A House for Mr. Biswas (1961) is generally considered a magnum opus of V.S. Naipaul. The novel is about Mohun Biswas, a third generation diasporic individual of Indian origin in Trinidad. The novel begins with the birth of Mohun Biswas under circumstances that are declared inauspicious by a Hindu priest. From that moment of supposed inauspicious birth, life for Mohun Biswas was an epic battle for making his identity of which ‘owning a house’ remained a symbol throughout his adult life. Naipaul has mirrored his father Seepersad Naipaul in the life of Mohun Biswas. Naipaul, mentioning A House for Mr. Biswas in one of his interviews, says that it was “very much my father’s book”.
Research Scholar, Dept. of English, Magadh University, Bodh-Gaya
