Book summary

Naipaul's literary autobiography begins with his family's stark, impoverished Indian background, his Trinidad childhood, and his education at Oxford, and goes on to explore the ways in which these early experiences influenced him as a writer.

Media reviews

"From FINDING THE CENTER to READING AND WRITING: A PERSONAL ACCOUNT, the story remains the same: in a journey unique to myself, I left my worthless home, with its small people, and I sailed against the tides of chance and history looking for a better place--for the center--where I suffered greatly and made myself into a great writer. The truth, of course, is that aside from the specific personal details, there is nothing at all unique about Naipaul's journey."