British novelist and Nobel laureate Sir VS Naipaul dies at 85

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London: British novelist and Nobel Prize winner for Literature, Sir VS Naipaul, died on Sunday at 85. His family confirmed that Naipaul died at his residence in London.

Born on August 17, 1932, Naipaul studied at Oxford University. His first novel - The Mystic Masseur - was published in 1957.

The British novelist later gained a lot of popularity as he wrote dozens of books, many of which dealt with colonialism and its dark legacy.

"He died surrounded by those he loved having lived a life which was full of wonderful creativity and endeavor," the writer's wife, Nadira Naipaul, told The New York Times.

Naipaul was awarded the Nobel Prize for literature in the year 2001, 'for having united perceptive narrative and incorruptible scrutiny in works that compel us to see the presence of suppressed histories'.

(With inputs from ANI)