Amitav Ghosh is a well-known name in the contemporary literature. The Indian-born writer produced a wide range of novels in the genre of historical fiction. His fictional work centers on the Southeast Asian population dealing with the identity crisis at different levels.
Born in Kolkata on 11th of July 1956, Amitav Ghosh belongs to a Bengali Hindu household. His father, Lieutenant Colonel Shailendra Chandra Ghosh, was a diplomat who travelled a lot during Ghosh’s childhood. Consequently he had the opportunity to grow up and see the different cultures of Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Iran besides India. Ghosh received his higher education from University of Delhi obtaining a Bachelors of Arts and a Masters degree. During his studies he also engrossed himself in reporting and editorial work for a newspaper. Afterwards he left for England where he got admission in the University of Oxford and had himself enrolled in social anthropology course for Ph.D. degree.
Before embarking on a journey as a writer, Ghosh started off his professional career with teaching. There are a number of universities he taught at including Columbia University in NYU, Queens College of the City University, American University in Cairo, Harvard University and many more. Ghosh made his writing debut with The Circle of Reason
(1986). The novel’s focuses on a central character being accused of terrorism and his journey to Africa. It is considered a postcolonial and postmodern literature for its treatment of the colonial factors and the intertextual nature the novel, respectively. Another widely recognized work of Ghosh includes The Shadow Lines(1988) that also deals with the aftermath of departure of British colonial powers from India.
Later in 2000, Ghosh produced another historical novel, The Glass Palace. This is a complex work of fiction set in different regions and time periods. In depth the novel addresses the prevailing issues like economic changes, constitution of a nation and the impact of modernity on the society. Sea of Poppies(2008) is one of the first volumes in Ibis trilogy. The story is set in the pre-Opium-War period in 1830s. It summarizes the colonial period in the Southeast Asia. The second volume in the trilogy is recently published by the title, River of Smoke(2011).
Besides writing historical fiction Ghosh subsequently delved into science fiction genre. His first sci-fi novel The Calcutta Chromosomewas published in 1995. Sir Ronald Ross is considered to be the inspiration for the book. This medical thriller, set in future, revolves around random people who are brought together by a common thread of events. In an Antique Land(1992) is a Ghosh’s experimental work encompassing variety of genres like autobiographical writing, fictional and non-fictional writing, blending into each other. Incendiary Circumstances, Dancing in Cambodia and The Imam and the Indian are marked as his contributions to non-fictional genre.
Amitav Ghosh’s work is recognized internationally for which he achieved several honorary awards.In1990, he received France’s chief literary award, France’s Prix Médicis, for The Circle of Reason. Arthur C. Clarke Award was presented to him for The Calcutta Chromosome. Another prestigious milestone in his career arrived when Sea of Poppies won Dan David Prize and was also shortlisted for Man Booker Prize. The Glass Palace was considered for Commonwealth Writers’ Prize but he pull out amid the consideration process. Amitav Ghosh is an established Indian author and there are more twenty languages in which his works have been translated so far.
Anaïs Nin was a part French part Cuban author born on 21st February 1903 in Neuilly, France. Born in a family where art was wholeheartedly appreciated, Nin began writing when she was very young. She never gained any formal education after the age of sixteen when she left school and worked as a model for an artist until her mother moved her to New York City where Nin spent most of her time writing her diaries. She got married to her first husband Ian Hugo (Hugh Parker Guiller) in March 1923 and moved to Paris the next year.
Her diaries Vol.1, 1931–1934 tell us about her intimate relationship with Henry Miller, an American writer and painter. Her husband did not want to become a part of these diaries so he is not mentioned anywhere in them, but Nin was a part of Ian’s film ‘Bells of Atlantis’ (1952). At the age of 44 she met the actor Rupert Pole and developed a passionate romantic relationship with him that ended in marriage in March 1955. Her first husband was completely unaware of Nin’s marriage to Pole. This ‘bicoastal trapeze’ led to Nin leading two lives which revolved around lies. The following statement by Nin shows us how confusing her life had become. “I tell so many lies I have to write them down and keep them in the lie box so I can keep them straight.” After some legal issues that arose due to claims by Pole and Guiller as having her as a dependent on their tax returns, the marriage between Nin and Pole had to be annulled. Despite the end of their marriage, they continued to live together till her death.
All these incidences were mentioned in her diaries, and that is what Nin is known best for. Her journals provide us with a deep understanding of her personal life. Pole, Guiller and Miller were not her only lovers. She was involved with several other men, all of them prominent authors or important figures. She is also popular for her erotic novels and was one of the very few women in the modern West who authored erotica. Her famous novels of this nature were published in the 1970s. These include ‘Delta of Venus’ and ‘Little Birds’. Nin was thought to be bisexual because of her ‘ménage à trois’ between her, Henry Miller and his wife June Mansfield Miller, although she completely denies this claim.
Some of Nin’s novels are ‘Under a Glass Bell’ (1944), ‘Seduction of the Minotaur’ (1958), ‘In Favor of a Sensitive Man’ (1976) and ‘Waste of Timelessness: And Other Early Stories’ that she wrote in 1932, but was published posthumously.
Anaïs Nin took part in some of the most remarkable literary movements and artistic engagements that happened in the 20th century. These include the ‘surrealist movements’ of the 1930s and the 1940s, the ‘Avant Garde’ crowd, and the feminist movement in the 1960s. She was awarded with an honorary doctorate degree from ‘Philadelphia College of Art’, appreciating her contributions to English Literature. After battling with cancer for almost three years, Nin died on 17th January 1977 in LA, California.
Source: www.famousauthors.org/amitav-ghosh
