Boxing Day Sale is live! Up to 20% off 2000+ Books

The Masque of Africa

Brief Description
Compelling, insightful, often sombrely beautiful — The Sunday Telegraph Moving beyond travelogue, V.S. Naipaul's The Masque of Africa considers the effects of belief—in indigenous animisms, the foreign religions of Christianity and Islam, the cults of leaders, and mythical history—upon the progress of African civilisation. Beginning in... Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
$3300
Pre-order
Releases 13th January 2026 (Approx. Date) Pre-order  "The Masque of Africa" now to secure your copy from our first shipment

Found a better price? Request a price match

The Masque of Africa

An astonishingly prescient, beautifully written and deeply humane work of non-fiction from one of the greatest travel writers oft the twentieth century

An astonishingly prescient, beautifully written and deeply humane meditation on belief from the late Nobel Laureate V.S. Naipaul, republished into the Picador Collection. ?????? Now part of the Picador Collection

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Compelling, insightful, often sombrely beautifulThe Sunday Telegraph

Moving beyond travelogue, V.S. Naipaul's The Masque of Africa considers the effects of belief—in indigenous animisms, the foreign religions of Christianity and Islam, the cults of leaders, and mythical history—upon the progress of African civilisation. Beginning in Uganda, at the continent's centre, Naipaul's journey takes in Ghana and Nigeria, the Ivory Coast and Gabon, and ends, as the continent does, in South Africa.

Focusing on the theme of belief, Naipaul examines the fragile but enduring quality of the old world of magic. To witness the ubiquity of such ancient ritual, to be given some idea of its power, was to be taken far back to the beginning of things. To reach that beginning was the purpose of this book.

Now part of the Picador Collection, a series showcasing the very best of modern literature.

Series: Picador Collection

View all

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781035061730

Publisher: Pan Macmillan

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 02 October 2025

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Picador

Edition: 2nd edition

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 21.0mm

Width: 132.0mm

Height: 200.0mm

Weight: 228g

Pages: 336

About the Author

V.S. Naipaul was born in Trinidad in 1932. He came to England on a scholarship in 1950. He spent four years at University College, Oxford, and began to write, in London, in 1954. He pursued no other profession. His novels include A House for Mr Biswas, The Mimic Men, Guerrillas, A Bend in the River, and The Enigma of Arrival. In 1971 he was awarded the Booker Prize for In a Free State. His works of non-fiction, equally acclaimed, include Among the Believers, Beyond Belief, The Masque of Africa, and a trio of books about India: An Area of Darkness, India: A Wounded Civilization and India: A Million Mutinies Now. In 1990, V.S. Naipaul received a knighthood for services to literature; in 1993, he was the first recipient of the David Cohen British Literature Prize. He received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2001. He lived with his wife Nadira and cat Augustus in Wiltshire, and died in 2018.

Also by V.S. Naipaul

View all

More from Travel & Adventure

View all

Why buy from us?

Book Hero is not a chain store or big box retailer. We're an independent 100% NZ-owned business on a mission to help more Kiwis rediscover a love of books and reading!

Service & Delivery

Service & Delivery

Our warehouse in Auckland holds over 80,000 books and puzzles in-stock so you're not waiting for your order to arrive from overseas.

Auckland Bookstore

Auckland Bookstore

We're primarily an online store, but for your convenience you can pick up your order for free from our bookstore, which is right next door to our warehouse in Hobsonville.

Our Gifting Service

Our Gifting Service

Books make wonderful thoughtful gifts and we're here to help with gift-wrapping and cards. We can even send your gift directly to your loved one.