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In the very beginning of the book, in "Reading and Writing," Naipaul states that he wanted to be a writer ever since he was eleven (Literary Occasions 3). However, some may find this unusual considering Naipaul was never an avid reader. At this point, he hadn't developed a passion for writing either. Where did this literary interest come from? Naipaul attributes it to his father and says the involvement was "built up from the little things my father read to me from time to time (Literary Occasions 5)." Naipaul states later that he did not know his father well and the only time spent with him was during Naipaul's impressiona
. . .
When I got to know my father- in Port of Spain, in 1938, when he was thirty-two and I was six- he was a journalist. This changed him, both personally and professionally.
A number of years pass by during which he implores his father to write an autobiography as a source of new writing material . The boy tells him of an ailing woman and the next day, Naipaul goes to see the woman. Naipaul describes his reaction when he learns this information:
She took the story back to her father's mother. He had never thought to ask about his father's past for his own personal knowledge and it seemed the opportunity passed him by until 1972, when by chance he met a young boy who claimed to be related. In one detail it was shocking; but it all came to me as a fairy story. The author recounts the manner in which his father read and how it later became his own style:
He read in his own way. It finally gave him a sense of belonging in the world, and a feeling of who he was.
Essay's Topics
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