Amitav Ghosh?

[Becky Lindroos]

Try this?  Re Ghosh’s  The Shadow Lines: 
https://sites.google.com/site/jeltals/home/4-july-december-2013/2-a-postcolonial-reading-of-amitav-ghosh-s-the-shadow-lines-sumathy
I haven’t read The Shadow Lines - 

If you’re really interested in Ghosh try his book The Glass Palace (2000).  The story spans the time from the fall of Malay's royalty in 1880s to their part in WWII.  Lots of changes in society, some soldiering stuff but not a lot.  The most military action is probably in Flood of Fire and the actual sea-battles of the Opium War.  

But! Re British colonialism in general -   J.G. Farrell’s  "Empire Trilogy is about the downfall of the British Empire in three very separate places around the world.   “Troubles” (1970) takes place in Ireland,  "Siege of Krishnapur” (1973) takes place in India, and "The Singapore Grip” (1978) is set in Southeast Asia/China.  Only the "Siege of Krishnapur" is really much about the military.  The series does have one ex-major who is in the last two books but mostly in “Troubles,”   Siege takes place awhile earlier.   Read in any order you want.  These are excellent books, btw.  

The House of Blue Mangoes by David Davidar is about 3 generations of a family tea plantation in Indian -  this book is so-so but it does give a good picture of the changes in that section of India, standing up for the Revolution or not - who benefits. 

George Orwell - Shooting an Elephant - really short - very, very insightful - 

More contemporary -  The Lives of Others by Neel Mukherjee - graphic - covers time between WWI (backstory) and contemporary with the communist “peasant revolution”  south of the Naxalbari area in North Bengal  north of Calcutta. More about economics interconnections between middle class Indians and English.  Family structure equals colonialism?   Booker nominee last year.  

There is one book which has a chunk about Indian soldiers in WWII who wanted to go home -  ???? -  of course the Irish military wanted to go home and fight their own war in WWI, too.   Can’t remember now - 

And of course there’s A Fine Balance (Rohinton Mistry) and A Suitable Boy (Vikram Seth) but … not really what you’re after I don’t think.   

I’ve read all of the above and recommend them - the last two mentioned somewhat less than the others.  Farrell’s books highest. 

Bek


> On Dec 30, 2015, at 5:10 AM, ish mailian <ishmailian at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> Thanks very much. I am interested in all genres, to answer a question posed, but in this query I was merely hoping for direction, suggestions. I do hope to read about Indian soldiers in the British Army, and also see how this experience is akin to the Irish.
> 
> Reading Ireland and Postcolonial Theory with Afterword by Edward Said, Edited by Carroll and Patricia King. Many parallels of the Irish and Indians are presented in the essays and Ghosh is cited several times.
> 
> I've been reading a bit more from India and Indians in in the Americas and how the Irish, Irish in the Americas experience may be compared and/or contrasted. I am also interested in Latin American Literature, especially, of course, Literature from Brasil.
> 
> On Tue, Dec 29, 2015 at 12:02 PM, Becky Lindroos <bekker2 at icloud.com> wrote:
> 
> > On Dec 29, 2015, at 6:33 AM, ish mailian <ishmailian at gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> > want to read one novel. any suggestions?
> 
> Amitov Ghosh has written several goodies of historical fiction,  but The Ibis Trilogy, is far and away the best.  I’d say go ahead and read book 1, Sea of Poppies, and see what you think.  It’s  "about” the set-up for the 1st Opium War in the Calcutta- River Ganges and there’s a chunk which takes place on an island in the Indian Ocean.  This one was short-listed for the Booker Prize.  Book 2, River of Smoke - keeps the story going into the Opium War,  is almost as good - but I kind of fell down on book 3,  Flood of Fire, which develops the war itself,  because a several years had passed between readings and the story continues.  But all three have won their own awards and lots and lots of excellent reviews.
> 
> Bek
> 

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