Lost beloved elder brother: Rushdie, others remember VS Naipaul

British author VS Naipaul, known for his literary achievements in writing about life in countries after they suffered colonialism, has died at the age of 85 at his home in London, reports NDTV.

Tweets condoling Naipaul's death came pouring in soon after news of his death broke.

Author Salman Rushdie tweeted, saying "we disagreed all our live about politics, about literature, and I feel as sad as if I just lost a beloved older brother", reports NDTV.

Author Reza Aslan tweeted, commenting on his long-running literary feud with his former protege, Paul Theroux, saying he heard Naipaul whispering, "One wishes things would have turned out differently". According to The Washington Post, Theroux called Naipaul "a grouch, a skinflint, tantrum-prone."

Author Amitav Ghosh shared "an old piece" he had written when he won the Nobel, saying there was "magic if reading Naipaul in those years."

Despite his literary achievements, Naipaul faced throughout his life, accusations of racism, sexism, chauvinism and Islamophobia. He once said that "Africans need to be kicked," according to The Washington Post, adding "that's the only thing they understand."

British author Hari Kunzru, in a series of tweets, remembered Naipaul, saying that during a TV interview, crew members were "alarmed" after he started to cry. In another tweet, Kunzru said there was "a list of taboo subjects" he had promised to not bring up.