The Mystic Masseur

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Summary: An eye opener for a lay reader of history
Review: Naipaul got Nobel for his treatment of suppressed history - that is what the citation said. How a war and the preceding economic depression can give shape to the cultural, moral aspects of a society is depicted in an astounding detail which is every bit credible! How a corruption infested socity or a corrupt individual with many qualities inextricably get involved in the downward journey when under pressure it overlooks the basics.
The dialect the Indians use among themselves although many of them are capable of the English version of the correct form, ironically separates Ganesh Ramsumair, the chararacter under study, from his folks. The centrality of standard English is here directly a trapping of the corrupt establishment to which he surrenders. An extremely significant item for the post-colonial literature studies. Naipaul again is unparalleled in his clarity, language, imagination and forceful assertion of his views. The Greatest living author of our time.

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Summary: Solid first novel
Review: I try to keep up with Nobel laureates because I am always looking for good reading, and, often, I have never heard of the authors before. I found this book in my local used bookstore. I was intrigued that it was his first novel, and I was especially intrigued by the back cover (1980 paperback edition). There was a quote that comes early in the book:

"Leela," Ganesh said, "the boy want to know how much book it have here."
"Let me see," Leela said... "Four hundred Everyman, two hundred Penguin--six hundred. Six hundred, and one hundred Reader's Library, make seven hundred. I think with all the other book it have about fifteen hundred good book here."

Up in the upper right corner was the symbol of Penguin Publishing. It struck me funny that they would be so bold as to use a quote from the book that so blatantly plugs their line as being "good books" that I had to buy it.

And it's actually quite good. It's not just well-written, it's funny, something I was not expecting. I'm glad I began my Naipaul reading with this one. I believe it seems to be the consensus to begin with A House for Mr Biswas, but, to me, that would be like starting John Irving with A Prayer for Owen Meany--there's really nowhere to go but down.

The story concerns Ganesh a man from Trinidad who fails as a teacher, then as a masseur (he seems to hurt more than he helps), but then finally finds his calling as a healing mystic, all along keeping his one vice--books. Throughout his life he writes books, starting with 101 Questions and Answers about Hinduism. Here is a sample:

Question one: What is Hinduism?
Answer: Hinduism is the religion of the Hindu people.
Question two: Why am I a Hindu?
Answer: Because your parents and grandparents were Hindus.

And so on. Ganesh's book career does not really take off until he reaches fame as a mystic. Then he writes his autobiography, which becomes a best-seller, relatively speaking.

It's hard to tell how Naipaul feels about his characters sometimes. He often seems to be making fun of them, yet also shows great affection for them. However he feels, I had a marvelous time visiting these people and will definitely pick up another Naipaul work in the future.

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Summary: New Naipaul Reader - Read this book first
Review: One of Naipaul's early works. Intensely funny but the characters shine through all the humor. Books is a delight to read and Naipaul's English rests easy on the eye. Nothing really happens in the story and VS hints at some message but we dont really get it. But it is an insightful and multi-dimensionally nuanced portait of East Indian culture in the West Indies. A culture that seems to still retain a lot of India while at the same time rapidly acquiring other influences.

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Summary: Comedy and Pathos...and a Little Anger
Review: THE MYSTIC MASSEUR is often seen as V.S. Naipaul's "lightest" book, and I suppose it is, but don't let the temptation to take it too lightly let you overlook its inherent seriousness and pathos.

Ganesh Ramsumair is a schoolteacher whose love for books borders on the insane. When he's convinced to do some writing of his own, he quits the city and retires to a rural area where he becomes known for his profundity of thought and his extraordinary philosophical bent. In fact, Ganesh believes that his destiny in life is to be "great." Part of the charm of the book is in knowing that Ganesh is far from the greatness he believes has been thrust upon him.

One of the best scenes in the book takes place during Ganesh's marriage to Leela. There is rich humor (and satisfaction) in watching the naive and lovable Ganesh outwit his greedy father-in-law, Ramlogan.

The best thing about THE MYSTIC MASSEUR isn't its plot (though that's quite good), but its characters. Ganesh, in particular, is a man with whom to fall in love. He's never arrogant about his fame. Instead, he's polite, sincere, good-hearted and warm. As the more business-minded Leela takes charge of Ganesh's affairs, he becomes more and more widely known until, finally, he's thrust into a situation he simply can't handle. Rural Trinidad let Ganesh shine; the Trinidadian Parliament shows him show very naive he really is.

It's Ganesh's relative insignificance, as opposed to his significance, that makes this book so important. This is a book filled with comedy, sure, but it's also a book filled with anger and sadness, something I think it might be easy to overlook. And, just as Gabriel Garcia Marquez inserted himself into one scene in ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF SOLITUDE, Naipaul has inserted himself into a scene in The MYSTIC MASSEUR. What happens to Ganesh in the end of the book is very enlightening and, I think, it strips away a lot of the book's gentle comedy and replaces it with sadness instead.

THE MYSTIC MASSEUR is very early V.S. Naipaul and while the book isn't infused with the greatness of A HOUSE FOR MR. BISWAS, it is indicative of Naipaul's need to write about displaced Indians, most particularly Trinidadian Indians. This is an accessible and entertaining book as well as one that is very important. It should interest both fans of V.S. Naipaul as well as those who are simply looking for a really superlative book to read. In fact, if you've never read any of Naipaul's works, this would be a good place to begin, but don't make the mistake of thinking all of his books are this comedic or this "light." They're not.

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Summary: Is Gordon Ramsay OBE really sir Vidia Naipaul?
Review: The Mystic Masseur was Naipaul's first novel, and it is probably the best known of his works (a movie has been turned out by Messrs. Merchant & Ivory). The main character is one Ganesh Ramsumair, the son of an Indian immigrant to Trinidad, who seems to be blessed by fortune. Each time he is in danger of taking a wrong turn, his fate steps in and gently nudges him in the right direction. Ganesh first attends school in Port of Spain, where he feels inadequate and has only one friend, clever anglophile Indarsingh, who leaves for Oxford upon graduation. Ganesh then attends a teacher's college, and takes a position as an elementary school teacher. He is not a success and resigns his position for a life of idleness, which is ended when his father dies, bequeathing to him some land and some royalties from an oil company. When attending his father's funeral he meets his formidable relation, The Great Belcher, who is one of these wise elderly Indian women who are accostumed to running funerals, marriages, businesses and lives for their younger folk. He also meets Ramlogan, extremely unpleasant owner of a rhum shop who is quarrelsome but cowardly, and not above any underhandedness (he will turn up again and play a crucial part in Naipaul's "The Suffrage of Elvira"), whose daughter Leela he marries. Much more devious than would appear initially, Ganesh takes advantage of Ramlogan's pride and extracts from him a house in a remote village and a significant dowry. This is fortunate, because at this time the oil royalty checks stop coming in. Ganesh and Leela move into the Ramlogan's house, and quickly become acquainted with the local rhum-shop owner, Suruj Poopa, who becomes Ganesh's true friend and sounding board. Ganesh spends several years doing nothing much except reading and trying to launch a career as a masseur, but he is apparently not very good at it. He even writes a short book on the Hindu religion, but it doesn't sell. Leela, desperate at his lack of direction tries to convince him to take a job working for the Americans in their military base (WWII is now in force), but fate takes a hand when the Great Belcher and Suruj Poopa advice Ganesh to become a mystic. As a mystic he is extremely successful, performing miraculous cures and eventually becoming a public figure. His prosperity communicates to the entire village where he lives, and to his friends the Surujs, and even his father in law, with whom he quarrels again and again. Eventually, after defeating his rival Narayan (peculiar, this choice of a name) he becomes a leader of the Hindu vote in Trinidad, and a Member of the Legislative Chamber. Initially a leftist (he and Indarsingh try to articulate the theory of Socialinduism, a melange of Hindu nationalism and scientific socialism) and a firebrand (frequently arrested for criticizing government corruption), he then becomes a pillar of the establishment, and is finally rechristened Sir Gordon Ramsay, OBE. His Trinidadian dialect becomes the cut-glass accent of the BBC and his Indian garb is replaced by a bespoke vested suit.

The story, thus told, loses the sense of destiny that Naipaul is able to weave in through the expert use of atmosphere and character. The self-discovery of Ganesh from his humble origins is very well-rendered, and many characters are memorable(especially Leela, Ramlogan, Suruj Poopa and an unnamed boy who helps Ganesh edit his newspaper). The liberating power of reading the great books (which is what Ganesh reads, rather than the lowbrow fare that Mohun Biswas gobbles up in "A House for Mister Biswas") is something that must have rung true for Naipaul (as it did for this reviewer). Several themes (the power of small events to have great consequences, and the almost unlimited scope for personal re-invention) were probably also derived from the author's own experience. This book is a triumph and a jewel.

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Summary: A Great Two-Day Read
Review: This is a charming novel. And this is his first work, to boot. A literary debut like this has got to make a few would-be writers wince. At least it's hard for me to imagine how writers could paint characters with even less brushstrokes than Naipaul and still succeed in making them so warm and lively.

The magic of this novel is that, even though the setting is in remotely foreign Trinidad-Tobago, it will still secure any reader's attention from the very first page, the idiosyncratic conjugation of the verbs 'to be' and 'to have' in the native patois notwithstanding. What helps is the abundant humor largely of two types: one where you laugh along with the characters in the sheer fortuitous turn of events, the other where you smile at their forgivably human foibles and the narrator's wry observations.

The plot itself is humorous. A bookish student named Ganesh Ramsumair is wedded to the plucky Leela through the machination of a crafty penny-pincher named Ramlogan. Having found out prior to the wedding that Ramlogan is charging him for his relatives' food without his consent, Ganesh proceeds to swindle his father-in-law, during an elaborate Hindu marriage ritual - details of which are hard to explain. Having realized that he must now make a living, he tries a few odd jobs, before he hits by luck on the one profession that his island needed most: a mystic. A mystic? Even Ganesh himself is half-incredulous, but sooner or later people flock from all over the country, wanting his help in driving some demon out of someone or other. From there on, his fortune never wanes. The final metamorphosis converts Ganesh into a democratic politician (hah!), a destiny that culminates in his transformation into the thoroughly anglicized "G. Ramsay Muir OBE".

What supports this edifice is a wonderful cast of characters, quasi-cartoonish in their presentation, but still very human. To take an example, the Great Belcher is thus named because of her unfortunate habit of eructation. But she redeems herself to the reader through a string of remarkably level-headed advice. Ramlogan is almost a cardboard cut-out villain, but his fluctuation from resentment to respect for Ganesh is so transparently tied to his greed that it's almost understandable.

The exchanges between the characters are also wonderful. One morning Ganesh decides that he and his neighbor should speak grammatically correct English. Neither Ganesh nor Suruj Poopa, his accomplice in literary endeavors, can suppress a smile at their ridiculously polite English. When his wife Leela chides him at night for forfeiting his resolution so quickly, the terse response is that she "cook food good". The stuff is classic.

But the irony of it is that he will end up speaking impeccably correct English and irony is where this novel truly shines. The matter-of-factly narration (peppered with a few general observations) remains fairly detached from his subject, the end result being innocent pokes and wry fun. The sign at his house welcomes the customer with suitably mystic overtones in Hindi, but in English the message is harshly business-like. His "election" is hardly democratic, and very corrupt. His abrupt transformation from a leftish politician to a right one comes not from conviction but from petty affront.

In the end, it would be endless to point out this novel's charms and witty sides. Anyone looking for a fun book should find it for themselves. I can't see how any reader could go wrong with this provided they are not looking for serious profundity. But you can't be reading Dostoevsky all the time. So take a breather.

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Summary: Early VS Naipaul
Review: This short novel is interesting mainly because it is the first by the author. No one could call this a masterpiece on the level of A House for Mr. Biswas or A Bend in the River but it makes for an interesting read nonetheless. This is the story of Ganesh a masseur, mystic and faith healer in rural Trinidad. Ganesh, a Hindu Indian, makes an improbable rise to political power and eventual knighthood. This provides a opportunity for Naipaul to playfully describe colorful characters and village life among Hindus tranplanted to Trinidad. Naipaul's trademark ironic style is more over-the-top here than as seen in later works. The quirky characters are lovable but not completely believable. This is not to say that the book is bad but that it would be of much less interest were it not for the fact that it is the new Nobel laureate's first novel-length work. Paul Theroux makes a reference to The Mystic Masseur in his memoir, Sir Vidia's Shadow. He suggests that Naipaul, by turning his back on Theroux and their decades-long friendship, has become a pompous self-important figure, much like Ganesh at the conclusion of The Mystic Masseur. A movie has been made of this novel and is as yet unreleased.

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Summary: "The Mystic Masseur"
Review: This was Naipaul's first published book (and the third he'd written). It's a hilarious narrative about life in Trinidad, during WWII. Ganesh has finished his BA in the college at Port of Spain, when he is called home to his father's funeral. Once home, he marries the daughter of a friend of his father's. Ganesh needs a profession. He tries running a small "institute," writing, traditional Hindu massage ... he succeeds at nothing, until his aunt, "The Great Belcher," introduces him to mysticism. As the Mystic Masseur, he becomes known throughout Trinidad. Eventually he is pulled toward politics, and thus closer to the British colonial culture that will clash with his Hindu values and eventually absorb him.

"The Mystic Masseur" has unforgettable characters: the-father-in-law, Ramlogan; Beharry, the "nibbler," whose wife, Suruj Mooma, never passes up an opportunity to remind us that she "read to the Third Standard."

Later in his career, Naipaul tackled the subject of colonial schizophrenia with much more somber work: books like "Bend in the River" and "A Way in the World" touch on many of the same themes as this one, but not with the priceless humor.

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Summary: The First Three Are Fun
Review: V. S. Naipaul is always brilliant, but he can be too heady -- I got only `half way through his "Way in the World," and although his thoughts were profound and all that, I had had enough -- and I am not going to finish it.

Not so with The Mystic Masseur (as well as Miguel Street, and The Suffrage of Elvira). These are smart, fun, little books. In these early books, he laboured over every word, and his jokes are funny, his characters idiosyncratic, his use of language not like everyone else (I never saw anyone else write "had had" before him.) There is genuine innocense of a young writer, writing what he knows, and not yet spoiled by the world.

Now, since he was awarded all those prizes, V.S. thinks himself better than his earliest -- and his only realy good -- works. In interviews and writings, he seems a bit embarassed by them.

Its like what happened to Mose Alison, who fancies himself a competent jazz pianist, and refuses to play the simple southern philosophical songs that he is so loved for -- he calls them "flour sack" songs, and will bore you to tears with improvization if you are ever foolish enough to go see MOSE live.

One more thing, I had the good fortune to go to Trinidad a few times, where he grew up and where these books are set. In these books, he captures the essence of Trinidadian culture, that one can still see, despite more Western influence.

Maybe he did not get the Nobel Prize for these books, but he got me to write my first review on Amazon.

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Summary: Una Historia Post-colonial
Review: V. S. Naipaul nació en Trinidad y Tobago pero a los 18 años viajó a Inglaterra con una beca de estudios. Sin embargo, el tiempo que permaneció en aquel lugar doblemente colonizado -primero por los hindúes y luego por la Corona Británica- fue suficiente para absorber toda la información que luego inyectaría en sus novelas con esa pluma maestra que le haría ganar con merecida justicia - algo que aparentemente ocurre una vez cada equinoccio - el Premio Nóbel de Literatura en el 2001.

"El Sanador Místico" es la primera novela publicada por Naipaul. El tema central: El Post-colonialismo, ya se vislumbra claramente como uno de los puntos que pulularían tenazmente sobre sus obras postreras . En esta novela en particular el autor no intenta impresionarnos con técnicas complicadas que nos escondan a los personajes o trastoque los tiempos; por lo contrario, a través de un estilo sencillo y sin artilugios nos lleva a conocer la vida de Ganesh, El Sanador Místico; su familia (Leela, su esposa, y Ramlogan, su suegro); sus vecinos (Beharry y la Mooma de Suruj) y su pueblo (Fuente Groove). La época, obviamente, es el post-colonialismo. Trinidad y Tobago era un país poblado principalmente por Hindúes y que recientemente había dejado de ser una colonia Inglesa. Es de esta manera que Naipaul nos muestras un mundo post-colonial con todo lo que eso conlleva: conflictos interculturales, conflictos de identidad cultural, transculturización y desarraigos costumbristas.

Una historia interesante proporcionada por el escritor más brillante en lengua inglesa cuya mente a pesar de haber sido cultivada en Inglaterra siempre estará -irónicamente- colonizada por esa pequeña isla que lo vio dar sus primeros pasos: Trinidad y Tobago.

Víctor Gonzaga