Events Releases

Sir V.S. Naipaul visits UWI in April

For Release Upon Receipt - March 1, 2007

St. Augustine


The University of the West Indies will host Sir Vidiadhar Surajprasad (V.S.) Naipaul in April when the Nobel Laureate returns to Trinidad to take centre stage in a celebration of his contribution to Caribbean literature and letters.

V.S. Naipaul will be a guest of honour at UWI during the week of April 16th, 2007 for a celebration of his work, which will include an Evening of Appreciation, on April 18th at the Learning Resource Centre, UWI St. Augustine, as well as book-signing and a reading by the Nobel Laureate on April 20th, 2007.

One of the region’s most celebrated writers, Sir V.S. Naipaul was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1990 and won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2001. Naipaul has won numerous other literary awards, including the Booker Prize (1971), the Jerusalem Prize (1983) and the David Cohen British Literature Prize by the Arts Council of England (1993). Naipaul, who was educated at Queen's Royal College, Trinidad, and at University College, Oxford, England, holds honorary doctorates from Cambridge University and Columbia University in New York, and honorary degrees from the universities of Cambridge, London and Oxford. He now resides in England.

Professor Gordon Rohlehr (March 29), Professor Kenneth Ramchand (May 3) and novelist Lawrence Scott (June 6) will be featured in a Lecture Series, as part of the yearlong celebration scheduled to coincide with the 75th birthday of Naipaul, who was born in Chaguanas, Trinidad on August 17th, 1932.

In recognition of the celebrated author’s work, The UWI St. Augustine Department of Liberal Arts will host a symposium entitled, “V.S. Naipaul: Created in the West Indies” on Thursday April 19th, 2007 at the Learning Resource Centre. Coordinators for the Liberal Arts Symposium are Professor Barbara Lalla, Dr. Jennifer Rahim and Ms. Jessy Mitchell. For more information on the V.S. Naipaul: Created in the West Indies symposium, interested persons may call 662 2002 ext. 3868 or 786 5315, or email naipaulsymposium@fhe.uwi.tt .

The University also plans to celebrate Nobel Laureates Sir Arthur Lewis and Derek Walcott in 2008 and 2009 respectively. For more information on the UWI Nobel Laureate Celebrations visit the official Nobel Laureate Celebrations website at http://www.sta.uwi.edu/nlc or call 662 0584 or 662 2002 Ext. 2182, 2180, 2635, 2013 or 2014.

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