Ninety years before India got freedom, in 1857, many dramatic events led to ‘Sepoy Mutiny’. With struggle and losses, East India Company managed to quell the storm of rebellion. That story is reconstructed in this book and is told from the perspective of a company official (District Collector) and his companions.
Though it is conveniently called a work of fiction, it is a well-researched
book based on facts collected through letters, dairies of East India Company
officials of that time and other communications and journals. The city of Kanpur
became a fictional town Krishnapur in this book. This book brings to
life the culture, lifestyle of the British ruling in India during colonial
times. Since this is a British version of the story, native Indians may find many
perspectives mentioned in this book a bit unpleasant.
While the British were biased in believing that they had the
right to rule India, the natives disagreed with them on many fronts and the suppression
led to the spark of rebellion. Though the British were successful in regaining the
control, the mutiny firmly led to a new beginning.
This book was awarded Booker Prize in 1973. Author
J.G.Farrell produced three books which dealt with political consequences of
British colonial rule.
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