🎯 Where Should I Start?
Best Starting Point
Publication Order of India Trilogy Books
Start with: An Area of Darkness (1964)
Popular Choice
Publication Order of Willie Chandran Books
Start with: Half a Life (2001)
Popular Choice
Publication Order of Standalone Novels
Start with: The Mimic Men (1867)
ⓘ About V.S. Naipaul
V.S. Naipaul is a famous Trinidadian author of the Indian origin and the Nobel Prize winner. He was born as Vidiadgar Surajprasad Naipul in Trinidad and Tobago, and also had the nationality of Britain. He won the Nobel Prize in Literature in the year 2001 for one of his novels called half A Life. Naipaul has published over 30 novels in his writing career based on the autobiographical chronicles about life and traveling, most of which are set in the developing countries. His books include both the fiction and nonfiction setups. Naipaul has successfully extended his writing career over a period of 50 years, which he had started by writing comic novels earlier. He has also won the Booker Prize in the year 1971, thus making his career as an author to be a prosperous one.
All Book Series by V.S. Naipaul
1
An Area of Darkness
Series opener · book 1 of 3 · published 1964
Buy on Amazon1964
2
A Wounded Civilization
Book 2 of 3 · published 1976
Buy on Amazon1976
3
A Million Mutinies Now
Latest in the series · book 3 of 3 · published 1990
Buy on Amazon1990
1
Half a Life
Series opener · book 1 of 2 · published 2001
Buy on Amazon2001
2
Magic Seeds
Latest in the series · book 2 of 2 · published 2004
Buy on Amazon2004
1
The Mimic Men
Series opener · book 1 of 13 · published 1867
Buy on Amazon1867
2
The Mystic Masseur
Book 2 of 13 · published 1957
Buy on Amazon1957
3
The Suffrage of Elvira
Book 3 of 13 · published 1958
Buy on Amazon1958
5
A House for Mr Biswas
Book 5 of 13 · published 1961
Buy on Amazon1961
6
Mr Stone And The Knights Companion
Book 6 of 13 · published 1963
Buy on Amazon1963
7
In a Free State
Book 7 of 13 · published 1971
Buy on Amazon1971
9
A Bend in the River
Book 9 of 13 · published 1979
Buy on Amazon1979
10
Finding the Center
Book 10 of 13 · published 1984
Buy on Amazon1984
11
Overcrowded Barracoon
Book 11 of 13 · published 1984
Buy on Amazon1984
12
The Enigma of Arrival
Book 12 of 13 · published 1987
Buy on Amazon1987
13
A Way in the World
Latest in the series · book 13 of 13 · published 1994
Buy on Amazon1994
1
A Flag on the Island
Series opener · book 1 of 4 · published 1967
Buy on Amazon1967
2
Collected Short Fiction
Book 2 of 4 · published 1971
Buy on Amazon1971
3
The Nightwatchman's Occurrence Book
Book 3 of 4 · published 2002
Buy on Amazon2002
4
Vintage Naipaul
Latest in the series · book 4 of 4 · published 2004
Buy on Amazon2004
1
The Middle Passage
Series opener · book 1 of 15 · published 1962
Buy on Amazon1962
2
Reading and Writing
Book 2 of 15 · published 1968
Buy on Amazon1968
3
The Loss of El Dorado
Book 3 of 15 · published 1969
Buy on Amazon1969
4
The Perfect Tenants and the Mourners
Book 4 of 15 · published 1977
Buy on Amazon1977
5
The Return of Eva Peron
Book 5 of 15 · published 1980
Buy on Amazon1980
7
Among the Believers
Book 7 of 15 · published 1981
Buy on Amazon1981
8
A Turn In The South
Book 8 of 15 · published 1989
Buy on Amazon1989
10
Between Father and Son
Book 10 of 15 · published 1999
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11
The Writer and the World
Book 11 of 15 · published 2002
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12
Literary Occasions
Book 12 of 15 · published 2003
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13
A Writer's People
Book 13 of 15 · published 2007
Buy on Amazon2007
14
The Masque of Africa
Book 14 of 15 · published 2010
Buy on Amazon2010
15
India Essays
Latest in the series · book 15 of 15 · published 2018
Buy on Amazon2018
1
San Francisco Noir
Series opener · book 1 of 121 · published 2002
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6
Brooklyn Noir 2
Book 6 of 121 · published 2005
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9
Manhattan Noir
Book 9 of 121 · published 2006
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12
Baltimore Noir
Book 12 of 121 · published 2006
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13
Twin Cities Noir
Book 13 of 121 · published 2006
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15
New Orleans Noir
Book 15 of 121 · published 2007
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16
Los Angeles Noir
Book 16 of 121 · published 2007
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17
Wall Street Noir
Book 17 of 121 · published 2007
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19
Detroit Noir
Book 19 of 121 · published 2007
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21
Brooklyn Noir 3: Nothing But the Truth
Book 21 of 121 · published 2008
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22
Toronto Noir
Book 22 of 121 · published 2008
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23
Las Vegas Noir
Book 23 of 121 · published 2008
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24
Trinidad Noir
Book 24 of 121 · published 2008
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26
Manhattan Noir 2
Book 26 of 121 · published 2008
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28
Istanbul Noir
Book 28 of 121 · published 2008
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31
San Francisco Noir 2
Book 31 of 121 · published 2009
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32
Portland Noir
Book 32 of 121 · published 2009
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34
Phoenix Noir
Book 34 of 121 · published 2009
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35
Los Angeles Noir 2
Book 35 of 121 · published 2010
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36
Mexico City Noir
Book 36 of 121 · published 2010
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37
Richmond Noir
Book 37 of 121 · published 2010
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38
Orange County Noir
Book 38 of 121 · published 2010
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39
Indian Country Noir
Book 39 of 121 · published 2010
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41
Lone Star Noir
Book 41 of 121 · published 2010
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42
Philadelphia Noir
Book 42 of 121 · published 2010
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44
Copenhagen Noir
Book 44 of 121 · published 2010
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45
Pittsburgh Noir
Book 45 of 121 · published 2011
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46
San Diego Noir
Book 46 of 121 · published 2011
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47
Barcelona Noir
Book 47 of 121 · published 2011
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48
Cape Cod Noir
Book 48 of 121 · published 2011
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49
New Jersey Noir
Book 49 of 121 · published 2011
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50
Staten Island Noir
Book 50 of 121 · published 2012
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52
Long Island Noir
Book 52 of 121 · published 2012
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54
Kingston Noir
Book 54 of 121 · published 2012
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55
St. Petersburg Noir
Book 55 of 121 · published 2012
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56
Kansas City Noir
Book 56 of 121 · published 2012
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57
Boston Noir 2
Book 57 of 121 · published 2012
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60
Buffalo Noir
Book 60 of 121 · published 2013
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62
Haiti Noir 2
Book 62 of 121 · published 2013
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63
Singapore Noir
Book 63 of 121 · published 2014
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65
Tel Aviv Noir
Book 65 of 121 · published 2014
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67
Belfast Noir
Book 67 of 121 · published 2014
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68
Helsinki Noir
Book 68 of 121 · published 2014
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70
Providence Noir
Book 70 of 121 · published 2015
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71
Chicago Noir: The Classics
Book 71 of 121 · published 2015
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72
Memphis Noir
Book 72 of 121 · published 2015
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74
Marseille Noir
Book 74 of 121 · published 2015
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76
New Orleans Noir: The Classics
Book 76 of 121 · published 2016
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77
Stockholm Noir
Book 77 of 121 · published 2016
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78
Brussels Noir
Book 78 of 121 · published 2016
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79
Mississippi Noir
Book 79 of 121 · published 2016
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80
St. Louis Noir
Book 80 of 121 · published 2016
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82
San Juan Noir
Book 82 of 121 · published 2016
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83
Oakland Noir
Book 83 of 121 · published 2017
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84
Trinidad Noir: The Classics
Book 84 of 121 · published 2017
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85
Atlanta Noir
Book 85 of 121 · published 2017
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86
New Haven Noir
Book 86 of 121 · published 2017
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87
Montana Noir
Book 87 of 121 · published 2017
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88
Buenos Aires Noir
Book 88 of 121 · published 2017
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89
Montreal Noir
Book 89 of 121 · published 2017
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91
São Paulo Noir
Book 91 of 121 · published 2018
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92
Santa Cruz Noir
Book 92 of 121 · published 2018
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94
Marrakech Noir
Book 94 of 121 · published 2018
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95
Baghdad Noir
Book 95 of 121 · published 2018
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96
Vancouver Noir
Book 96 of 121 · published 2018
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98
Hong Kong Noir
Book 98 of 121 · published 2018
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99
Amsterdam Noir
Book 99 of 121 · published 2019
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100
Milwaukee Noir
Book 100 of 121 · published 2019
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101
Houston Noir
Book 101 of 121 · published 2019
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102
Nairobi Noir
Book 102 of 121 · published 2020
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103
Columbus Noir
Book 103 of 121 · published 2020
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104
Santa Fe Noir
Book 104 of 121 · published 2020
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105
Alabama Noir
Book 105 of 121 · published 2020
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106
Berkeley Noir
Book 106 of 121 · published 2020
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107
Addis Ababa Noir
Book 107 of 121 · published 2020
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108
Tampa Bay Noir
Book 108 of 121 · published 2020
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109
Miami Noir: The Classics
Book 109 of 121 · published 2020
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110
Accra Noir
Book 110 of 121 · published 2020
Buy on Amazon2020
111
Belgrade Noir
Book 111 of 121 · published 2020
Buy on Amazon2020
112
Palm Springs Noir
Book 112 of 121 · published 2021
Buy on Amazon2021
113
Paris Noir: The Suburbs
Book 113 of 121 · published 2022
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114
Denver Noir
Book 114 of 121 · published 2022
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115
South Central Noir
Book 115 of 121 · published 2022
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116
Cleveland Noir
Book 116 of 121 · published 2023
Buy on Amazon2023
117
East Jerusalem Noir
Book 117 of 121 · published 2023
Buy on Amazon2023
118
West Jerusalem Noir
Book 118 of 121 · published 2023
Buy on Amazon2023
119
Honolulu Noir
Book 119 of 121 · published 2024
Buy on Amazon2024
120
Sacramento Noir
Book 120 of 121 · published 2025
Buy on Amazon2025
121
Hamburg Noir
Latest in the series · book 121 of 121 · published 2025
Buy on Amazon2025
1
Conversations with Jorge Luis Borges
Series opener · book 1 of 97 · published 1969
Buy on Amazon1969
2
Conversations with Czeslaw Milosz
Book 2 of 97 · published 1981
Buy on Amazon1981
3
Conversations with Graham Greene
Book 3 of 97 · published 1983
Buy on Amazon1983
4
Conversations with Eudora Welty
Book 4 of 97 · published 1985
Buy on Amazon1985
5
Conversations with Walker Percy
Book 5 of 97 · published 1985
Buy on Amazon1985
6
Conversations With Isaac Bashevis Singer
Book 6 of 97 · published 1985
Buy on Amazon1985
7
Conversations with William Styron
Book 7 of 97 · published 1985
Buy on Amazon1985
8
Conversations with Malcolm Cowley
Book 8 of 97 · published 1986
Buy on Amazon1986
9
Conversations with Lillian Hellman
Book 9 of 97 · published 1986
Buy on Amazon1986
10
Conversations with Tennessee Williams
Book 10 of 97 · published 1986
Buy on Amazon1986
11
Conversations with Ernest Hemingway
Book 11 of 97 · published 1986
Buy on Amazon1986
12
Conversations with Katherine Anne Porter
Book 12 of 97 · published 1987
Buy on Amazon1987
13
Truman Capote: Conversations
Book 13 of 97 · published 1987
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14
Conversations with Flannery O'Connor
Book 14 of 97 · published 1987
Buy on Amazon1987
15
Conversations with Peter Taylor
Book 15 of 97 · published 1987
Buy on Amazon1987
16
Conversations with Arthur Miller
Book 16 of 97 · published 1987
Buy on Amazon1987
17
Conversations with Kurt Vonnegut
Book 17 of 97 · published 1988
Buy on Amazon1988
18
Conversations with Edward Albee
Book 18 of 97 · published 1988
Buy on Amazon1988
19
Conversations with Erskine Caldwell
Book 19 of 97 · published 1988
Buy on Amazon1988
20
Conversations with Norman Mailer
Book 20 of 97 · published 1988
Buy on Amazon1988
21
Conversations with Robert Graves
Book 21 of 97 · published 1989
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22
Conversations with Joyce Carol Oates
Book 22 of 97 · published 1989
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23
Conversations with Shelby Foote
Book 23 of 97 · published 1989
Buy on Amazon1989
24
Conversations with Robertson Davies
Book 24 of 97 · published 1989
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25
Conversations with James Baldwin
Book 25 of 97 · published 1989
Buy on Amazon1989
26
Conversations with John Gardner
Book 26 of 97 · published 1990
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27
Conversations with Richard Wilbur
Book 27 of 97 · published 1990
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28
Conversations with Tom Wolfe
Book 28 of 97 · published 1990
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29
Conversations with Raymond Carver
Book 29 of 97 · published 1990
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30
Conversations with Eugene O'Neill
Book 30 of 97 · published 1990
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31
Conversations with Reynolds Price
Book 31 of 97 · published 1991
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32
Conversations with Bernard Malamud
Book 32 of 97 · published 1991
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33
Conversations with Elizabeth Spencer
Book 33 of 97 · published 1991
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34
Conversations with Nikki Giovanni
Book 34 of 97 · published 1992
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35
Conversations With Thornton Wilder
Book 35 of 97 · published 1992
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36
Conversations with Robert Coles
Book 36 of 97 · published 1992
Buy on Amazon1992
37
Conversations with M. F. K. Fisher
Book 37 of 97 · published 1992
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38
More Conversations with Walker Percy
Book 38 of 97 · published 1993
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39
Conversations with Richard Wright
Book 39 of 97 · published 1993
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40
Conversations with Paul Bowles
Book 40 of 97 · published 1993
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41
Conversations with Louise Erdrich and Michael Dorris
Book 41 of 97 · published 1994
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42
Conversations with Amiri Baraka
Book 42 of 97 · published 1994
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43
Conversations with Toni Morrison
Book 43 of 97 · published 1994
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44
Conversations with Saul Bellow
Book 44 of 97 · published 1994
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45
Conversations with Henry Miller
Book 45 of 97 · published 1994
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46
Conversations With S.J. Perelman
Book 46 of 97 · published 1995
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47
Conversations with Ernest Gaines
Book 47 of 97 · published 1995
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48
Conversations with Ralph Ellison
Book 48 of 97 · published 1995
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49
Conversations with Chester Himes
Book 49 of 97 · published 1995
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50
Conversations with Susan Sontag
Book 50 of 97 · published 1995
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51
Conversations with Ishmael Reed
Book 51 of 97 · published 1995
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52
Conversations with Derek Walcott
Book 52 of 97 · published 1996
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53
More Conversations with Eudora Welty
Book 53 of 97 · published 1996
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54
Conversations with Elizabeth Bishop
Book 54 of 97 · published 1996
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55
Conversations with Pauline Kael
Book 55 of 97 · published 1996
Buy on Amazon1996
56
Conversations with V. S. Naipaul
Book 56 of 97 · published 1997
Buy on Amazon1997
57
Conversations with N. Scott Momaday
Book 57 of 97 · published 1997
Buy on Amazon1997
58
Conversations with Chinua Achebe
Book 58 of 97 · published 1997
Buy on Amazon1997
59
Conversations with Maxine Hong Kingston
Book 59 of 97 · published 1998
Buy on Amazon1998
60
Conversations with Denise Levertov
Book 60 of 97 · published 1998
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61
Conversations With William Faulkner
Book 61 of 97 · published 1999
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62
Conversations with E. L. Doctorow
Book 62 of 97 · published 1999
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63
Conversations With John Fowles
Book 63 of 97 · published 1999
Buy on Amazon1999
64
Conversations with Salman Rushdie
Book 64 of 97 · published 2000
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65
Conversations with William S. Burroughs
Book 65 of 97 · published 2000
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66
Conversations with Leslie Marmon Silko
Book 66 of 97 · published 2000
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67
Conversations with Chaim Potok
Book 67 of 97 · published 2001
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68
Conversations with Richard Ford
Book 68 of 97 · published 2001
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69
Conversations with Christopher Isherwood
Book 69 of 97 · published 2001
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70
Conversations with Mary Gordon
Book 70 of 97 · published 2002
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71
Conversations with Jim Harrison
Book 71 of 97 · published 2002
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72
Conversations with Clarence Major
Book 72 of 97 · published 2002
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73
Conversations with Margaret Walker
Book 73 of 97 · published 2002
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74
Conversations with Erica Jong
Book 74 of 97 · published 2002
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75
Elie Wiesel: Conversations
Book 75 of 97 · published 2002
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76
Joseph Brodsky: Conversations
Book 76 of 97 · published 2003
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77
Conversations with Rita Dove
Book 77 of 97 · published 2003
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78
Conversations with F. Scott Fitzgerald
Book 78 of 97 · published 2003
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79
Conversations with Gwendolyn Brooks
Book 79 of 97 · published 2003
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80
Conversations with Stanley Kaufmann
Book 80 of 97 · published 2003
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81
Conversations with Gloria Naylor
Book 81 of 97 · published 2004
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82
Conversations with Audre Lorde
Book 82 of 97 · published 2004
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83
Conversations with Ray Bradbury
Book 83 of 97 · published 2004
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84
Conversations With John le Carré
Book 84 of 97 · published 2004
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85
Conversations with Isaac Asimov
Book 85 of 97 · published 2005
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86
Conversations with Don DeLillo
Book 86 of 97 · published 2005
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87
Conversations with Gore Vidal
Book 87 of 97 · published 2005
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88
Conversations with Robert Penn Warren
Book 88 of 97 · published 2005
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89
Conversations with Jack Kerouac
Book 89 of 97 · published 2005
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90
Conversations with Gabriel García Márquez
Book 90 of 97 · published 2005
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91
Conversations with Thomas McGuane
Book 91 of 97 · published 2006
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92
Conversations with Larry Brown
Book 92 of 97 · published 2007
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93
Conversations with Sonia Sanchez
Book 93 of 97 · published 2007
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94
Conversations with Wendell Berry
Book 94 of 97 · published 2007
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95
Conversations with Leon Forrest
Book 95 of 97 · published 2007
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96
Conversations with Kazuo Ishiguro
Book 96 of 97 · published 2008
Buy on Amazon2008
97
Conversations with Jimmy Carter
Latest in the series · book 97 of 97 · published 2023
Buy on Amazon2023
1
Island Voices
Series opener · book 1 of 5 · published 1965
Buy on Amazon1965
2
From The Green Antilles Writings Of The Caribbean
Book 2 of 5 · published 1967
Buy on Amazon1967
3
The Oxford Book of Caribbean Short Stories
Book 3 of 5 · published 1999
Buy on Amazon1999
5
Four Continents
Latest in the series · book 5 of 5 · published 2008
Buy on Amazon2008
? Frequently Asked Questions
Who is V.S. Naipaul?
V.S. Naipaul is a famous Trinidadian author of the Indian origin and the Nobel Prize winner. He was born as Vidiadgar Surajprasad Naipul in Trinidad and Tobago, and also had the nationality of Britain. He won the Nobel Prize in Literature in the year 2001 for one of his novels called half A Life.
Which V.S. Naipaul series should I start with?
The best place to start is the India Trilogy series, the earliest of V.S. Naipaul's multi-book series: it opens with An Area of Darkness (1964) and runs to 3 books across 1964–1990, ending with A Million Mutinies Now (1990).
How many books has V.S. Naipaul written?
V.S. Naipaul has 260 books catalogued in this guide, published between 1867 and 2025. 223 of them belong to 4 named series — the largest being the India Trilogy series with 3 books — and 37 are standalone titles, collections or anthologies.
In what order should V.S. Naipaul's series be read?
Read each series in publication order — the numbered entries in each series follow the year each book first appeared. V.S. Naipaul's series do not depend on one another, so they can be started in any order; by start date they are India Trilogy (1964–1990, 3 books) and Willie Chandran (2001–2004, 2 books).
How are V.S. Naipaul's books organised into series?
This guide splits V.S. Naipaul's 260 books into 4 named series and 37 titles that stand alone or appear only in collections: India Trilogy (3 books, 1964–1990); Willie Chandran (2 books, 2001–2004); Akashic Noir (121 books, 2002–2025); Literary Conversations (97 books, 1969–2023).
