Amitav Ghosh

Amitav Ghosh (1956 –  ), a versatile writer is well known for constructing complicated writings, exuberant and rich language, complex narratives, enormous researches and vivid descriptions and an expertise in dealing with space and time. All his novels are rooted in strong historical backgrounds. The individuals of Ghosh are migrants by various perspectives based on the stands they take. His novels project various historical events like the Partition of the India in 1947, violence, riots, colonial rule, and national movement for freedom, patriotic sentiments, and impacts of such historical causes like people‘s conflicts, dislocations, displacements and migration for numerous reasons. Ghosh‘s novels revolve around the common people rather than important people or any historical figures. He interprets history through the eyes of the ordinary people. All such aspects bring way to argue his novels to various interpretations of theories like postcolonial theory, postmodernist theory, and people‘s inner conflicts that lead to Psychoanalytical theory and New Historicism to name a few. Though there are many arguments that his works focus mainly on postcolonial aspects, he seems to reject the opinion which is evident when he rejected the Commonwealth Award for his 2001 novel, The Glass Palace. Ghosh himself being accustomed to travel during his childhood has used several of his travel experiences in his novels. Being born to an educated family on 11 July 1956 in Kolkatta, Ghosh has  been fortunate enough to have studied in various best educational institutions within the country and outside  as well; since his father was a Lieutenant Colonel he was on the move constantly. He was educated at the  Doon School, Dehradun, did his B.A (History)  in  St.Stephen‘s  College, Delhi University  and M.A  (Sociology) from Delhi University  and was  awarded his  Doctorate (Anthropology)  in St. Edmund Hall, Oxford. His  first job was  at  The Indian Express  newspaper in New  Delhi. Though he was  a voracious  reader  from his childhood, he realised his  passion  for writing only  after his  graduation.  Working in a  newspaper as  a journalist had made  him contribute a lot in his  career  of  writing. He has  pointed his  interest in an  interview with  Kavitha Chibber,  “When  you do that kind  of  close up journalism  in India it shows  a lot of what society  is  like.  You get to see  massive corruption and all the bad  stuff very  close up.  But I  soon realized that in the long run, journalism  in India and racking 1000 words  at the end of  each day  was  not what I was  looking for.”  (kavithachibber.com) All his novels  come  out  of  the amount of  his  research and extensive travel to the places  that he writes  about. His  work depicts  his  vast  knowledge from  history  to sociology  to anthropology, through  which he  attaches  himself  closer to  history  and to engage himself in the study  of  mankind to develop his  real life characters  that create greater significance  in the field of  writing and as  a  man‘s  anxiety  to relate himself  to other man,  his  country  and to  its history  and  society.  Thus, as  a  novelist,  during his interview with Michelle Caswell he opines,   “For  me, the  value of  the  novel as  a form  is  that it  is  able to incorporate elements  of  every aspect of  life-history, natural  history, rhetoric, politics, beliefs, religion,  family,  love, sexuality. As  I  see  it, the  novel is  a  meta-form that transcends  the  boundaries  that  circumscribe other  kinds  of writing, rendering meaningless  the usual workaday  distinctions  between historian, journalist, anthropologist etc.”  (asiasociety.org)

           Ghosh‘s  works consists  of  fictions  and non-fictions  that include travelogues  and essays.  His  first novel  The Circle of Reason  was  published in 1986 which won the Prix Medicis  Estranger  Award in 1990. The novel consists  of  three segments  –  the protagonists, relation with the people  met  and the  places  he visited. The  three  segments 25 are namely, Sattra, Rajas  and Tamas, centring on the protagonist Alu  (Nachiketa  Bose) who experiences  multiple migrations  from  Bengal to Kolkatta, Al  Ghazira and Algeria, until he returns home. His  second novel The Shadow Lines (1988) which won the Sahithya Akademi Award and the Puraskar focuses  around the Partition of  India and Pakistan, interweaving memory, history  and  fiction, depicting the impacts  of  violence  and riots  on the lives  of  the ordinary  people leaving  back pathetic  and traumatic memories  of  displacement and dislocation to them. The  unnamed narrator takes  the readers  along with  his  wavering memories  with unreciprocated love,  failed  marriage, friendship, distorted freedom, painful  memories  and  migration with the background of  history  through  the riots  that affect the  family  or  an individual. 

           In an Antique Land (1992)  portrays  the travel experiences  of  Ghosh during his PhD research  work in Egypt. The novel is  the representation of  his  taking notes  of  all that he saw,  about the people he  met and the places  he visited. The  story  revolves  around a slave named Bomma and the trade  between India and Egypt and also about the experiences  of  Ghosh in  Egypt. The novel  covers  the experiences  of  migration by  the historical as  well as  fictional characters  as  they  were forced  to leave  their  lands  to  migrate to another land in  search of  employment.   In  The Calcutta Chromosome  (1996), Ghosh revisits the  history  of  the discovery of  the  Malaria Vector  that unravels  the  contributions  made  by the Indian  researchers  who were generally  degraded by  the Europeans.  Ghosh connects  the events  of  the present and the past with the possibility  of  finding immortality  in the  future.  He brings  in the real essence into the novel through the  historical event of  medical science,  where he also probes  into the importance  of  women in the  society  and about their contributions that went  mostly  unnoticed.  Such a novel  mixed with science, fiction and  fantasy  has  won  the Arthur  C. Clarke Prize  for  Science  Fiction in 1997.                        

           The Glass  Palace  (2000)  is  a novel that unfolds  the political turmoil that  prevailed in India, Burma and  Malaya, affecting the people. The story  revolves  around these three countries  that run up to three  generations  from  the  nineteenth  century  through the late twentieth century. The story  begins  with the  exile of  the  Burmese King and Queen who move  along to  Ratnagiri, India, as  an  exile. The  incident follows  with the lives  of  an Indian orphan Rajkumar in Burma, the Queen’s  maid  Dolly  and the  other  prominent roles around them. The novel  portrays  several historical themes  like independence, colonial rule, the  World  War and  the impacts  they  create  on the lives  of  the  people in these countries. This  novel won the 2001 Frankfurt International E-Book Award for  Fiction and the Commonwealth  Writers Prize for  Fiction  which he declined.  When  asked about it in an interview by  Kavitha  Chibber, about his  being passionately  anti-colonial and withdrawing the novel  because of  his  sentiment,  he replies: “I  can‘t give  any  particular reason why  there is  so much written about  my being anti-colonial. Perhaps  it is  because of  the  Commonwealth Prize issue. It‘s  not that I  have a  very  intensely  negative  feeling towards colonialism. It is  an undeniable part of  our  past that we  should  either be complacent about or  be glorifying. For  me, as  an Indian  writer, this  Commonwealth demarcation is  totally  unacceptable.  What do  we for  example, have in common with writers  from  New Zealand?  It‘s  just a stupid thing and unless someone  stands  up and  does  something about it,  this will go on.” (kavithachibber.com)  

            His  next novel  The Hungry Tide  (2004)  has  the  historical backdrop of  the Morichjanpi  massacre of  1978-79, where the Government  of  West  Bengal evacuated thousands  of  Bengali refugees  from  the island nearby  Sundarbans. It has  an eco-critical touch all through the  story  that revolves  around the three characters whose worlds  are different,  yet connected  at one point, dealing with their  own inner conflicts  and interests with each other. The novel has  won him  the Hutch Crossword Book Award in 2005. All his  works require  a lot of  research that  extends  up to five  years  for  The  Glass  Palace (2000)  and so on. He has  visited Sundarbans  for  this purpose  and has  met a few researchers  related to cytology  for  his  book, where he  has  created an imaginary  place  to take his  plot  accordingly, relating the readers to  the labyrinth of  the  magical and the real. 

          Ghosh’s  Dancing in  Cambodia:  At Large  in Burma  (1998)  is  a travelogue, where he studied life, culture,  art and social  and political institutions  of  the places  that he visited. He brings in the parts of  the once  colonised nations-  Cambodia and  Burma.  The Imam and the Indian  (2002), is  a non-fiction which is  a collection of  eighteen  prose pieces written over twenty  years. 

          Sea of Poppies  (2008)  is  the  first of  his  Ibis  Trilogy  that  brings in the lives  of  various  characters,  some who  were exploited by  British colonisation and some by  their  own society  and  kith and kin. The  novel  mainly  focuses  on  the lives  of  the indentured labourers who are transported to the  plantations  of  the  British and also especially about the opium  trade  and addiction.  Opium  war plays  the background of  the novel that  moves  around India, Britain and  China. The characters  in the  novel, irrespective of  their  nationality, religion  and ranks, are united in the ship  that takes  them to Mauritius  which is  equally  dangerous  and tumultuous, looking at themselves  as  kiths and kin, who have recently  been washed away  from  their  family  ties. The novel was  short listed for  the Man Booker Prize of  2008  and a  co-winner of  the Vodafone Crossword Book Award 2009.  

           River  of Smoke  (2011)  is  the second volume of  the  Ibis  trilogy. The novel follows the incidents  on the  ship  Ibis, in the  Sea of Poppies  (2008)  as  a continuation of  the  story, though it can be read without reading the  first volume  as  Ghosh  considers  it to be. It showcases  the lives  of  the Indian  migrants  and  other migrants  in Mauritius  and also traces the lives  and fates  of  other characters  that  are struck in the Opium  trade  that led to the first Opium  War. The novel was  short listed for  South Asian  Literature.  NPR  (National Public Radio, US)  announced the book  as  one of  the  year‘s  historical novels.   Flood of Fire  (2015)  is  the final book in the  Ibis  trilogy  which  portrays  Kesri Singh, the brother  of  Deeti, Zachary  Reid,  as  a  man of  ambition to become like his employer Mr. Burnham,  Mrs. Burnham, an unexpected  major role, Captain Mee,  Neel and others  either to be reunited or to face  their  destiny  as  called  for.  The  Great Derangement  (2016)  is  the most recent nonfiction which deals  with the  climatic  change. All his works  have  different forms  of  narrative  techniques  like the  first  person narrative in  The Shadow  Lines  with the narrator left unnamed; the use of  third person narration in a few novels  and using the  first person narrative as  himself  in  In  an Antique Land.  The  Ibis  trilogy  focuses  mainly  on  language  –  creoles  spoken by  the lascars, shipmates, indentured labourers and even the Europeans  to their  servants. He is  well known for  his  descriptive narration of  the  sea, land, or  any place or an  object or even describing nature  and its  beauty  for  that  matter.  His  sense  of  space and time has  been a prominent aspect to notice  in all his  works,  The  Shadow  Lines  in specific. He  also  makes use of  several Indian  mythologies  in  The  Calcutta Chromosome, The Hungry Tide  and 29 Indian Upanishads  in  The Circle of Reason, naming the three  chapters accordingly,  and depicts  the  view that nothing can be  considered  ‘home‘  due to  migration  and alienation caused  by  man‘s  crisis  for  existence. More importantly  from  the works  of  Ghosh, it is  obvious  that he uses  history  in all his  works  as  a thread that develops  the plots  and also about the  migration of  people on various conditions. His  works include  lots  of  history, research  and travel that he also gained from  his  personal  experiences  that give him  a broad  and deep insight into his  plots and characters. His  study  of  sociology, anthropology  and journalistic  experiences, have moulded his  characters  in their  lives  and  also in  the study  of  people and  their  families. All his  novels  deal with the  lives  of  the ordinary  people and their  struggles  to hold onto their lives. All these require a  vast study  and knowledge of  the  places  and the  detailing to shed on the roles  they  play  that deal with historical truth and knowledge in abundance  to achieve what he has  aspired to. His  books  are works  of  excellence  and intelligence  and knowledge  about the past history,  migration and  fiction writings.   Ghosh does  not only  narrate the  stories  of  the past but he also  focuses  on migration  and displacement. For  Ghosh,  migrants  are  mostly victims  of  history; various historical events  that had happened  and which had ended up in  exploiting and destroying or  reshaping the lives  of  the people  politically and economically  displaced. Some are displaced  from  their  motherland and some are bound to migrate due  to a  push‘  factor  that either captures  their intentions  or  attracts  them  to their  land of  immigration as  voluntary migrants  or  due to a pull  factor  that  forces  them  to a voluntary  migration.  This  being one of  the perspectives, the  other one deals  with the  forced  migration which  is  characterised by  the  characters‘  reluctance to return to the native land and the  nostalgia and  yearning to return as  well, that leads  to displacement on the  whole. Migration is  seen in such different perspectives, depicting its  various dimensions  as  viewed by  Ghosh. Equal prominence  is  given to the discussion of  the impact of  geographical displacement on  families  as  to that of  history  of  a land. The plots depict  the displacement of  nation as  a  whole alongside a  more deep purveyance  of  the  families  ripped apart owing to forced  migration that in turn end up reviving the old ties  in new  families  that they  make while on their journey  of  migration. Thus  Ghosh depicts  the other side  of  diaspora, the positive side of  migration as  a  “self-invention”  (dnaindia.com),  and  a  regenerative process of  identifying oneself  in  a few  of  his  plots. Ghosh‘s  delineation of  characters  thus  point to the two sided aspect of  a familial bond.