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AbstractHistoryArchive Description
'Shantaram is narrated by Lin, an escaped convict with a false passport who flees maximum security prison in Australia for the teeming streets of a city where he can disappear. Accompanied by his guide and faithful friend, Prabaker, the two enter Bombay's hidden society of beggars and gangsters, prostitutes and holy men, soldiers and actors, and Indians and exiles from other countries, who seek in this remarkable place what they cannot find elsewhere.'
'As a hunted man without a home, family, or identity, Lin searches for love and meaning while running a clinic in one of the city's poorest slums, and serving his apprenticeship in the dark arts of the Bombay mafia. The search leads him to war, prison torture, murder, and a series of enigmatic and bloody betrayals. The keys to unlock the mysteries and intrigues that bind Lin are held by two people. The first is Khader Khan: mafia godfather, criminal-philosopher-saint, and mentor to Lin in the underworld of the Golden City. The second is Karla: elusive, dangerous, and beautiful, whose passions are driven by secrets that torment her and yet give her a terrible power.'
'Burning slums and five-star hotels, romantic love and prison agonies, criminal wars and Bollywood films, spiritual gurus and mujaheddin guerillas - this huge novel has the world of human experience in its reach, and a passionate love for India at its heart.'–BOOK JACKET.
Adaptations
- form y Shantaram United States of America (USA) : Paramount Pictures Anonymous Content , 2018 12552086 2018 series - publisher film/TV
Notes
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Dedication: For my mother
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Selected in December 2004 by the Australian public in an ABC poll as Australia's 67th favourite book.
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Other Formats
- Sound recording.
- Braille.
Works about this Work
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Shantaram : Portrait of an Australian Bestseller
2014
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Antipodes , June vol. 28 no. 1 2014; (p. 213-225) 'Gregory David Roberts's semi-autobiographical novel Shantaram has been an Australian bestseller since its original publication in 2003. Marketed largely as nonfiction, Shantaram presents a fictionalized version of the author's experiences as a criminal on the run, particularly his adventures in the Mumbai underworld. Magner critiques Shantaram based upon reviews from newspapers and periodicals along with online fan responses to account for its robust readership. She saysa s an exemplar of a contemporary Australian bestseller, Shantaram is instructive from a number of angles, raising questions about genre distinctions and the workings of taste as well as drawing attention to the practices of publishers, consumers, and fans.' (Publication abstract) -
Our Cup Runneth Over : Life-Stories from Fremantle Go National
2013
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Telling Stories : Australian Life and Literature 1935–2012 2013; (p. 431-436) -
Narrative, Emotions, and Autonomy
2011
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Narrative, Emotion and Insight 2011; (p. 92-108) Compares the treatment of emotions in Roberts's work with that in Elizabeth von Arnim's The Enchanted April (1922) and Joan Barfoot's Exit Lines (2008). -
Reconfiguring 'Asian Australian' Writing : Australia, India and Inez Baranay
2010
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Southerly , vol. 70 no. 3 2010; (p. 11-29) -
Shantaram : Life on the Run...
2006
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Lemuria , Winter vol. 1 no. 1 2006; (p. 124) Trikha analyses Gregory Robert's Shantaram in terms of its portrayal of the 'cross-cultural and trans-cultural values of India and Australia' (124). He comments on the novel's depictions of the city of Bombay and its inhabitants, its use of symbolism, and its reliance on the journey motif, through which both physical travel and spiritual change are registered.
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A Compelling Life on the Run
2003
single work
review
— Appears in: The Age , 16 August 2003; (p. 5)
— Review of Shantaram 2003 single work novel -
Over the Wall and Into a Ripping Yarn
2003
single work
review
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 16-17 August 2003; (p. 14)
— Review of Shantaram 2003 single work novel -
Home and Away
2003
single work
review
— Appears in: The Bulletin , 26 August vol. 121 no. 6387 2003; (p. 75)
— Review of Shantaram 2003 single work novel ; The Tyrant's Novel 2003 single work novel ; Lives and Embers 2003 selected work short story ; The Different World of Fin Starling 2003 single work novel ; My Life as a Fake 2003 single work novel -
Stranger Than Fiction
2003
single work
review
— Appears in: Brisbane News , 27 August - 2 September no. 458 2003; (p. 9)
— Review of Shantaram 2003 single work novel -
Life Lines
2003
single work
review
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 30-31 August 2003; (p. 8-9)
— Review of Shantaram 2003 single work novel -
The Scribe Who Takes Risks
2003
single work
column
— Appears in: The Age , 18-19 April 2003; (p. 3) Interviewed during the first half of 2003, Rosenbloom discusses his publishing house, Scribe, and a new work Shantaram, an autobiographical novel by Greg Roberts, due to be published in mid 2003. -
The Face : Greg Roberts : Author
2003
single work
biography
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 9-10 August 2003; (p. 3) -
Back from the Badlands
2003
single work
biography
— Appears in: Good Weekend , 9 August 2003; (p. 24-25, 27-28) -
Not Bad to the Bone
2003
single work
column
— Appears in: The Advertiser , 16 August 2003; (p. 3) -
The Pros and Cons of Rebel Writers
2003
single work
column
— Appears in: The Sunday Age , 26 October 2003; (p. 10)
Awards
- 2004 shortlisted Commonwealth Writers Prize — South East Asia and South Pacific Region — Best First Book
- 2003 shortlisted Australian Booksellers Association Awards — Booksellers Choice Award
- Melbourne, Victoria,
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cIndia,cSouth Asia, South and East Asia, Asia,
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cPakistan,cSouth Asia, South and East Asia, Asia,
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cAfghanistan,cSouth Asia, South and East Asia, Asia,