Set in Burma during the British invasion of 1885, this masterly novel by Amitav Ghosh tells the story of Rajkumar, a poor boy lifted on the tides of political and social chaos, who goes on to create an empire in the Burmese teak forest. When soldiers force the royal family out of the Glass Palace and into exile, Rajkumar befriends Dolly, a young woman in the court of the Burmese Queen, whose love will shape his life. He cannot forget her, and years later, as a rich man, he goes in search of her. The struggles that have made Burma, India, and Malaya the places they are today are illuminated in this wonderful novel by the writer Chitra Divakaruni calls “a master storyteller." (Backcover text)

Author

Amitav Ghosh (b. 1956) is an Indian writer best known for his work in English fiction. He was born in Calcutta, and spent his childhood in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and northern India. He studied in Delhi, Oxford, and Egypt and taught at various Indian and American universities. The author of a travel book and three acclaimed novels, Ghosh has also written for Grantha, The New Yorker, The New York Times and The Observer. He lives in New York City with his wife and two children.   

Amitav Ghosh, Wikipedia (en)