V. S. Naipaul on America
from Conversations with V.S. Naipaul
How do you feel about America, now that you've been here some months?"I know so little of America . . . But success tends to breed, as in England . . ."
A complacency?
"Yes, and a misconception of the things that led to that success. People think it has to do with the water. It has to do with the rain. It has to do with the land. It has to do with the race. They forget it probably has to do with brutal things like intelligence and endeavor and enterprise. They regard it as a kind of magic particular to a particular part of the earth, a blessing on a particular people. They don't see that it has in fact been created, that success comes after effort. And people tend to hold onto or imitate what is easily imitable. Manners. Particular clothes. The tweeds, the accents. As though these things then become achievements. You hold onto the symbols of your country and your culture, and it's not enough."
P. 60-61 (1981 interview).
Quotations | By Josiah Roe | 9:10 AM
