| British author Patrick French took on the task of writing an authorised biography of notoriously difficult Nobel Prize winning writer V.S. Naipaul. The book that won him worldwide acclaim, called The World Is What It Is, is blatantly honest and gives the reader a rare insight into the life of Naipaul, warts and all.
The Sunday Times chatted with French, who has won awards for an earlier biography of explorer Francis Younghusband as well as for his writings on India and Tibet. He was in Sri Lanka briefly to participate in the Galle Literary Festival (GLF) that concluded recently.
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Born in London in 1966, French studied literature at the University of Edinburgh but it was his visits to Dharmashala, the home in exile of the Tibetan Buddhist leader, the Dalai Lama which began at the age of 19 that triggered his interest in writings on subjects linked to the Indian sub continent as well an interest in Buddhism. “I like the idea that everything has a consequence, the law of karma,” said French.
His books include Liberty or Death: India’s Journey to Independence and Tibet: A Personal History of a Lost Land, the former winning him The Younger Writer of the Year Award from The Sunday Times- London.
But it was the opportunity to write a biography of V.S.Naipaul, the winner of the 2001 Nobel Prize for Literature for his writings including his semi –autobiographical novel A House for Mr.Biswas that thrust French into the big league as a biographer.
“It was an incredible opportunity to write on the life of one of the greatest writers of the 20th century,” French said. And despite it being an authorised biography, French said he had complete independence on its contents while conceding that “he (Naipaul) is a great writer but a difficult person.”
The 500 page biography launched late last year became an instant success winning French rave reviews for writing the story of a complex and difficult person who is still alive and doing it in a forthright manner. “In some ways the title The World Is What It Is applies to his (Naipaul’s) life,” he said.
But French has not yet finished telling the story of Naipaul. “Someday I will write a memoir on the inside story behind the making of the biography,” he said.
But for the time being, French is taking on a less controversial subject. His next book deals with the economic transformations taking place in India particularly in the past decade. | 
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