Thayil is now being hailed as the leading light of a new generation of indian novelists, who are willing to take on the less salubrious realities of life in the worlds largest democracy. The side of the divide youre born on is purely random. A rich, hallucinatory dream that captures bombay in all its compelling squalor, narcopolis completely subverts and challenges the literary traditions for which the indian novel is celebrated. Narcopolis ebook by jeet thayil 9788854506978 rakuten kobo. Past events sydney online book club sydney, australia. Narcopolis is the debut novel of indian author jeet thayil.
Apr 19, 2012 thayil s novel is very much a drug narrative, focusing on the users, the addicts, the dealers, the victim, set during twentyish years or so in bombay. Wait now, light me up so we do this right, yes, hold me steady to the lamp, hold it, hold, good, a slow pull to start wi. Jeet thayil on his new novel, the book of chocolate saints. The presently available edition will only be supplied at the present best possible price. Jeet thayils bombay trilogy books author interview. Bombay is the first and last word of this first novel, an urban history written by a former drug addict through the changing composition of opiates and the changing character of their users. Burroughs or baudelaire than with the subcontinents familiar literary lights. Narcopolis by jeet thayil presents a vivid picture of the bombay drug scene, and the life of the people associated with it. Just 50 pages into jeet thayils absorbing, determined the book of chocolate saints, one of the recurring voices in the novel part of which is depicted as a series of interviews, the poet and. Naturally, it didnt win, but it was an enjoyable read nonetheless. Jeet thayil was born in kerala, india in 1959 and educated in hong kong, new york and mumbai. Narcopolis by jeet thayil and robertson dean audiobook. An addict, if you dont mind me saying so, is like a saint.
A rich, hallucinatory dream that captures bombay in all its compelling squalor, narcopolis completely subverts and challenges the literary pdf traditions for which the indian novel is celebrated. Listen to narcopolis by jeet thayil, robertson dean for free with a 30 day free trial. Narcopolis by jeet thayil is in the man booker prize 2012. What is a saint but someone who has cut himself off, voluntarily, from the worlds traffic and currency. Listen to unlimited audiobooks on the web, ipad, iphone and android. Narcopolis by jeet thayil dens and iniquity, paste magazine, 28 may 20. Shortlisted for the man booker prize written in poetic and affecting prose, jeet thayils luminous debut novel charts the evolution of a great.
Jeet thayil has 17 books on goodreads with 19274 ratings. The book sets out with the narrator arriving in bombay, where he gets sucked into the opium underground. Narcopolis jeet thayil first published in 2012 by faber and faber ltd bloomsbury house 7477 great russell street london wc1b 3da this ebook edition first published in. Narcopolis is set at a time when the popularity of opium is waning, and more dangerous drugs are about to invade the city. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading low. Jeet thayil s bombay trilogy author jeet thayil on the city that continues to remain the protagonist of his third novel, and the artistes who were raised in her arms. He was educated at jesuit schools in bombay, hongkong, and new york, and worked. Oct 04, 20 if there was recently written a more seductive novel than jeet thayils narcopolis, id like to get my hands on it. He is the editor of the bloodaxe book of contemporary indian poets 2008. It is set in 1970s old bombay and concerns opium and its influence. Jeet thayil was born in 1959 in kerala at his mothers ancestral tharavad on the banks of the muhattupuzha river.
John williamss stoner, jeet thayil s narcopolis and richard houses booker contender the kills are among the summers most hotly debated books. These books are not available for reading online from this website or for free download in pdf or ebook format. Musician and poet jeet thayil drew on his own experiences as an addict in bombay to write his first novel, narcopolis, a flashy, chaotic look at a smalltime drug dealer and his customers. Burroughs to chronicle the sick thrill of drugs, but uses the structural eye of a journalist to depict with scary clarity how. Wait now, light me up so we do this right, yes, hold me steady to the lamp, hold it, hold, good, a slow pull to start with, to draw the smoke low into the lungs, yes, oh my. He is best known as a poet and is the author of four. Performance poet, librettist, and novelist jeet thayil was born in kerala, india. Jeet thayil was born in kerala, india in 1959 and was educated in hong kong, new york and bombay. Narcopolis imports the rhythms and emphasis of charles bukowski and william s. Written in poetic and affecting prose, jeet thayil s luminous debut novel charts the evolution of a great and broken metropolis across three decades. Poet vijay seshadri noted that thayil is contemporary.
Stuart evers finds much to admire in two debut novels. Narcopolis 2012, 304 pages is the debut novel of indian author jeet thayil, previously known for his poetry. Listen to narcopolis online, on your phone, or on your. Introduced by nilanjana roy, he reads some excerpts. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading narcopolis. Jeet thayil is an indian poet, novelist, librettist and musician. This is a book about drugs, sex, death, perversion, addiction, love, and god, and has more in common in its subject matter with the work of william s. Jeet thayil born october 1959 is an indian poet, novelist, librettist and musician.
Narcopolis ebook by jeet thayil 9781101561720 read narcopolis a novel by jeet thayil with kobo. Narcopolis book by jeet thayil best price in india. Shortlisted for the man booker prize written in poetic and affecting prose, jeet thayils luminous debut novel charts the evolution. Narcopolis by jeet thayil, 2012, penguin press edition, hardcover with dustjacket in english first american edition. Does jeet thayil s narcopolis, a tale of opium dens and heroin addiction in mumbai, join that select club. He is a performance poet, songwriter and guitarist as well as a writer, and has published four collections of poetry. Price can change or vary due to reprinting, price change by publisher or sourcing cost change for imported books. The focus on the gritty, gross, twisted, and dark underbelly of an urban center reminded me greatly of irvine welshs trainspotting. Shortlisted for the man booker prize written in poetic and affecting prose, jeet thayil s luminous debut novel charts the evolution of a great. Jeet thayil has taken the subcontinents publishing scene by storm since the publication of narcopolis, which documents the underworld of contemporary mumbai and has won an array of prizes.
It is a novel about opium and its effect, set in 1970s old bombay. Jeet thayil was born in kerala, india in 1959 and educated in hong kong, new york and bombay. Shortlisted for the man booker prize written in poetic and affecting prose, jeet thayils luminous debut novel download narcopolis by jeet thayil emusic download narcopolis by jeet thayil. This was one of my two choices to win this years man booker prize. May 28, 20 its creepy yet kind of cool to think that jeet thayil, author of narcopolis, once skulked the opium dens of mumbai, india thayilan addict for 20 yearsundoubtedly writes from. The novels narrator arrives in bombay, where he becomes seduced into the opium underground. Basso cannarsa a performer poet, guitarist, journalist and now novelist, jeet thayil has seen a new dawn. Shortlisted for the man booker prize written in poetic and affecting prose, jeet thayil s luminous debut novel charts th. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading collected poems. Man bookershortlisted narcopolis by jeet thayil and pacazo by roy kesey. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. If you were to write a story set in bombay, as the poet jeet thayil prefers to call the city now known as mumbai in his outstanding debut novel. The book reads like a collection of stories, with the narrative consistently jumping in the past to cover a characters history for instance. He is best known as a poet and is the author of four collections.
This was a year of many fine novels on the mystery of the modern city. Read narcopolis by jeet thayil available from rakuten kobo. Does jeet thayils narcopolis, a tale of opium dens and heroin addiction in mumbai, join that select club. The line between those born with choices and those not so lucky is very thin. Apr 05, 20 known for his poetry, jeet thayil rose to prominence in 1992 with his stunning debut novel narcopolis, which deals with opium in 70s mumbai. Read narcopolis a novel by jeet thayil available from rakuten kobo. He is a performance poet and songwriter with four published collections of poetry. Online shopping from a great selection at books store. Jeet thayil, 53, published his first novel, narcopolis, released his first album std as one half of the singersongwriting duo sridhar thayil, and wrote his first libretto, babur in london. He was educated in hong kong, new york city, and bombay, and his work across genres is noted for its innovative lyricism and use of farranging influences.