In an Antique Land

Amitav Ghosh
1992

I read this in India as I was doing fieldwork (along with every Agatha Christie the bookstore sold - and, being a past English colony, the bookstores are FULL of Dame Agatha). I fell in love with Ghosh right then and there, and have read everything he's ever written from then on. I even gave the book to about seven people I knew at the time who I thought might read it. Not one of them did )-: So, I'm giving it another chance at life here on Arts and Literature for 1,000...

The book itself weaves together the story of an anthropologist from India doing fieldwork in Egypt with the written history of an Egyptian slave. The anthropologist has become interested in this particular slave and is following his story through letters and archives that he finds during his stay in Egypt. You get a first-hand look at some real anthropology; what it's like, what goes through one's head while they're living on a cot in a chicken coop on some family's rooftop, the excitement and boredom of trying to work in a different country and get something accomplished...At the time, anyway, it really spoke to me as I was doing nearly the same thing and could follow the emotions and highs and lows (like?) they were my own. The subtlety of the story of the slave and the clarity of the anthropological experience were magic to me, and I have since read just about everything Ghosh has written except (alas) his newest book...which I will read soon. In an antique land is his most cerebral, but he also has some really good follow-up books. I tried to get him to come to Union College to speak to my India Through Film and Novel Class, but he's not terribly interested in speaking and wanted to charge us $5,000 to take a train up from the Bronx. We read Calcutta Chromosome (which my students LOVED, despite the fact that most of them didn't really get it in the end...?). The school wouldn't pay the $5,000. I've heard he's really cool to have beer with though.

Other really good books by Ghosh

Calcutta Chromosome, 1995 (fast-paced, weird, mystery, recommended for Kate)

The Circle of Reason, 1986 (for some reason, I didn't like this one as much)

The Glass Palace 2000 (beautiful story that gives an historical overview of Burma during the 20th century, but you really don't notice the history because the story is so engaging).

The Hungry Tide, 2004 (really just a simple love story set in a really interesting place - the Sunderbans in Bengal - and beautifully written).

The Shadow Lines (I haven't read this).

Sea of Poppies (This is the next book on my list...will report)