In an exclusive interview with Mid-day.com, Indian writer Amitav Ghosh says why he is fascinated by the Opium trade, ahead of the launch of his latest non-fiction book ‘Smoke and Ashes’ in Mumbai on July 18. It has previously been the subject of Ibis Trilogy but the Padma Shri awardee also delves into how it shaped many aspects of Indian life
Amitav Ghosh will be in Mumbai on July 18 for the launch of his latest book ‘Smoke and Ashes’ at the Royal Opera House. Photo Courtesy: Avid Learning
For Amitav Ghosh, the celebrated Indian author, the fumes of the opium trade are still as intoxicating as it was 20 years ago when he explored the subject in his Ibis trilogy. The books Sea of Poppies (2008), River of Smoke (2011) and Flood of Fire (2015), revolve around the First Opium War with marvelous characters conjured by Ghosh. While these were fiction, his new non-fiction book ‘Smoke and Ashes: A Writer‘s Journey Through Opium‘s Hidden Histories’, which comes after Jungle Nama (2021) and Gun Island (2019), circles back to opium.
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