Magic Seeds[魔种]

Half A Life(2001) might have been better been left without this sequel, which ruffles reviewers’ feathers as only a grand old man of literature can. Though his trophy shelf holds a Nobel Prize, his past accomplishments buy him little sympathy. In fact, it’s often difficult to tell if critics are more put off byMagic Seedsor their appraisal of Willie Chandran as a mouthpiece for Naipaul’s politics. For an author whose greatest works have a heavy dose of autobiography, this reaction is not surprising, though it makes one wonder whether critics are reading the novel or dissecting the author. In the end, one hopes the unlikable characters, implausible plotting, and general fog of pessimism are what doom this book, not critical disappointment in Naipaul.

诺贝尔文学奖得主印度裔英国作家V.S.奈保尔2004出版的新作《魔种》（MagicSeeds）据说将成为他的最后一部小说，他说自己已经失去了写作下一部作品的精力。《魔种》是他早前的小说《半生》的续作，讲述一个男子为了改变印度贫穷的状况而参加游击队，但却发现这样的抗争只是一种虚假的姿态，最终他因为杀死了三个警察而被投入监狱———现实与虚构之间模糊的界限是他作品的显著特点。