May 25, 2005, [MD]
The Hungry Tide by Amitav Ghosh is an amazing book, and highly recommended. I picked it up on the airport, since I knew Ghosh from his In an Antique Land, which we read in anthropology. I liked that book, although I was somewhat sceptical to it’s value as an ethnography (which was why we read it), perhaps I didn’t feel that it was “scientific” enough. However, in The Hungry Tide, he is not trying to be scientific, it’s “only” a novel, but what a novel!
I think part of the reason for my excitement is that I have been quite interested in Bangladesh for some time, after I found out about BRAC (previous post), and I might study Bengali next year (although I fear a timetable collision). The plot takes place in the Sundarbans, an archipelago straddling India and Bangladesh, and includes a marine biologist studying dolphins, a modern businessman from Calcutta, an idealistic colonialist, the ravages of nature, development… I am just outlining some themes (did I mention that it is beautifully and touchingly written), since I want you to read it yourself. Please.
(If you find the issue of Morijchapi interesting, there is apparently scientifical papers about it available.)
Stian Håklev May 25, 2005 Toronto, Canada comments powered by Disqus