Amitav Ghosh (born 11 July 1956)Ghosh, Amitav
, ''

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'' is an Indian

writer A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles, genres and techniques to communicate ideas, to inspire feelings and emotions, or to entertain. Writers may develop different forms of writing such as novels, short sto ...

. He won the 54th

Jnanpith award The Jnanpith Award is the oldest and the highest Indian literary award presented annually by the Bharatiya Jnanpith to an author for their "outstanding contribution towards literature". Instituted in 1961, the award is bestowed only on Indian ...

in 2018, India's highest literary honour. Ghosh's ambitious

novel A novel is an extended work of narrative fiction usually written in prose and published as a book. The word derives from the for 'new', 'news', or 'short story (of something new)', itself from the , a singular noun use of the neuter plural of ...

s use complex narrative strategies to probe the nature of national and

personal identity Personal identity is the unique numerical identity of a person over time. Discussions regarding personal identity typically aim to determine the necessary and sufficient conditions under which a person at one time and a person at another time ...

, particularly of the people of

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

and

South Asia South Asia is the southern Subregion#Asia, subregion of Asia that is defined in both geographical and Ethnicity, ethnic-Culture, cultural terms. South Asia, with a population of 2.04 billion, contains a quarter (25%) of the world's populatio ...

. He has written

historical fiction Historical fiction is a literary genre in which a fictional plot takes place in the Setting (narrative), setting of particular real past events, historical events. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym for historical fiction literatur ...

and non-fiction works discussing topics such as

colonialism Colonialism is the control of another territory, natural resources and people by a foreign group. Colonizers control the political and tribal power of the colonised territory. While frequently an Imperialism, imperialist project, colonialism c ...

and

climate change Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in Global surface temperature, global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate variability and change, Climate change in ...

. Ghosh studied at

The Doon School The Doon School (informally Doon School or Doon) is a Selective school, selective all-boys Private school, private boarding school in Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India, which was established in 1935. It was envisioned by Satish Ranjan Das, a lawyer ...

Dehradun Dehradun (), also known as Dehra Doon, is the winter capital and the List of cities in Uttarakhand by population, most populous city of the Indian state of Uttarakhand. It is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous Dehradun district, d ...

, and earned a doctorate in

social anthropology Social anthropology is the study of patterns of behaviour in human societies and cultures. It is the dominant constituent of anthropology throughout the United Kingdom and much of Europe, where it is distinguished from cultural anthropology. In t ...

at the

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...

. He worked at the ''Indian Express'' newspaper in

New Delhi New Delhi (; ) is the Capital city, capital of India and a part of the Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the Government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Parliament ...

and several academic institutions. His first novel, ''The Circle of Reason'', was published in 1986, which he followed with later fictional works, including '' The Shadow Lines'' and '' The Glass Palace.'' Between 2004 and 2015, he worked on the ''Ibis'' trilogy, which revolves around the build-up and implications of the

First Opium War The First Opium War ( zh, t=第一次鴉片戰爭, p=Dìyīcì yāpiàn zhànzhēng), also known as the Anglo-Chinese War, was a series of military engagements fought between the British Empire and the Chinese Qing dynasty between 1839 and 1 ...

. His non-fiction work includes '' In an Antique Land'' (1992) and '' The Great Derangement: Climate Change and the Unthinkable'' (2016). Ghosh holds two Lifetime Achievement awards and four honorary doctorates. In 2007, he was awarded the

Padma Shri The Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī'', lit. 'Lotus Honour'), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. In ...

, one of India's highest honours, by the

President of India The president of India (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the head of state of the Republic of India. The president is the nominal head of the executive, the first citizen of the country, and the commander-in-chief, supreme commander of the Indian Armed ...

. In 2010, he was a joint winner, along with

Margaret Atwood Margaret Eleanor Atwood (born November 18, 1939) is a Canadian novelist, poet, literary critic, and an inventor. Since 1961, she has published 18 books of poetry, 18 novels, 11 books of nonfiction, nine collections of short fiction, eight chi ...

, of a Dan David prize, and in 2011, he was awarded the Grand Prix of the Blue Metropolis festival in

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

. He was the first English-language writer to receive the award. In 2019, ''

Foreign Policy Foreign policy, also known as external policy, is the set of strategies and actions a State (polity), state employs in its interactions with other states, unions, and international entities. It encompasses a wide range of objectives, includ ...

'' magazine named him one of the most important global thinkers of the preceding decade.

Life

Ghosh was born in

Calcutta Kolkata, also known as Calcutta (List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern ba ...

on 11 July 1956 and was educated at the all-boys boarding school

. He grew up in

Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...

, and

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

. His contemporaries at Doon included author

Vikram Seth Vikram Seth (born 20 June 1952) is an Indian people, Indian novelist and poet. He has written several novels and poetry books. He has won several awards such as Padma Shri, Sahitya Akademi Award, Pravasi Bharatiya Samman, WH Smith Literary Awar ...

and historian Ram Guha. While at school, he regularly contributed

fiction Fiction is any creative work, chiefly any narrative work, portraying character (arts), individuals, events, or setting (narrative), places that are imagination, imaginary or in ways that are imaginary. Fictional portrayals are thus inconsistent ...

and

poetry Poetry (from the Greek language, Greek word ''poiesis'', "making") is a form of literature, literary art that uses aesthetics, aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language to evoke meaning (linguistics), meanings in addition to, or in ...

to '' The Doon School Weekly'' (then edited by Seth) and founded the magazine ''History Times'' along with Guha. After Doon, he received degrees from St Stephen's College and the

Delhi School of Economics Delhi School of Economics (DSE), popularly referred to as D School, is an institution of higher learning within the Delhi University. The Delhi School of Economics is situated in University of Delhi's North Campus in Maurice Nagar. Establishe ...

, both part of

Delhi University The Delhi University (DU, ISO 15919, ISO: ), also and officially known as the University of Delhi, is a collegiate university, collegiate research university, research Central university (India), central university located in Delhi, India. It ...

. Ghosh then won the Inlaks Foundation scholarship to complete a D. Phil. in

St Edmund Hall, Oxford St Edmund Hall (also known as The Hall and Teddy Hall) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. The college claims to be "the oldest surviving academic society to house and educate undergraduates in any university" and was the las ...

, under the supervision of British social anthropologist Peter Lienhardt. His thesis, undertaken in the Faculty of Anthropology and Geography, was entitled, "Kinship in relation to economic and social organization in an Egyptian village community", and submitted in 1982. Ghosh returned to India to begin working on the ''Ibis'' trilogy, which includes '' Sea of Poppies'' (2008), '' River of Smoke'' (2011), and '' Flood of Fire'' (2015). In 2007, Ghosh was awarded the

by the

Indian government The Government of India (ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of 36 states and union territor ...

. In 2009, he was elected a Fellow of the

Royal Society of Literature The Royal Society of Literature (RSL) is a learned society founded in 1820 by King George IV to "reward literary merit and excite literary talent". A charity that represents the voice of literature in the UK, the RSL has about 800 Fellows, elect ...

. In 2015, he was named a

Ford Foundation The Ford Foundation is an American private foundation with the stated goal of advancing human welfare. Created in 1936 by Edsel Ford and his father Henry Ford, it was originally funded by a $25,000 (about $550,000 in 2023) gift from Edsel Ford. ...

Art of Change Fellow. Ghosh currently lives in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

with his wife, Deborah Baker, author of the Laura Riding biography ''In Extremis: The Life of Laura Riding'' (1993) and a senior editor at

Little, Brown and Company Little, Brown and Company is an American publishing company founded in 1837 by Charles Coffin Little and James Brown in Boston. For close to two centuries, it has published fiction and nonfiction by American authors. Early lists featured Emil ...

. They have two children, Lila and Nayan.

Work

Fiction

Amitav Ghosh - River Of Smoke 2011 a crop

Ghosh's

novels include '' The Circle of Reason'' (his 1986

debut novel A debut novel is the first novel a novelist publishes. Debut novels are often the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to pu ...

), '' The Shadow Lines'' (1988), '' The Calcutta Chromosome'' (1996), '' The Glass Palace'' (2000), '' The Hungry Tide'' (2004), and ''Gun Island'' (2019). Ghosh began working on the ''Ibis'' trilogy in 2004. Set in the 1830s, its story follows the build-up of the

across

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

and the

Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or approximately 20% of the water area of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia (continent), ...

region. Its consists of '' Sea of Poppies'' (2008), '' River of Smoke'' (2011), and '' Flood of Fire'' (2015). Most of Ghosh's work deals with historical settings, especially in the Indian Ocean periphery. In an interview with historian Mahmood Kooria, he said: ''The Shadow Lines'', according to one

blogger A blog (a Clipping (morphology), truncation of "weblog") is an informational website consisting of discrete, often informal diary-style text entries also known as posts. Posts are typically displayed in Reverse chronology, reverse chronologic ...

, "throws light on the phenomenon of

communal violence Communal violence is a form of violence that is perpetrated across ethnic or communal lines, where the violent parties feel solidarity for their respective groups and victims are chosen based upon group membership. The term includes conflicts, ri ...

and the way its roots have spread deeply and widely in the collective psyche of the

Indian subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a physiographic region of Asia below the Himalayas which projects into the Indian Ocean between the Bay of Bengal to the east and the Arabian Sea to the west. It is now divided between Bangladesh, India, and Pakista ...

". ''Gun Island'', published in 2019, deals with

and

human migration Human migration is the movement of people from one place to another, with intentions of settling, permanently or temporarily, at a new location (geographic region). The movement often occurs over long distances and from one country to another ( ...

, drew praise from critics. According to a review in the ''Columbia Journal'', The novel creates a world of realistic fiction, challenging the agency of its readers to act upon the demands of the environment. The use of religion,

magical realism Magical realism, magic realism, or marvelous realism is a style or genre of fiction and art that presents a realistic view of the world while incorporating magical elements, often blurring the lines between speculation and reality. ''Magical rea ...

, coincidences, and climate change come together to create a wholesome story of strife, trauma, adventure, and mystery. The reader takes on the journey to solve the story of "the Gun Merchant" and launches themselves into the destruction of nature and the effects of human actions. Ghosh transforms the novel through his main character, his story, and the very prevalent climate crisis. The novel is advertently a call to action intertwined in an entertaining plot. ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' however, noted Ghosh's tendency to go on tangents, calling it "a shaggy dog story" that "can take a very roundabout path towards reality, but it will get there in the end". In 2021, Ghosh published his first book in verse, '' Jungle Nama,'' which explores the

Sundarbans Sundarbans (; pronounced ) is a mangrove forest area in the Ganges Delta formed by the confluence of the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna Rivers in the Bay of Bengal. It spans the area from the Hooghly River in India's state of West Bengal ...

legend of Bon Bibi.

Non-fiction

Ghosh's notable

non-fiction Non-fiction (or nonfiction) is any document or content (media), media content that attempts, in good faith, to convey information only about the real life, real world, rather than being grounded in imagination. Non-fiction typically aims to pre ...

writings include '' In an Antique Land'' (1992), '' Dancing in Cambodia and at Large in Burma'' (1998), ''Countdown'' (1999), and '' The Imam and the Indian'' (2002), a collection of essays on themes such as

fundamentalism Fundamentalism is a tendency among certain groups and individuals that are characterized by the application of a strict literal interpretation to scriptures, dogmas, or ideologies, along with a strong belief in the importance of distinguis ...

, the history of the novel, Egyptian culture, and

literature Literature is any collection of Writing, written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially novels, Play (theatre), plays, and poetry, poems. It includes both print and Electroni ...

. His writings have appeared in newspapers and magazines in India and abroad. In '' The Great Derangement: Climate Change and the Unthinkable'' (2016), Ghosh accuses modern literature and art of failing to adequately address

. In '' The Nutmeg's Curse: Parables for a Planet in Crisis'' (2021), Ghosh follows the journey of

nutmeg Nutmeg is the seed, or the ground spice derived from the seed, of several tree species of the genus '' Myristica''; fragrant nutmeg or true nutmeg ('' M. fragrans'') is a dark-leaved evergreen tree cultivated for two spices derived from its fru ...

from its native

Banda Islands The Banda Islands () are a volcanic group of ten small volcanic islands in the Banda Sea, about south of Seram Island and about east of Java (island), Java, and constitute an administrative district (''kecamatan'') within the Central Maluku ...

to many other parts of the world, using the spice as a lens through which to understand the historical influence of

upon attitudes towards

Indigenous cultures There is no generally accepted definition of Indigenous peoples, although in the 21st century the focus has been on self-identification, cultural difference from other groups in a state, a special relationship with their traditional territ ...

and

environmental change Environment most often refers to: __NOTOC__ * Natural environment, referring respectively to all living and non-living things occurring naturally and the physical and biological factors along with their chemical interactions that affect an organism ...

. In his latest work, '' Smoke and Ashes: A Writer's Journey Through Opium's Hidden Histories'' (2023), Ghosh discusses the history of

opium Opium (also known as poppy tears, or Lachryma papaveris) is the dried latex obtained from the seed Capsule (fruit), capsules of the opium poppy ''Papaver somniferum''. Approximately 12 percent of opium is made up of the analgesic alkaloid mor ...

, focusing on its colonial history and legacy in India and China and its connection to modern corporate practices, such as

Purdue Pharma Purdue Pharma L.P., formerly the Purdue Frederick Company (1892–2019), was an American privately held pharmaceutical company founded by John Purdue Gray. It was sold to Arthur Sackler, Arthur, Mortimer Sackler, Mortimer, and Raymond Sackler in 1 ...

's role in the ongoing US opioid epidemic. Its discussion of the lead-up to the

in the 1830s also serves as background to Ghosh's fictional ''Ibis'' trilogy.

Awards and recognition

''The Circle of Reason'' (1986) won the '' Prix Médicis étranger'', one of France's top literary awards. ''The Shadow Lines'' (1988) won the

Sahitya Akademi Award The Sahitya Akademi Award is a literary honour in India, which the Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters, annually confers on writers of the most outstanding books of literary merit published in any of the 22 languages of the ...

and the

Ananda Puraskar The Ananda Puraskar () is an award for Bengali literature awarded annually by the ABP Group to writers using Bengali language, Bengali, usually from West Bengal, India. History The award can be traced to a comment by Annada Shankar Ray ruing the ...

. ''The Calcutta Chromosome'' (1996) won the Arthur C. Clarke Award in 1997. ''Sea of Poppies'' (2008), the first installment of the ''Ibis'' trilogy, was shortlisted for the 2008

Man Booker Prize The Booker Prize, formerly the Booker Prize for Fiction (1969–2001) and the Man Booker Prize (2002–2019), is a prestigious literary award conferred each year for the best single work of sustained fiction written in the English language, wh ...

. It was the co-winner of the

Vodafone Crossword Book Award The Crossword Book Award (formerly known as the Crossword Book Award (1998–2003), the Hutch Crossword Book Award (2004–07), the Vodafone Crossword Book Award (2008–10), the Economist Crossword Book Award (2011–13), Raymond & Crossword Bo ...

in 2009, as well as co-winner of the 2010 Dan David Prize. '' River of Smoke'' (2011), the second ''Ibis'' installment, was shortlisted for the

Man Asian Literary Prize The Man Asian Literary Prize was an annual literary award between 2007 and 2012, given to the best novel by an Asian writer, either written in English or translated into English, and published in the previous calendar year. It is awarded to write ...

2011. Ghosh famously withdrew his novel '' The Glass Palace'' (2000) from consideration for the Commonwealth Writers' Prize, where it was awarded the best novel in the Eurasian section, citing his objections to the term "

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the 15th century. Originally a phrase (the common-wealth ...

" and the unfairness of the English-language requirement specified in the rules. The government of India awarded Ghosh the civilian honour of

in 2007. He received a lifetime achievement award at Tata Literature Live, the Mumbai LitFest, on 20 November 2016. He was conferred the 54th

in December 2018 and is the first Indian writer in English to have been chosen for this honour. Ghosh was awarded the

Erasmus Prize The Erasmus Prize is an annual prize awarded by the board of the Praemium Erasmianum Foundation to individuals or institutions that have made exceptional contributions to culture, society, or social science in Europe and the rest of the world. I ...

2024, specifically for his writing on climate change: "His work offers a remedy by making an uncertain future palpable through compelling stories about the past. He also wields his pen to show that the climate crisis is a cultural crisis that results from a dearth of the imagination." His book ''Smoke and Ashes: Opium’s Hidden Histories,'' made the 2024 British Academy Book Prize shortlist.

Bibliography

Novels *'' The Circle of Reason'' (1986) *'' The Shadow Lines'' (1988) *'' The Calcutta Chromosome'' (1995) *'' The Glass Palace'' (2000) *'' The Hungry Tide'' (2004) *'' Sea of Poppies'' (2008) *'' River of Smoke'' (2011) *'' Flood of Fire'' (2015) *''Gun Island'' (2019) *'' Jungle Nama'' (2021) Non-Fiction *'' In an Antique Land'' (1992) *'' Dancing in Cambodia and at Large in Burma'' (1998; Essays) *''Countdown'' (1999) *'' The Imam and the Indian'' (2002; Essays) *''Incendiary Circumstances'' (2006; Essays) *'' The Great Derangement: Climate Change and the Unthinkable'' (2016) * '' The Nutmeg's Curse: Parables for a Planet in Crisis'' (2021) *''Uncanny and Improbable Events'' (2021) * ''The Living Mountain'' (2022) * ''Smoke and Ashes: A Writer's Journey Through Opium's Hidden Histories'' (2023) * Wild Fictions (2025; Essays)

References

External links

Philosophy & Politics of science mutation in Amitav Ghoshs The Calcutta Chromosome
*
Excerpt from ''River of Smoke''
in

Guernica Magazine ''Guernica / A Magazine of Art and Politics'' is an American digital magazine known for publishing fiction, poetry, essays, reportage, art, and interviews that focus primarily on global perspectives and the intersection between art and politics. ...

''Sea of Poppies'' at Farrar, Straus and Giroux siteAmitav Ghosh's Blog on Indipepal
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ghosh, Amitav 1956 births 20th-century Indian essayists 20th-century Indian male writers 20th-century Indian novelists 20th-century Indian poets 21st-century Indian essayists 21st-century Indian male writers 21st-century Indian non-fiction writers 21st-century Indian novelists 21st-century Indian poets Alumni of St Edmund Hall, Oxford Anti-imperialists Bengali-language novelists Bengali poets The Doon School alumni English-language poets from India Environmental fiction writers Environmental writers Fellows of the Royal Society of Literature Harvard University staff Indian climate activists Indian emigrants to the United States Indian environmentalists Indian expatriates in the United States Indian historical novelists Indian humanists Indian literary critics Indian male non-fiction writers Indian male novelists Indian male poets Indian non-fiction environmental writers Indian science fiction writers Indian speculative fiction writers Literary theorists Living people Novelists from West Bengal Prix Médicis étranger winners Recipients of the Jnanpith Award Recipients of the Sahitya Akademi Award in English St. Stephen's College, Delhi alumni Sustainability advocates Delhi University alumni Writers about activism and social change Writers about globalization Writers from Kolkata Writers of historical fiction set in the early modern period Writers of historical fiction set in the modern age Postcolonial literature