Naipaul was a formidable travel writer as well as an accomplished novelist, and in this collection he brings both to bear, looking at the end-stages of colonialism from different angles. ( )

Published in 1971, and winner of the Booker Prize, In a Free State is a combination of two short stories, one novella, and two segments of travelogue set in countries around the world. The travelogue provides the introduction and involves a trip by ship from Greece to Egypt. It also provides the conclusion, 25 years later, in Egypt. One Out of Many is about Santosh, a servant living in Bombay, who accompanies his employer to Washington D.C. In Tell Me Who to Kill, a Trinidadian in London desires to fund his brother’s education but finds his brother has been deceitful. In the titular novella, two British bureaucrats take a road trip in an unnamed African country (similar to Uganda) in the midst of political upheaval, where they encounter racial divisions and violence.

This is a book that requires a “big picture” mindset. The stories are not connected except in themes, which include displacement, alienation, and different interpretations of “freedom.” The protagonists are unrelated, but all are outside their home countries. I most enjoyed One Out of Many – the adventures of Santosh as he experiences western version of freedom but is unable to replicate the happiness he found in Bombay. In this story, Santosh is a fully developed character, and the reader can follow his gradual disillusionment.

In the novella, two unpleasant British expats, Bobby and Linda, on the road to a remote compound, exhibit their perceived “superiority” to the African inhabitants. I am sure it is intended for the reader to feel tension and discomfort and it succeeds. I appreciate the themes and Naipaul’s brilliant writing style. It is worth reading for its literary merit and effective in its social commentary, but do not expect anything remotely cheery.
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This was a difficult book to read, but so interesting. Winner of the Booker prize, this book from 1971 explores an often overlooked aspect of immigration. The failed immigrant. The person who never assimilates, never feels at home.

The book includes a number of short stories and one larger novella. The stories depict immigrants from Africa and India who move to either America or England and don't quite make it, but also can't go back home. They live in a sort of purgatory/limbo.

The longer novella is a set in an unnamed country in central Africa that is on the cusp of revolution and independence. In this story it is the Europeans who don't quite belong and are on the way to being forcibly expelled. The main characters are two English colonialists on a road trip from "the capital" back to to their "compound". This trip should only take a day, but weather and movements of the army impede their progress. The Africans they encounter run the gamut from servile to outright hostility and violence.

Every single story in this book was seriously depressing and the characters hopeless. But so well written and in the end a very satisfying book. ( )

This is a strange sort of winner for the Booker, comprising a novella, 2 short stories, and 2 bits of memoir. They all have a common theme of travel/immigration and displacement.

I found all the stories pretty interesting and compelling. The main novella set in a newly independent African country is full of overt and covert threat and menace, and there is a lot to unpack - I feel like I need to re-read this one. The story of the Indian moving to the US is more comical. ( )

Compared to other Naipaul books, this is quite readable. In the story bearing the book's name, Naipaul varies detailed descriptions with short sentences. This works very well in conveying a vivid atmosphere. All the short stories explore freedom. You may have more but you are not contented and free. You may have more but you can't be free of your prejudices, and you end up with a false sense of superiority. ( )