The Shadow Lines

The Shadow Lines  – Amitav Ghosh (b. 1956) is a citizen of the world in the true sense of the term. Through his works he has sought to bring the peoples of the world closer by questioning the meaning of political freedom in the modern world and the force of nationalism. Hailed as a potential Nobel Prize winner for Literature, Ghosh is the recipient of several national and international awards. The Shadow Lines is considered to be his best work so far. It spans three generations and the multi layered narrative vividly brings alive the trauma of the partition of Bengal when India attained freedom in 1947. The present critical study examines Ghosh’s magnum opus from all angles ? the story telling technique, its characterisations as well as the private upheavals mirrored by public turmoil ? the Blitz in war-time in London, civil strife in post-Partition Bengal and communal riots in Calcutta. Shakti Batra, formerly Vice-Principal of Dyal Singh College (University of Delhi), he has taught at the Kabul University and the International University of Kyrgyzstan, Bishkek.