Amitav Ghoshs unique ability to link nostalgia with more serious theme makes him one of the finest

contemporary authors of English literature. The theme, treatment and style of his books like The Calcutta Chromosome, and Sea of Poppies, stand out. Many critics believe that he should have won last year Man Book prize. Ghosh has written for many publications including The Hindu, The New Yorker and Granta and has served on the juries of many International film festivals,comprising of Locarno and Venice. Biography Amitav Ghosh was born in Calcutta (now Kolkata) on January 1, 1956. He did his schooling from Doon School, graduated from St Stephens Collge, Delhi and did his PhD in social anthropology from St Edmund Hall, Oxford. He has been a Fellow at the Centre for Studies in Social Sciences, Calcutta. In 1999, Ghosh joined the faculty at Queens College, City University of New York as Distinguished Professor in Comparative Literature. He has also been a visiting professor to the English department of Harvard University since 2005. He is working on a trilogy to be published by Penguin Books India. Ghosh`s latest work of fiction is Sea of Poppies (2008) an epic saga, set just before the Opium Wars which encapsulates the colonial history of the East. The book also got a nomination for Man Booker Prize in 2008. Ghosh`s fiction is characterized by strong themes that may be somewhat identified with post colonialism but could be labeled as historical novels. His topics are unique and personal; some of his appeal lies in his ability to weave "Indo-nostalgic" elements into more serious themes. He is currently living in New York with his author wife Deborah Baker. She is the author of Laura Riding biography In Extremis. They have two children, Lila and Nayan. Ghosh has recently purchased a property in Goa and is returning to India. Popular Books/Creations The Circle of Reason (1986) The Shadow Lines (1990) The Calcutta Chromosome (1995) The Glass Palace (2000) The Hungry Tide (2004) Sea of Poppies (2008) Other Books/Creations In an Antique Land (non-fiction)(1992) Dancing in Cambodia and At Large in Burma (Collection of Essays) The Imam and the Indian (Collection of Essays) Incendiary Circumstances (A collection of Essays)(2006) Awards & Prizes The Circle of Reason won the Prix Medicis Etranger, one of France`s top literary awards. The Shadow Lines won the Sahitya Akademi Award & the Ananda Puraskar The Calcutta Chromosome won the Arthur C Clarke Award for 1997 The Glass Palace won the Grand Prize for Fiction at the Frankfurt International e-Book Awards in 2001

The Hungry Tide won the Hutch Crossword Book Prize in 2006 In 2007 Amitav Ghosh was awarded the Grinzane Cavour Prize in Turin, Italy Sea of Poppies was shortlisted for the 2008 Man Booker prize