River of Smoke
Encyclopedia
River of Smoke is a novel by Indian novelist Amitav Ghosh
. It is the second volume of what will be the Ibis trilogy.
The novel has a rich tapestry of characters from various cultural and geographical backgrounds whose common interest is trade with China. The plot is set in Fanqui town,a small strip of land used by foreigners to trade with local Chinese traders, a year before the first opium war
.
opium trader from Bombay, The Redruth, Owned by Fitcher Penrose, on an expedition to collect rare species of plants from China and Ibis (from the sea of poppies) carrying convicts and indentured labourers. The convicts Neel Rattan, a Bengali Zamindar and Ah Fatt a criminal from Canton, escape from the ship along with a couple of lascars
.
The story traces the lives of these principal characters in Canton.Bahram Modi a lowly son-in-law of a rich Parsi
Ship builder Rustamjee Mistrie,convinces his father in law to provide him seed capital to enter in to opium trade and carries out multiple successful expeditions to China and creates considerable wealth in the process for his in laws. However, on the sudden demise of his father in law, he is forced by his brothers in law to retire from the Export division. Bahram decides to ship a large consignemnt of opium to China, as he is confident that he would be able to earn a sizeable profit to buyout the Export division, in spite of a ban on trading of Opium issued by the Chinese officials. Bahram also has a son(Ah Fat) through a Chinese boat woman, Chi Mei, unknown to his family back in Bombay.
Fitcher Penrose, a botanist,is on an expedition to China to collect rare plants. He is joined by Lambert aka Puggly, daughter of a French botanist, in his search for the rare Golden camellias. They are helped by Robert Chinnery,a fictional illiegitimate son of the English painter George Chinnery
.
Neel and Ah Fat have escaped from Ibis and they meet Bahram Modi, Ah Fat's father. Neel joins Bahram's as his Munshi.
Does Mr.Modi manage to sell his opium and redeem himself inspte of the Chinese government's crackdown, does Mr.Fitcher find the rare plant he is looking for? Does Neel manage to evade the long arm of the law?
Chi Mei - A Cantonese Boat woman who is the lover of Bahram Modi
Ah Fat - Son of Bahram Modi and Chi Mei
Neel - Munshi of Bahram Modi
Vico - Bahram Modi’s Purser
Zadig Bey - Armenian Watch maker and friend of Bahram Modi
Fitcher Penrose - A Scottish Botanist on an expedition to collect rare plants in China
Paulette Lambert - Daughter of a French Botanist who accompanies Mr. Fitcher on his expedition.
Robert Chinnery – Artist, Paulette’s friend and son of George Chinnery
Commissioner Lin - The Incorruptible Chinese Manadarin who is appointed by the Emperor of China to put an end to opium trading.
Anjana Rajan writing in The Hindu says "To have read Sea of Poppies is no pre-condition to enjoy the second. What is perhaps a pre-condition is an appetite for detail, a taste for complexities, and a love for words and their strange journeys. Robin Chinnery's conversation transports us to Jane Austen's England. And we are charmed by the sing-song of pidgin as Chi-mei sympathises with Bahram."
Tessa Hadley in The Guardian
says "In historical novels the past can sometimes feel tamed; hindsight, hovering just off the page, tells us that we know what it all added up to and what came of it (the First Opium War, during which British gunboats enforced a treaty opening Chinese ports to international trade, comes shortly after the ending of this novel). But Ghosh's novels somehow succeed in taking us back inside the chaos of when "then" was "now". His grasp of the detail of the period is exhaustive – he is so thoroughly submerged in it – that readers can't possibly remember all the things he shows them, or hold on to all the life-stories of all the characters he introduces.". He also goes on to lament "The novel feels stitched together clumsily in a few places. In particular, the section narrated in letters from Robin Chinnery (illegitimate, mixed-race and presumably fictional son of George Chinnery, a real-life painter of South China scenes) to Paulette the botanist, who appears in the previous book. Paulette is too absent and Robin feels like a contrivance to take us inside certain aspects of Canton life where Bahram can't go."
In Paste Magazine, writer Zack Shlachter calls the Ibis trilogy "one of the most inspired explorations of global encounters by a 21st-century writer," noting that in River of Smoke Ghosh focuses on the simultaneous dangers and potential -- for exploitation as for more benevolent kinds of exchange -- inherent in trade.
The novel has received some awards and recognition. It was shortlisted for 2011 The Hindu Literary Prize
and the 2011 Man Asian Literary Prize
longlist.
Amitav Ghosh
Amitav Ghosh , is a Bengali Indian author best known for his work in the English language.-Life:Ghosh was born in Calcutta on July 11, 1956, to Lieutenant Colonel Shailendra Chandra Ghosh, a retired officer of the pre-independence Indian Army, and was educated at The Doon School; St...
. It is the second volume of what will be the Ibis trilogy.
Synopsis
The promotional text refers to the storyline which can be summarized as follows: After the incidents on Ibis, which was caught in a storm and eventually ended up in Mauritius, but with a few passengers less, the story in this novel begins from where it left off. From the details of the changing lives and traditions of Indian migrants in Mauritius, the novel traces the fate of other characters from Ibis and describes the opium trade in China.The novel has a rich tapestry of characters from various cultural and geographical backgrounds whose common interest is trade with China. The plot is set in Fanqui town,a small strip of land used by foreigners to trade with local Chinese traders, a year before the first opium war
First Opium War
The First Anglo-Chinese War , known popularly as the First Opium War or simply the Opium War, was fought between the United Kingdom and the Qing Dynasty of China over their conflicting viewpoints on diplomatic relations, trade, and the administration of justice...
.
Plot Introduction
In the year 1838, Three ships are caught in a raging storm off the coast of Canton. The Anahita, owned by Bahram Modi, a ParsiParsi
Parsi or Parsee refers to a member of the larger of the two Zoroastrian communities in South Asia, the other being the Irani community....
opium trader from Bombay, The Redruth, Owned by Fitcher Penrose, on an expedition to collect rare species of plants from China and Ibis (from the sea of poppies) carrying convicts and indentured labourers. The convicts Neel Rattan, a Bengali Zamindar and Ah Fatt a criminal from Canton, escape from the ship along with a couple of lascars
Lascars
See also Lashkar, LaskarA lascar and was a sailor or militiaman from the Indian Subcontinent or other countries east of the Cape of Good Hope, employed on European ships from the 16th century until the beginning of the 20th century...
.
The story traces the lives of these principal characters in Canton.Bahram Modi a lowly son-in-law of a rich Parsi
Parsi
Parsi or Parsee refers to a member of the larger of the two Zoroastrian communities in South Asia, the other being the Irani community....
Ship builder Rustamjee Mistrie,convinces his father in law to provide him seed capital to enter in to opium trade and carries out multiple successful expeditions to China and creates considerable wealth in the process for his in laws. However, on the sudden demise of his father in law, he is forced by his brothers in law to retire from the Export division. Bahram decides to ship a large consignemnt of opium to China, as he is confident that he would be able to earn a sizeable profit to buyout the Export division, in spite of a ban on trading of Opium issued by the Chinese officials. Bahram also has a son(Ah Fat) through a Chinese boat woman, Chi Mei, unknown to his family back in Bombay.
Fitcher Penrose, a botanist,is on an expedition to China to collect rare plants. He is joined by
George Chinnery
George Chinnery was an English painter who spent most of his life in Asia, especially India and southern China.- Early life :Chinnery was born in London, where he studied at the Royal Academy Schools...
.
Neel and Ah Fat have escaped from Ibis and they meet Bahram Modi, Ah Fat's father. Neel joins Bahram's as his Munshi.
Does Mr.Modi manage to sell his opium and redeem himself inspte of the Chinese government's crackdown, does Mr.Fitcher find the rare plant he is looking for? Does Neel manage to evade the long arm of the law?
Characters
Bahram Modi – Parsi Merchant from Bombay and father of Ah FatChi Mei - A Cantonese Boat woman who is the lover of Bahram Modi
Ah Fat - Son of Bahram Modi and Chi Mei
Neel - Munshi of Bahram Modi
Vico - Bahram Modi’s Purser
Zadig Bey - Armenian Watch maker and friend of Bahram Modi
Fitcher Penrose - A Scottish Botanist on an expedition to collect rare plants in China
Paulette Lambert - Daughter of a French Botanist who accompanies Mr. Fitcher on his expedition.
Robert Chinnery – Artist, Paulette’s friend and son of George Chinnery
Commissioner Lin - The Incorruptible Chinese Manadarin who is appointed by the Emperor of China to put an end to opium trading.
Reception
The novel has received generally positive reviews from critics. David Davidar writing in Outlook notes "Conventional wisdom has it that in the age of Twitter long striders in the world of fiction are doomed to extinction. Attention spans have dwindled, the pundits say, brevity is all, and the grand narrative is to be consigned to the trash heap. Well, thank God, Amitav Ghosh hasn’t been paying attention to the so-called experts but has decided to go where his inclinations have led him. Generous helpings of humour, adventure (the hunt for the golden camellia was a favourite), history, romance, villainy and suspense are expertly blended into the narrative to make for a rich and entertaining read".Anjana Rajan writing in The Hindu says "To have read Sea of Poppies is no pre-condition to enjoy the second. What is perhaps a pre-condition is an appetite for detail, a taste for complexities, and a love for words and their strange journeys. Robin Chinnery's conversation transports us to Jane Austen's England. And we are charmed by the sing-song of pidgin as Chi-mei sympathises with Bahram."
Tessa Hadley in The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
says "In historical novels the past can sometimes feel tamed; hindsight, hovering just off the page, tells us that we know what it all added up to and what came of it (the First Opium War, during which British gunboats enforced a treaty opening Chinese ports to international trade, comes shortly after the ending of this novel). But Ghosh's novels somehow succeed in taking us back inside the chaos of when "then" was "now". His grasp of the detail of the period is exhaustive – he is so thoroughly submerged in it – that readers can't possibly remember all the things he shows them, or hold on to all the life-stories of all the characters he introduces.". He also goes on to lament "The novel feels stitched together clumsily in a few places. In particular, the section narrated in letters from Robin Chinnery (illegitimate, mixed-race and presumably fictional son of George Chinnery, a real-life painter of South China scenes) to Paulette the botanist, who appears in the previous book. Paulette is too absent and Robin feels like a contrivance to take us inside certain aspects of Canton life where Bahram can't go."
In Paste Magazine, writer Zack Shlachter calls the Ibis trilogy "one of the most inspired explorations of global encounters by a 21st-century writer," noting that in River of Smoke Ghosh focuses on the simultaneous dangers and potential -- for exploitation as for more benevolent kinds of exchange -- inherent in trade.
The novel has received some awards and recognition. It was shortlisted for 2011 The Hindu Literary Prize
The Hindu Literary Prize
The Hindu Literary Prize or The Hindu Best Fiction Award is an Indian literary award sponsored by The Hindu Literary Review which is part of the The Hindu paper. It recognizes Indian works in English and English translation...
and the 2011 Man Asian Literary Prize
Man Asian Literary Prize
The Man Asian Literary Prize, founded in 2007, is an annual literary award given to the best novel by an Asian writer, either written in English or translated into English, and published in the previous calendar year...
longlist.