Contents
Amitav Ghosh
Writing the Ibis trilogy about empire, migration and the opium trade.
The Shadow Lines · Sea of Poppies
- Born
- 11 July 1956
- Birthplace
- Kolkata, India
More people
Amitav Ghosh
Amitav Ghosh is an Indian-born writer whose fiction and essays connect personal lives with colonial history and environmental change. His books frequently follow movement across the Indian Ocean.
Early life
A regional childhood
Grew up in India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka before studying in Delhi.
Anthropology
Completed doctoral research at Oxford on an Egyptian village in 1982.
Career
- 1986
First novel
Published The Circle of Reason after work in journalism and teaching.
- 2008–2015
The Ibis trilogy
Developed three novels around the opium trade and war.
- 2016
Climate criticism
Published The Great Derangement.
- 2018
Jnanpith Award
Became the first English-language writer selected for the award.
Selected work
The Shadow Lines
Explores memory, nationalism and communal violence.
Sea of Poppies
Begins the Ibis trilogy among migrants and sailors.
The Great Derangement
Examines why climate change has been difficult for modern literature to confront.
Beyond work
Family
Married writer Deborah Baker; they have two children.
Environmental debate
Speaks publicly about the relationship between colonial history and the climate crisis.
Sources & photo credit
Life, career and references ↗Author biography ↗Photo: Gage Skidmore. CC BY-SA 3.0 · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
