Naipaul has written 26 books in nearly 45 years, during which he seems to have made as many enemies as friends. He has had a bitter public feud with former protege Paul Theroux, who blames Naipaul's second wife, [Nadira Naipaul], for driving them apart. (Naipaul's first wife, Patricia Hale, died in 1996; he married Nadira that year.)

[Diana Athill] edited more than a dozen of Naipaul's books at Andre Deutsch publishing house before Naipaul left because she criticized his manuscript for the novel "Guerrillas."

V.S. Naipaul is best known for his portrayal of some of the world's old colonies.; PHOTOGRAPHER: Reuters; V.S. Naipaul