The Siege of Krishnapur

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Product Details

Author : J.G. Farrell
Binding : Paperback
EAN : 9781857994919
Edition : New Ed
Number of Pages : 314
Product Group : Book
Publication Date : 1996-07-01
Publisher : Phoenix

ASIN : 1857994914

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review

"The first sign of trouble at Krishnapur came with a mysterious distribution of chapatis, made of coarse flour and about the size and thickness of a biscuit; towards the end of February 1857, they swept the countryside like an epidemic." Students of history will recognise 1857 as the year of the Sepoy rebellion in India--an uprising of native soldiers against the British, brought on by Hindu and Muslim recruits' belief that the rifle cartridges with which they were provided had been greased with pig or cow fat. This seminal event in Anglo-Indian relations provides the backdrop for J.G. Farrell's Booker Prize- winning exploration of race, culture and class, The Siege of Krishnapur.

Like the mysteriously appearing chapatis, life in British India seems, on the surface, innocuous enough. Farrell introduces us gradually to a large cast of characters as he paints a vivid portrait of the Victorians' daily routines that are accompanied by heat, boredom, class-consciousness and the pursuit of genteel pastimes intended for cooler climates. Even the siege begins slowly, with disquieting news of massacres in cities far away. When Krishnapur itself is finally attacked, the Europeans withdraw inside the grounds of the Residency where very soon conditions begin to deteriorate: food and water run out, disease is rampant, people begin to go a little mad. Soon the very proper British are reduced to eating insects and consorting across class lines. Farrell's descriptions of life inside the Residency are simultaneously horrifying and blackly humorous. The siege, for example, is conducted under the avid eyes of the local populace, who clearly anticipate an enjoyable massacre and thus arrive every morning laden with picnic lunches (plainly visible to the starving Europeans). By turns witty and compassionate, The Siege of Krishnapur comprises the best of all fictional worlds: unforgettable characters, an epic adventure and at its heart a cultural clash for the ages. --Alix Wilber

Customer Reviews

The best book I have read in years! (2008-09-18)

My interest in this book was piqued when it was nominated for the 'Booker of Bookers'. On reading it, I was not at all disappointed. It ticked every box I could hope for - excellent characterisation, well plotted storyline, free indirect discourse that Jane Austen would be proud of,and an enormous amount of wit. At times I was laughing out loud at the antics of the characters under pressure of the siege. A truly excellent novel that I thoroughly recommend.

Interesting but unremarkable (2008-09-04)

A novel with a great reputation which I found somewhat underwhelming. Principally it is a satire on the British class system of the time, hardly original even in 1973, it is quite amusing in parts. However, it is quite slow, the siege seems to take forever to happen, then go on forever, and the satire at times a bit laboured. As novel set in India the Indians are either absent, ignorant or violent - or all three. I appreciate this is the author showing the British protagonists point of view. But without any counterbalancing view it leaves the novel rather lacking in drama or debate in my view. Much is made of the novels balancing of historical accuracy with humor and certain darker view of the collapse of civilized values. But for me it does none of these particularly well. For a satirical romp with well researched historical detail you would be better off with Flashman. JG Ballard writes much better on the subject of the collapse of civilized values under extreme conditions. While for a rounded picture of the British in India The Raj Quartet is far superior. It not a bad book - but for me not a great one either.

How did this win the Booker? (2008-08-22)

Hang on a minute. An interesting story, well written, multiple themes, an absence of naval gazing; how did this book ever win the Booker prize? To start with the book doesn't concern itself with how hard it is growing up in some underdeveloped hell-hole such as Kenya, Sri Lanka or Ireland; it isn't concerned with "long-buried relationship issues" such as recent Booker-winning snorefest "The Gathering". Instead it is part Flashman style satire on the Brits in India, part philosophical (God, culture, science) peppered with occasional flashes of Magnus Mills style dark humour. If you want to read an engaging historical novel and a Booker prize winner you will actually finish then this is the book for you.

Excellent (2008-06-08)

An excellent book telling of the mutiny. Whilst the book almost neglects the natives this isn't fiction dressed up as colonial propaganda. This is an incredibly humorous tale of a group of Englishmen trapped within a residency, besieged by a whole host of natives. As the siege progresses civilization, science and religion are all discussed along with the odd smattering of phrenology. An incredibly entertaining book and one very worth reading.

The Raj must go on ... (2008-04-11)

An amazing story - Life continues as normal for the colonial outpost at Krishnapur with poetry readings and all the trappings of genteel society back in England. But there the comparisons with 'Carry on up the Khyber' stop once the Sepoys start their siege. It all becomes grim, dirty, diseased and everyone is forced to find their hidden reserves of strength as the food rations start to run out. This winner of the Booker Prize from 1973 is full of strong characterisation, and doesn't shy away from describing the decay and rotting from the high body count and cholera with attendant vultures and jackals. Its style has similarities with A.S.Byatt's Victorian romances, but also has a sense of humour throughout in that life must go on!A dense but fabulous novel.

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