This award-winning novel concerns the events surrounding the Sepoy uprising of 1857. A young Englishman becomes an unlikely hero when he finds himself at the center of a political whirlwind. By turns caustic and compassionate, written with sardonic wit but displaying a passionate sympathy, this novel of splendid characters and emotionally charged events fully deserves its reputation as a masterpiece.%
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Students of history will recognize 1857 as the year of the Sepoy rebellion in India--an uprising of native soldiers against the British, brought on by Hindu and Muslim recruits' belief that the rifle cartridges they were provided had been greased with pig or cow fat. This seminal event in Anglo-Indian relations provides the backdrop for J.G. Farrell's Booker Prize-winning exploration of race, culture, and class, The Siege of Krishnapur.
Like the mysteriously appearing chapatis, life in British India seems, on the surface, innocuous enough. Farrell introduces us gradually to a large cast of characters as he paints a vivid portrait of the Victorians' daily routines that are accompanied by heat, boredom, class consciousness, and the pursuit of genteel pastimes intended for cooler climates. Even the siege begins slowly, with disquieting news of massacres in cities far away. When Krishnapur itself is finally attacked, the Europeans withdraw inside the grounds of the Residency where very soon conditions begin to deteriorate: food and water run out, disease is rampant, people begin to go a little mad. Soon the very proper British are reduced to eating insects and consorting across class lines. Farrell's descriptions of life inside the Residency are simultaneously horrifying and blackly humorous. The siege, for example, is conducted under the avid eyes of the local populace, who clearly anticipate an enjoyable massacre and thus arrive every morning laden with picnic lunches (plainly visible to the starving Europeans). By turns witty and compassionate, The Siege of Krishnapur comprises the best of all fictional worlds: unforgettable characters, an epic adventure, and at its heart a cultural clash for the ages. Quite simply, this is a splendid novel. --Alix Wilber
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Book Description Hardback. Condition: Fair. A readable copy of the book which may include some defects such as highlighting and notes. Cover and pages may be creased and show discolouration. Seller Inventory # GOR002035179
Book Description Hardcover. Condition: Good. No Jacket. Missing dust jacket; Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less 1.25. Seller Inventory # G0297765809I3N01
Book Description Condition: Good. Ships from the UK. Former library book; may include library markings. Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages. Seller Inventory # GRP17490617
Book Description Condition: Good. Good Offered for sale by the Langdon Foundation: Equipping disabled adults with work and life skills. Seller Inventory # BOX 220/LAURA/23/11/2022
Book Description tapa dura. Condition: Bien. Fiction in English, 1945, Texts, Novel, Historical fiction., War stories., Sieges., Fiction, 1857-1858 The siege of Krishnapur : a novel Weidenfeld and Nicolson. London. 1973. 23cm. 344p. Encuadernación en tapa dura de editorial con sobrecubierta. Idioma Inglés. a novel by J. G. Farrell. Man Booker Prize, 1973, winner . Sobrecubierta rasgada . ISBN: 0297765809 (=3080663=) LR212. Seller Inventory # 3080663
Book Description Hardcover. Condition: Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Near Fine. UK hardback reprint from 1984, retaining jacket design of the first. Unusually crisp copy. Fine in near fine unclipped jacket. Seller Inventory # ABE-1675351733454
Book Description Condition: Good. Dust Jacket Only. 8vo. Good with tears, scotch tape repairs, losses. Price clipped on flyleaf. [First Edition]. Seller Inventory # 68-2789
Book Description Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Good. 1st Edition. Two-inch tear, a couple one-inch tears and small chip to jacket. Name in ink. Seller Inventory # 117423
Book Description Hardcover. Condition: Very Good+. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good+. First Edition. Publisher's gilt-titled cloth. First edition. Bookplate, foxing to block edge. Tight and square. The DJ in mylar has a few short edge tears. ; 8vo 8" - 9" tall; 344 pages. Seller Inventory # 41007
Book Description Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Good. 1st Edition. Seller Inventory # 000062