Globalization in the 19th century wasn’t gentle, but it sure was exotic. Ships at mast and crews from all over. Cutlass and cannon, silk and slaves, blood and glory.
And on the fabled seas between India and China, opium. Mountains of opium. The banks of the Ganges planted for miles in poppy. The wharves of Calcutta surging with dark opium for the dens of China.
In his epic new novel “Sea of Poppies,” novelist Amitav Ghosh captures the romance, and cruelty, and wild, rough globalization of the age of opium.
This hour, On Point: Amitav Ghosh and “Sea of Poppies.”
You can join the conversation. Have you read it? Been transported to its polyglot, cultural mash-up opium days? How do you weigh the romance against the brutality of the time?
-Tom Ashbrook
Guest:
Amitav Ghosh joins us in our studio. He’s author of the novels “The Glass Palace,” “The Hungry Tide,” and most recently, “Sea of Poppies.”
Read an excerpt from “Sea of Poppies.”
Tags: books, globalization, India
Thank you so much for having Mr. Ghosh on – I’m in the middle of “Sea of Poppies” right now and am loving it. When I went to my library to early vote with a colleague I saw it on the “new arrivals” tables and immediately scooped it up – much to her amusement! I previously read “The Hungry Tide” and am very impressed with Mr. Ghosh. Planning on reading “The Glass Palace” next.
Posted by Joan Sberro, on November 19th, 2008 at 11:12 am ESTCould you please talk about the persecution of Christians in Orissa, India. It is has become the new terror campaign perpetrated by the religion that claims to tolerate other faiths. What has gone wrong in present day India to allow such cruelty and atrocious activities against its most peaceful citizens. Whatever happened to freedom of religion and freedom of conscience in the worlds greatest democracy?
For reference visit http://orissaburning.blogspot.com/ and http://eaglevision.com.my/orissa.htm and many more)
Maaza
Posted by Maaza, on November 19th, 2008 at 4:28 pm ESTCould amitav please talk about persecution of hindus by all those people accross the world that described the modern day region known as india as hindus…say from those who called it a land of idoltary etc
Posted by Vishnu, on November 24th, 2008 at 1:41 am EST