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Fall Literary Series Benefiting
826 Valencia Scholarship Program

Cultural Studies

On Art & Politics

Social Studies

Special Events

California Academy of
Sciences Series

end of season specials

 Herbst Theatre

Tickets:
City Box Office www.cityboxoffice.com
415.392.4400

Books:
Books Inc. www.booksinc.net

Amitav Ghosh

In conversation with Rachael Myrow

Wednesday, October 7 , 2009  |  Herbst Theatre, 8pm

Amitav Ghosh is an Indian-Bengali author, anthropologist, and historian who has mined his country's past in the creation of award-winning novels. His most recent effort, Sea of Poppies, takes place in the days leading up to the horrific Opium Wars. The book follows an unlikely mix of characters-a diverse set including an Indian village woman, an American sailor, a taxman, and an evangelist opium trader thrown together by fate. All considered girmitiyas, or "indentured migrants," they are assembled for a voyage on a former slave ship, the Ibis, that will transport them from Calcutta to Mauritius for forced labor. The ethnic, linguistic, and national makeup of the crew of the Ibis shows the diversity of that time and place, and Sea of Poppies takes a broad look at the history of colonialism in the area. The first of a planned trilogy, Sea of Poppies was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize in 2008.

Rachael Myrow is reporter and the morning host for KQED's California Report, a statewide news program that provides daily coverage of the most important news and trends affecting California.

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