vs naipaul, valetudinarian

VS Naipaul: The Long Arrival, by Robert McCrum. Good long two part piece on the man widely considered to be both the greatest writer in the English language and a total jerk; it makes me feel even guiltier than usual for not having gotten around to reading any of his work yet. Really though I am posting this mainly to say that you kind of really have to love a country in which a writer can just use the word "valetudinarian" in a newspaper and not have their editor change it or make them explain it, just letting it sit in context. Vive la reine!