Smoke and ashes : opium's hidden histories

Summary: When Amitav Ghosh began the research for his monumental cycle of novels the Ibis Trilogy, he was startled to learn how the lives of the nineteenth-century sailors and soldiers he wrote about were dictated not only by the currents of the Indian Ocean but also by the precious commodity carried in enormous quantities on those currents: opium. Most surprising of all, however, was the discovery that his own identity and family history were swept up in the story. 'Smoke and Ashes' is at once a travelogue, a memoir, and an essay in history, drawing on decades of archival research. In it, Ghosh traces the transformative effect the opium trade had on Britain, India, and China, as well as the world at large. Moving deftly between horticultural history, the mythologies of capitalism, and the social and cultural repercussions of colonialism, in 'Smoke and Ashes' Ghosh reveals the role that one small plant has had in making our world, now teetering on the edge of catastrophe.