kuar Persaud Ramphal became Principal of a Government Secondary School, before immigrating to Canada in 1973. He attended Perpetua Kawall Canadian Mission School, Universities of Guyana, Dalhousie, Acadia, Toronto and York, where he pursued academic and professional studies. Dr. Ramphal has made Vidia Naipaul his lifelong study, which led to his graduate thesis, and culminating in his doctoral degree from York University. Dr. Ramphal lives with his wife, Deomattie, in Markham, Ontario. They have three sons, David, Anthony, and Michael, and two grandchildren, Ashley and Anthea. After spending a lifetime studying and researching Naipaul’s works, Ramphal says that V. S. Naipaul’s Empty Chapel illustrates the interdependence of people all over the world. “The future of generally affluent and developed countries,” says Ramphal, “is dependent on the developing countries which are generally impoverished. World survival is mutually dependent on global health as the world becomes smaller, compressed into shorter space and time.

About the Author

Born in Guyana, John Kuar Persaud Ramphal became Principal of a Government Secondary School, before immigrating to Canada in 1973. He attended Perpetua Kawall Canadian Mission School, Universities of Guyana, Dalhousie, Acadia, Toronto and York, where he pursued academic and professional studies. Dr. Ramphal has made Vidia Naipaul his lifelong study, which led to his M.A. thesis, culminating in the Ph. D. degree from York University. Dr. Ramphal is married and lives with his wife Deomattie in Markham, Ontario. They have three sons, David, Anthony, and Michael; and two grandchildren, Ashley and Anthea.