African witch doctor offered VS Naipaul to put curse on his biographers

London, Dec 1 : The Nobel prize-winner VS Naipaul was recently offered a chance by an African witch doctor to put a curse on his biographers, who described the novelist in an unflattering way.

Naipaul's wife Nadira described about their visit to the witch doctor a few months ago in an article for the January issue of Tatler.

They drove to a shrine, a compound in a semi-forest clearing on the outskirts of Kampala, the Ugandan capital, and entered a hut decorated with a leopard skin. A spear leant against an outside wall.

The witch doctor looked like "a dark version of Alistair Darling", she writes. "The resemblance is uncanny."

When given the opportunity to "get rid of" someone Nadira said that he immediately thought if the two biographers, reports Times Online.

She writes: "[The witch doctor] looks at VSN [her husband]. Does he want to be reju-venated? Or is someone in the way? Is there someone we wish to get rid of? I can think of many who are in the way, starting with the wretched two-timing biographers."

Among the two biographers was Paul Theroux in his 1999 book Sir Vidia's Shadow, which explored the end of their 30-year friendship.

Another one was Patrick French's biography of the author, published this year. It contained frank and damaging revelations by Naipaul about himself.

ANI