“The Mystic Masseur“ is a classic by acclaimed Trinbagonian author V.S. Naipaul. Written partly in humorous Trinidadian dialect, the story tells the tale of a Trini man of South Asian (i.e., Indian) descent who accidentally stumbles to success in life, through a series of hilarious, fortuitous (mis)happenings. On a deeper level, however, the story appears to be a satirical one. It chronicles the ascendancy of Indians onto the political scene in Trinidad and Tobago in the post WWII era. Interestingly, the narrative even dares to touch on controversial (almost taboo) issues of corruption in Trini politics.
Having recently been on holiday in Trinidad (and Tobago), to visit family, the strains of Trini dialect were fresh in my mind as I immersed myself fully in the world of “The Mystic Masseur.” Many times I caught myself chuckling as I read the colorful dialogue between characters which was really “Trini to de bone” and I’m not “mama guying you.” In particular, the wife of the mystic masseur (i.e., the main protagonist) cracked me up constantly with her profligate use of green verbs and pink adjectives. This novel reminded me of the richness of our Caribbean culture which is showcased by the expressiveness of our dialects often infused with French and Spanish, depending on the colonial history. In the case of Trinidad, there was quite a strong French influence for a long time. This is exemplified in dialect expressions such as “It making hot!” which is derived from the French, “Il fait chaud.”
The Mystic Masseur is definitely an entertaining read that I would highly recommend to anyone. The only reservation I have is that the extensive use of dialect may make this wonderful story somewhat less accessible to a wider international audience. I can imagine that the humor in the story might go over some readers heads at times. Nevertheless, if you are up for the challenge I would encourage you to give this one a go!
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