The Hungry Tide

Description

A profound and absorbing saga from the Internationally Bestselling and Man Booker Prize shortlisted author 'Amitav Ghosh is such a fascinating and seductive writer... I cannot think of another contemporary writer with whom it would be this thrilling to go so far, so fast' The Times January 2001: A small ship, led by wealthy Scotsman Daniel Hamilton, arrives in the Sundarbans, a vast archipelago of islands in the mythical river Ganges, a half-drowned land where the waters of the Himalayas merge with the incoming tides of the sea. In the Sundarbans the tides reach more than 100 miles inland, and every day thousands of hectares of forest disappear only to re-emerge hours later. Dense as the mangrove forests are, from Hamilton's point of view, it is only a little less barren than a desert. The eccentric Scotsman and the scientists on board the ship disembark to study this little-known environment, and to trace the journeys of the descendants of this society. Their goal? To create a utopian society, of all races and religions, and conquer the might of the Sundarbans.

The author was born in Calcutta and grew up in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and northern India. Educated in India and Britain, he now lives in New York.

'An exceptional writer.' Peter Matthieson 'A novelist of dazzling ingenuity' San Francisco Chronicle 'A distinctive voice, polished and profound' Times Literary Supplement 'An absorbing story of a world in transition, brought to life through characters who love and suffer with equal intensity.' JM Coetzee 'Ghosh is one of the most sympathetic post-colonial voices to be heard today. He looks at love and loyalty, and examines the question of Empire and responsibility, of tradition and modernity.' Ahdaf Souief 'Ghosh has established himself as one of the finest prose writers of his generation of Indians writing in English' Financial Times 'Amitav Ghosh is such a fascinating and seductive writer!a deeply serious writer, sure of his human and historical insights and confident in his ability to communicate them. I cannot think of another contemporary writer with whom it would be this thrilling to go so far, so fast' The Times 'Ghosh seamlessly blends ideas about the power of the photographic image with unforgettable descriptions of nature -- in a thoroughly enjoyable, intelligent epic that's bound to win him a wide and grateful readership'. Kirkus Reviews 'Ghosh's voice remains distinctive!it has a lush and sensuous quality which renders even the most historical of passages wonderfully readable.' Belfast Telegraph 'As always Ghosh wields his pen lightly, with supple prose being the order of the day.' Sunday Business Post 'Ghosh vividly brings to life the history of Burma and Malaya over a century of momentous change in this teeming, multigenerational saga.' Publishers Weekly 'You feel that Ghosh speaks with the true voice of the sub-continent, wise, superstitious and set firmly in age-old ritual.' Birmingham Post 'I will never forget the young and old Rajkumar, Dolly, the Princesses, the forests of teak, the wealth that made families and wars. A wonderful novel. An incredible story.' Grace Paley