Miguel Street

V. S. Naipaul · 1932–2018 · Trinidad / England

Why it matters

Seventeen linked sketches of the eccentrics, dreamers, and failures on one Port of Spain street, seen through a watchful boy's eyes. Naipaul's wry, affectionate debut: the Caribbean's oral storytelling tradition folded into deadpan English prose.

At a glance

Plain, episodic comic sketches make this the most accessible entry point in his catalogue.