Amitav Ghosh, the author who impressed us with ‘The Glass Palace’, is all set to come out with another bestseller. The new surprise package up his sleeve is ‘The Sea of Poppies’. The book is being described as the first one in the trilogy to be written by Amitav. Sea of Poppies has been based on the world, as it was in the nineteenth century - just before the Opium Wars. The book will be published by John Murray and is all set to be released in June 2008.
The Book
‘Sea of Poppies’ has been based on the world, as it was just before the start of the Opium Wars. It revolves around ‘The Ibis’, an old slaving-ship voyaging across the Indian Ocean. Its crew is made up of an odd group of sailors and stowaways, coolies and convicts, representing Westerners and Indians respectively. Slowly and gradually, the self-imposed walls start to melt down and all of them start considering themselves as ship-brothers.
With this is born a dynasty, very improbable, but in existence nonetheless. This dynasty is all set to cross continents, races and even generations. ‘The Sea of Poppies’ takes us through a wide variety of landscapes, right from the lush poppy fields of the sacred Ganges to the undulating high seas to the alien backstreets of China. However, it’s the rich diversity of the characters that makes the book totally engrossing and occupying. In short - truly a masterpiece!
The Author
Amitav Ghosh is counted amongst the most distinguished English writers, of Indian origin. Born in Kolkata, the great personality went on to do a doctorate from the Oxford University. His first book was ‘The Circle of Reason’ and since its release, he has written The Shadow Lines, In An Antique Land, Dancing in Cambodia, The Calcutta Chromosome, and most recently, The Glass Palace. His literary works have won him Prix Medici Etranger Award (France), Arthur C. Clarke Award and Pushcart Prize. Amitav Ghosh is presently working in the USA and bringing fame to India, with his excellent works.
