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The Enigma of Arrival by V.S. Naipaul

By Anita Mathias

The Enigma of Arrival by V.S. Naipaul

The Enigma of Arrival by De Chirico

The Enigma of Arrival by V.S. Naipaul

I love Naipaul’s elegaic style in his nostalgic book, overwrought with sadness, melancholy and exquisite prose
.

Does one ever really arrive in a population with centuries old indigenous traditions? Naipaul explores the Enigma of Arrival. While wealth and success can buy you a form of arrival– a beautiful house in a beautiful part  of the country, interviews, “friends”, literary acceptance, prizes, praise and adulation–there is another form of arrival which proves more elusive. Arriving as in being accepted for who one is. When one is different, radically different, this kind of acceptance requires a lot of explaining, and mutual adjustments and understanding, and so may prove more elusive. You are not accepted as one of them precisely because you are not one of them, and never will be. (And the sooner one comes to terms with this fact, the better.)

His sad, elegaic prose is beautiful and luscious.

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Anita Mathias: About Me

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My Books

Wandering Between Two Worlds: Essays on Faith and Art

Wandering Between Two Worlds - Amazon.com
Amazon.com

Amazon.co.uk

Francesco, Artist of Florence: The Man Who Gave Too Much

Francesco, Artist of Florence - Amazom.com
Amazon.com

Amazon.co.uk

The Story of Dirk Willems

The Story of Dirk Willems - Amazon.com
Amazon.com

Amazon.co.uk
Premier Digital Awards 2015 - Finalist - Blogger of the year
Runner Up Christian Media Awards 2014 - Tweeter of the year

Recent Posts

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  • A Mind of Life and Peace in the Middle of a Global Pandemic
  • On Yoga and Following Jesus
  • Silver and Gold Linings in the Storm Clouds of Coronavirus
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  • Life- Changing Journaling: A Gratitude Journal, and Habit-Tracker, with Food and Exercise Logs, Time Sheets, a Bullet Journal, Goal Sheets and a Planner
  • On Loving That Which Love You Back
  • “An Autobiography in Five Chapters” and Avoiding Habitual Holes  
  • Shining Faith in Action: Dirk Willems on the Ice
  • The Story of Dirk Willems: The Man who Died to Save His Enemy

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What I’m Reading

Fierce Attachments: A Memoir
Vivian Gornick

Fierce Attachments  - Amazon.com
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Wanderlust
Rebecca Solnit

Solnit --  Amazon.com
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Acedia & me: A Marriage, Monks, and a Writer's Life
Kathleen Norris

KATHLEEN NORRIS --  Amazon.com
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Opened Ground: Poems, 1966-96
Seamus Heaney

Opened Ground: Poems, 1966-96 Amazon.com
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