Hyderabad, July 27: “I often feel I am like a dinosaur… out of this world,” remarked renowned author Amitav Ghosh.
Amitav Ghosh was reacting to a question on how to bridge the gap between the modern-day children, who live in a virtual world, and the realities in life which he had vividly described in his historical fictions — River of Smoke and Sea of Poppies. Amitav Ghosh was in the city on Tuesday to launch his latest work, River of Smoke, the second title in the famed Ibis trilogy. The author read out passages from the book and later signed the copies.
“Historical fiction is what interests me. History is not about the past. It is about the ideas and theories,” Amitav Ghosh said as he interacted with a large number of book lovers. He said though the books in the Ibis trilogy trace back to history, they are largely fiction. “The characters are fictitious,” he said. To another question, he said he digged into the historic data at the Maritime Museum in London and travelled to the places connected with the characters for a first-hand feel.