
The Glass Palace
Amitav Ghosh(Author)
The Borough Press
Published on 18. June 2001
Book
Paperback/Softback
560 pages
978-0-00-651409-1 (ISBN)
Description
The International Bestseller from the Man Booker Prize shortlisted author
'An absorbing story of a world in transition' J. M. Coetzee
'A Doctor Zhivago for the Far East' The Independent
Rajkumar is only another boy, helping on a market stall in the dusty square outside the royal palace, when the British force the Burmese King, Queen and all the Court into exile. He is rescued by the far-seeing Chinese merchant, and with him builds up a logging business in upper Burma. But haunted by his vision of the Royal Family, he journeys to the obscure town in India where they have been exiled.
The story follows the fortunes - rubber estates in Malaya, businesses in Singapore, estates in Burma - which Rajkumar, with his Chinese, British and Burmese relations, friends and associates, builds up - from 1870 through the Second World War to the scattering of the extended family to New York and Thailand, London and Hong Kong in the post-war years.
'An absorbing story of a world in transition' J. M. Coetzee
'A Doctor Zhivago for the Far East' The Independent
Rajkumar is only another boy, helping on a market stall in the dusty square outside the royal palace, when the British force the Burmese King, Queen and all the Court into exile. He is rescued by the far-seeing Chinese merchant, and with him builds up a logging business in upper Burma. But haunted by his vision of the Royal Family, he journeys to the obscure town in India where they have been exiled.
The story follows the fortunes - rubber estates in Malaya, businesses in Singapore, estates in Burma - which Rajkumar, with his Chinese, British and Burmese relations, friends and associates, builds up - from 1870 through the Second World War to the scattering of the extended family to New York and Thailand, London and Hong Kong in the post-war years.
Reviews / Votes
'A distinctive voice, polished and profound.' TLS 'Ambitious, multigenerational, "The Glass Palace" is akin to a 19th-century Russian novel...a rich, layered epic that probes the meaning of identity and homeland.' LA Times 'An absorbing story of a world in transition, brought to life through characters who love and suffer with equal intensity.' J. M. Coetzee 'A Doctor Zhivago for the Far East' The IndependentMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
HarperCollins Publishers
Product notice
Unsewn / adhesive bound
Paperback (UK-B)
Illustrations
1 Kte., mit Vign.
Dimensions
Height: 198 mm
Width: 128 mm
Thickness: 40 mm
Weight
398 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-00-651409-1 (9780006514091)
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Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions


Person
The author was born in India of Burmese parents. Educated in India and Britain, he now lives in New York.