snapshot Her side of the story Photography by Mark Lyndersay The Naipauls are Trinidad’s most famous literary dynasty, and their story has been told, in fiction and memoir, by Nobel laureate V.S. Naipaul. For decades, writing was the exclusive domain of the Naipaul men <strong>—</strong> but a new memoir by Savi Naipaul Akal has changed that, and told a different side of the family story. Ingrid Persaud learns how The Naipauls of Nepaul Street came to be Savi Naipaul Akal exudes poise and presence. And charm. Buckets of charm. For our interview at her home in Valsayn, east of Port of Spain, she leads me to a table covered with a crisp white tablecloth weighed down by homemade cakes and finger sandwiches. The huge floral arrangement sitting in the middle stems from her own garden. I am here to find out what motivated her to trade the ease of her twilight years for the graft of writing her recently published memoir, The Naipauls of Nepaul Street, launched in April <strong>2018</strong> at the NGC Bocas Lit Fest. Akal offers a selection of teas from her family’s own luxury brand. I decide on the evocatively named Tobago Afternoon blend. As she pours, Akal remarks that although she knew the story of her parents, Ma and Pa, deserved to be written, she never imagined it would be by her pen. Writing was the purview of the Naipaul men <strong>—</strong> starting with her father, Seepersad Naipaul, and her brothers Shiva, who died young, and of course the Nobel laureate, Vidia <strong>—</strong> known to the world as V.S. If any of the five Naipaul sisters were to write the family history, then Kamla, the eldest, once seemed the most likely. Indeed, Savi halted work on an earlier draft of her book because Kamla had declared her intention to undertake a similar project. Despite their differences, Savi graciously gave way to her sister, reasoning that Kamla had eight years more information and perspective on their shared history <strong>—</strong> and, as first born, was entitled to a certain deference. But Kamla passed away in 2009 without publishing a text. With Kamla gone, and Vidia now aged and incapacitated, it was Akal’s moment. The stories begged to move from her mind and become words on a page. Still, she dithered. But a chance lunch with Arnold Rampersad, emeritus professor at Stanford University, changed everything. He encouraged, no, insisted that Savi write her memoir. Jenny Naipaul, Shiva’s widow, echoed Rampersad. Akal is certain the book would not have happened without their active encouragement. Draft after draft landed on Rampersad’s desk. With kindness and patience, he read, argued, and gently pushed her, while Jenny did the final editing before UK-based Peepal Tree Press snapped it up. While she had never previously published anything, Akal found writing her memoir a natural and fluid process. I was stunned to hear that, even though her drafts were handwritten before being passed on to be typed up, it took her only eighteen months to complete her two-hundred-plus-page work. It turns out Akal has always been a secret writer, filling journal pages daily, the act of writing her mode of making sense of her lived experiences. As she speaks, her voice breaks slightly, tinged with regret at not having, in her eyes, a proper career. I find this interesting coming from a woman, now in her early eighties, who has had a portfolio of careers. In her time, Akal has been a respected high school teacher, a decent administrator, and for more than three decades a successful businesswoman running an upmarket boutique. All this she did while raising three impressive children and supporting her husband’s career as a much-sought-after physician. While Akal makes light of what she has achieved, it could not have been easy producing a book when so much has already been written about the Naipauls. A House for Mr Biswas (1961) is V.S. Naipaul’s highly fictionalised account of Pa’s relationship with his wife’s people <strong>—</strong> the wealthy 52 WWW.CARIBBEAN-BEAT.COM
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