Naipaul, Religion, and The Masque of Africa: Intersections of Religion and Literature in the Postcolony

Abstract

This essay explores the intersections between religion and literature in V. S. Naipaul’s works with a focus on his 2010 publication, The Masque of Africa: Glimpses of African Belief. The essay brings Naipaul’s earliest novel, his most recent work, and his Nobel Lecture into conversation with each other to show the relationship between religion and society in his works. It argues that Naipaul’s fictional and travel writings are important resources for understanding the crucial ways in which politics and religion intersect in colonial and postcolonial societies. Since religion and literature were part of the wider colonial enterprise, they must be part of the process to address the havoc created by that enterprise.