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The Mystic Masseur, V. S. Naipaul's first published novel, is the story of the rise and rise of Ganesh, from failed primary school teacher and struggling masseur to author, revered mystic and MBE -- a journey equally memorable for its hilarity as its bewildering success. An unforgettable cast of characters witness this meteoric ascent: Ganesh's father-in-law, Ramlogan, whose shop gave the impression that 'every morning someone went over everything in it -- scales, Ramlogan, and all -- with a greased rag'; his aunt, the Great Belcher, with her troubling wind; his wife Leela, and her fondness for putting a punctuation mark after every word. Soon, Ganesh's small hut is filled with books (1,500, as his wife will attest), and his trousers and shirt disappear to be replaced by more suitable attire for a proper mystic. As 'The Woman Who Couldn't Eat' and 'Lover Boy', the man who fell in love with his bicycle, line up to be cured, it looks like the mystic masseur is surely destined for greatness. In one of the author's finest comic creations we see the immense sensitivity, humour and endlessly inventive imagination that have become the hallmarks of V. S. Naipaul's genius.
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In this slyly funny and lavishly inventive novel-his first-V. S. Naipaul traces the unlikely career of Ganesh Ramsumair, a failed schoolteacher and impecunious village masseur who in time becomes a revered mystic, a thriving entrepreneur, and the most beloved politician in Trinidad. To understand a little better, one has to realize that in the 1940s masseurs were the island's medical practitioners of choice. As one character observes, "I know the sort of doctors they have in Trinidad. They think nothing of killing two, three people before breakfast."
Ganesh's ascent is variously aided and impeded by a Dickensian cast of rogues and eccentrics. There's his skeptical wife, Leela, whose schooling has made her excessively, fond. of; punctuation: marks!; and Leela's father, Ramlogan, a man of startling mood changes and an ever-ready cutlass. There's the aunt known as The Great Belcher. There are patients pursued by malign clouds or afflicted with an amorous fascination with bicycles. Witty, tender, filled with the sights, sounds, and smells of Trinidad's dusty Indian villages, The Mystic Masseur is Naipaul at his most expansive and evocative.
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Ganesh's ascent is variously aided and impeded by a Dickensian cast of rogues and eccentrics. There's his skeptical wife, Leela, whose schooling has made her excessively, fond. of; punctuation: marks!; and Leela's father, Ramlogan, a man of startling mood changes and an ever-ready cutlass. There's the aunt known as The Great Belcher. There are patients pursued by malign clouds or afflicted with an amorous fascination with bicycles. Witty, tender, filled with the sights, sounds, and smells of Trinidad's dusty Indian villages, The Mystic Masseur is Naipaul at his most expansive and evocative.
“One of the few contemporary writers of whom we can speak in terms of greatness.”–Mel Gussow, Newsday
“For sheer abundance of talent, there can hardly be a writer alive who surpasses V. S. Naipaul.”–The New York Times Book Review
“Naipaul’s writing is clean and beautiful, and he has a great eye for nuance.”–The Atlantic Monthly
“No one else around today...seems able to employ prose fiction so deeply as the very voice of exile.”–The New York Review of Books
“For sheer abundance of talent, there can hardly be a writer alive who surpasses V. S. Naipaul.”–The New York Times Book Review
“Naipaul’s writing is clean and beautiful, and he has a great eye for nuance.”–The Atlantic Monthly
“No one else around today...seems able to employ prose fiction so deeply as the very voice of exile.”–The New York Review of Books
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- PublisherPAN MACMILLAN
- Publication date2011
- ISBN 10 0330522930
- ISBN 13 9780330522939
- BindingPaperback
- Number of pages200
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Book Description Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. V.S. Naipaul's first novel - humorous, endlessly inventive and brilliantly imagined. The Mystic Masseur, V.S. Naipaul's first published novel, is the story of Ganesh, who at the beginning of the novel is a struggling masseur at a time when, as the narrator puts it, masseurs were ten a penny in Trinidad. He soon begins a meteoric rise, from failed primary school teacher and masseur to author, revered mystic and MBE. This is a journey equally memorable for its hilarity as its bewildering success. Naipaul's clarity of style, humorous touch and powerful characterization are all in evidence in one of the author's finest creations. Inventive, touching and perceptive, this novel is a wonderful introduction for readers new to Naipaul's writing. V. S. Naipauls first novel humorous, endlessly inventive and brilliantly imagined. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability. Seller Inventory # 9780330522939
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Book Description Condition: New. 2011. Paperback. V.S. Naipaul's first novel -- humorous, endlessly inventive and brilliantly imagined. Num Pages: 224 pages. BIC Classification: FA. Category: (G) General (US: Trade). Dimension: 197 x 132 x 16. Weight in Grams: 186. . . . . . Seller Inventory # V9780330522939
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