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The Siege of Krishnapur Empire Trilogy JG Farrell Pankaj Mishra Books

Download As PDF : The Siege of Krishnapur Empire Trilogy JG Farrell Pankaj Mishra Books

The Siege of Krishnapur Empire Trilogy JG Farrell Pankaj Mishra Books

J.B. Farrel's novels are the kind of literary experience that you settle into with anticipation and think about afterward. They are quietly and assuredly compelling, presenting realistic characters in a well defined setting living and working in their assigned place in society until caught up in historic events. Events do not transform them, or ennoble them; they merely meet the events armed with the history, skills and personalities they had when events began. Sometimes, events change their minds, but never their basic character. This is the thing that gives your that wonderful feeling of trust that arises when a reader realizes that the writer is accomplished -there will be no tricks or jarring inconsistencies. This story is about, as the title says, the Seige of Krishnapur, and the array of British colonials and native associates who anticipate, or fail to anticipate, rebellion, and then struggle to live through it. As with his other novels, the personalities of the individual characters are vividly introduced via very few lines. Each individual then remains memorable throughout. Unlike in Farrel's ther novels, the women characters unfortunately play little part in this story, serving only as decorative catalysts rather than motivated actors. Nonetheless, a J.B. Farrell novel is a five star experience that I do not want to end.


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The Siege of Krishnapur Empire Trilogy JG Farrell Pankaj Mishra Books Reviews

… is one of the themes of JG Farrell’s Booker Prize winning novel, as indicated by Pankaj Mishra in the introduction. But there were numerous other themes that also resonated. I knew of the Indian rebellion against British rule which occurred in 1857, but knew virtually no details, and felt I was long overdue to decrease the width of that lacunae. Farrell’s novel, which was written in 1973 is modeled to a large degree on the siege of Lucknow. This work is part of a trilogy which take a jaundiced view of the British Empire, with the other two being The Singapore Grip (New York Review Books Classics) and "Troubles".

The novel is set in India, but there are virtually no Indians in Farrell’s account. They are simply “the other,” with a common designation being that of “sepoy.” And they are “howling at the gates,” trying to upset a comfortable lifestyle. Their reasons are never explicitly stated, but can be deduced from the attitudes of their white English rulers, now besieged. The sole Indian that is developed as a character, at least to some degree, is Hari, the son of the local Maharaja. He is trying to straddle both cultures, both for cultural and political reasons.

Farrell develops a fair and representative sampling of characters that reflected the attitude of the British ruling class. The ultimate cynic is the Magistrate, a retired judge. The leader of the besieged British community is the “Collector,” Mr. Hopkins, so called due to his vast collection of European and Indian items. Both are “old Indian hands.” “Youth” is represented by Fleury, who had just arrived in India the previous winter, and Harry, the son of Dr. Dunstaple. There is the “padre,” interpreting “God’s Will” in the continued developments of the siege. There are three memorable women Louise Dunstaple, daughter of the doctor, and a wonderful “catch” that Fleury has his eyes on. There is Fleury’s sister, Miriam, who arrives in India with him, a young widow due to the loss of her husband in the Crimean War. And there is Lucy Hughes, a “fallen woman” for having had one sexual relationship, ever so briefly (this was the Victorian era!), and how she is shunned by her fellow women for “breaking ranks” (?)

Hubris takes many forms, and certainly a dominant theme is that British rule was justified by the amount of “good” they were bringing to the natives, often called a “civilizing mission.” In part, that civilizing mission involved the production of opium, and its export to China, which was the matter of a couple of wars. But one of the sub-themes I found most interesting was the conflict between the community’s only two doctors, culminating in very different theories about what caused cholera. Men of medicine, and therefore men of science? Hardly. Their egos become wrapped around certain hunches, and no amount of “objective facts” will change their minds. Ancient history? More than a 150 years later, though the cause and treatment of cholera is well-known, hubris was a contributing factor to the death of 7,500 Haitians from cholera in 2010.

In terms of memorable scenes, it would be hard to beat the “attack” of the black bugs, the cockchafers, which occurred in conjunction with the on-set of the monsoons. I sensed much research on Farrell’s part, over a wide range of topics, from the flora and fauna of India at the time, to military tactics and weapons, as well as the psychology of individuals in besieged settings. Bon mots? In speaking of The Collector, the author writes “At the same time he realized with a shock how much his own faith in the Church’s authority, or in the Christians’ view of the world in which he had hitherto lived his life, had diminished since he had last inspected them. From the farmyard in which his certitudes perched like fat chickens, every night of the siege, one or two were carried off in the jaws of rationalism and despair.”

Ancient history? I think not. In fact, it seems to have only become worse. In terms of isolation from the natives one is ruling, it would be hard to beat the “Emerald City” of the Green Zone inside Iraq. Padres no longer carry the gospel, it is the economists of the International Monetary Fund who know that the natives will be much happier with a flat-rate income tax. Plus ca change… As for Farrell’s excellent historical reconstruction of an uprising on the plains of northern India more than a century and a half ago, when India’s population was less than half that of the United States today, 5-stars, plus.
When I decided to read all the Booker Prize winners in chronological order, I had no idea what a slog it would be. It was such a relief to arrive at this book.

I didn't expect it to be funny. The situation is grim enough a small outpost of British soldiers and administrators are attacked by mutinous sepoys, tired of the Raj. As the resources of the British dwindle, they become stressed, dirty and hungry, yet they still cling to their prejudices and preconceived notions in the face of cold, clear experiences that put the lie to what they believe.

And yet it *is* funny because somehow we are sure we would behave and believe differently and are far superior to those poor benighted creatures in the book. I think the joke is on us, because that is what they were sure of, too, only not about fictional characters, but the real people who surrounded them.

I wonder what price we will pay for our own blindness? (less)
I found the book interesting, the writing superb. I could actually feel the heat and the dust, experience the absurdity and the horrror of the situation and enjoyed the subtle humor, at times rather ironic. I was impressed as the author gradually built up the tension and the horror from a peaceful almost boring life in India.The comments are excellent and I do not feel that more needs to be added, with the exception of one complaint.
Whenever I read the comments, I usually read the four star ones first and then look at the the lowest rating. And this is where I find fault. I do not want to write a long essay about it-- this is not the place for that-- but consider the obvious difference between the two statements "I was bored by the book" and "the book is boring". The first statement is legitimate especially if the one who writes the comment explains why he/she was bored. The second statement is unfair and incorrect. It reminds me of those trendy dinner shows on TV, when the guests give points (or stars) for the dinner. A given guest would give a very low rating for an excellently prepared fish, because this particular guest hates fish, hence the dinner served is rated low. It would be nice and kind if the commentator of a book kept in mind personal preferences do not make a fish tasty or nasty, the same as a book is not boring or entertaining, depending on what he/she likes to read.
J.B. Farrel's novels are the kind of literary experience that you settle into with anticipation and think about afterward. They are quietly and assuredly compelling, presenting realistic characters in a well defined setting living and working in their assigned place in society until caught up in historic events. Events do not transform them, or ennoble them; they merely meet the events armed with the history, skills and personalities they had when events began. Sometimes, events change their minds, but never their basic character. This is the thing that gives your that wonderful feeling of trust that arises when a reader realizes that the writer is accomplished -there will be no tricks or jarring inconsistencies. This story is about, as the title says, the Seige of Krishnapur, and the array of British colonials and native associates who anticipate, or fail to anticipate, rebellion, and then struggle to live through it. As with his other novels, the personalities of the individual characters are vividly introduced via very few lines. Each individual then remains memorable throughout. Unlike in Farrel's ther novels, the women characters unfortunately play little part in this story, serving only as decorative catalysts rather than motivated actors. Nonetheless, a J.B. Farrell novel is a five star experience that I do not want to end.