Shantaram/Gregory David Roberts
I studied modern languages at school which provided an excellent education on French and German classic literature for which I am grateful. Our teacher had a theory that the life of the writer was irrelevant. The cleverest boy in our class challenged him one day on this. Since that day I have often wondered how much a writer is influenced and inspired by the life he/she led. Take one of my favourite authors Daphne du Maurier. She led a fascinating life: bisexual, married to a successful soldier who was a depressive, father a leading actor manager, her ‘uncle ‘ Jim Barrie the creator of Peter Pan, but little of this enters her novels yet she can turn one observation of a bird pestering a tractor driver into The Birds.
Gregory David Roberts was an Australian bank robber who was given a long sentence of 20 years. He escaped from jail and found himself in Bombay. He has written a graphic novel about the underworld and low life in Bombay and stresses this is a work of fiction. One of the most lovable characters in the novel Probaka, whom he befriends, has a brother who in real life takes issue with some of the ‘facts’ inthe novel . There is for example a section of the novel in which the central character Lin delivers arms to the Mujahadeen in the Afghan war against the Russians but the brother says that the actual David Roberts was in Mumbai at the time.
Perhaps it does not matter and the book should be judged on its merits. When the writer narrates in the ‘I’ form he places himself at the helm of the novel. The character Lin wants to atone for his sins, he reflects deeply and rather ponderously on the meaning of life but he still emerges as a troubled soul. He is both violent and considerate; intelligent but poor in his judgment of situations and people. The writer depicts Mumbai and its citizens brilliantly and has an ear for dialogue and eye for characterisation . Speaking to the Rusters who recently visited the city’s that actually saw Leopold’s, a cafe where the criminals of Mumbai gather. It serves as good a introduction to Mumbai as any travel guide, better in fact for describing the low life of the city.
The novel is long. I read it as an audible book and the reader, Australian actor Humphrey Bower is master of many accents. It’s duration is 43 hours and it took me a month tomfinish. Generally I like to be on the next one within a fortnight. There is not so much plot, more a series of action sequences. It would make for a great film but there has been a fight over the film rights. On his webpage the author explains that he has withdrawn from contact and the internet socially and he asserts the right of an writer by ebook to control his writings. Without knowing I would think he insisted the novel could not be edited as he wrote it clandestinely. I could not praise or recommend it unconditionally because of its length and violence but there is no doubt that here is a fresh and raw talent.
