 First edition | |
| Author | V. S. Naipaul |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | History |
| Publisher | André Deutsch (UK),Alfred A. Knopf (US) |
Publication date | 1969 |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 334 |
| ISBN | 0233961429 |
The Loss of El Dorado is a 1969 history book byV. S. Naipaul aboutVenezuela andTrinidad. The title refers to the legend ofEl Dorado.
Naipaul looks at the Spanish-British colonial rivalry in theOrinoco Basin, drawing on contemporary sources written in Spanish and English.[1] The book examines the obsessive quest for gold which was typical of the first Europeans to explore the region. In particular,Sir Walter Raleigh's voyages are examined with a psychological depth more typical of novels than historical works.
In the second half of the book, the focus shifts to Trinidad under British colonial rule, where rather than a fruitless quest for gold deposits, the colonial power developed aplantation economy. Naipaul gives a lot of attention to the trial of SirThomas Picton for the torture ofLuisa Calderón while he was serving as theGovernor of Trinidad. He also looks at Venezuela's struggle for independence from Spain in the early 19th century.
Like most of Naipaul's work, "The Loss of El Dorado" has received considerable critical recognition. On publication, its admirers included theUniversity of Cambridge historianJohn H. Plumb. However, Naipaul confessed to not being completely happy with his book. He reworked some of its material in a later book,A Way in the World, where historical narrative is treated in a different way, and is in part rendered as fiction.[2]
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