Amongst the unbelievable: Rage, faith and reason in selected writings by V.S. Naipaul

Abstract

This article focuses on the representation of faith as conveyed by Naipaul in the course of four travelogues. Drawing on historical scholarship pertaining to Islamic societies in transition, and comparing this to a selection of the literary critical reception that Naipaul’s writing about Islam has evoked, I argue for a revision of literary readings of Naipaul’s travelogues. My premise is that the author’s subject positioning influences both a self-critical as well as more compassionate perspective on the relationship between faith and political transition in developing societies.