In a Free State
First edition | |
| Author | V. S. Naipaul |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Publisher | André Deutsch |
Publication date | 1971 |
| Publication place | United Kingdom |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 256 |
| ISBN | 0-233-95832-0 |
In a Free State is a novel by V. S. Naipaul published in 1971 by Andre Deutsch. It won that year's Booker Prize. The plot consists of a framing narrative and three short stories – "One out of Many", "Tell Me Who to Kill", and the title story, "In a Free State". The work is symphonic, with different movements converging towards a common theme; although the theme is not spelled out, it evidently concerns the price of freedom, with analogies implicitly drawn among the three scenarios.