Sir V. S. Naipaul is one of the best writers of his generation -- "For sheer abundance of talent, there can hardly be a writer alive who surpasses V. S. Naipaul", said The New York Times Book Review. A Bend in the River (1979) is the novel of an Indian man who must make a new life for himself in a recently independent African state. Both he and his new country struggle to establish an identity as they are challenged by their changing circumstances. An immaculate and profound novel that Walter Clemons said "confirms Naipaul's position as one of the best writers now at work".