A brilliantly conceived non-fiction epic, a war narrated through the lives and deaths of a single family. A young man from the sleepy south Indian coast, sensing adventure and opportunity, follows his brothers-in-law into the Army - and onto the front lines of India's Second World War. His army fights for the British Empire, even as his countrymen fight for freedom from it, and Indian soldiers end up on both sides of the vast conflict. The narrative travels from Madras to Eritrea, Iraq and Burma, unfolding the saga of a young family amazed by their swiftly changing world and devastated by its violence. 'Farthest Field' reveals how the war transformed India, its army, and the British Empire that had ruled the country for so long, and would, barely two years after the end of the war, abandon it to the horrors of Partition. In penetrating non-fiction prose, Raghu Karnad retrieves from obscurity the epic of India's Second World War - a war the world reveres, but India would choose to forget. With echoes of Edmund de Waal's Hare with the Amber Eyes and the work of Michael Ondaatje, the book is both intimate and wise. It has the emotional power of poetry and the punch of the best history.
It marks the debut of a remarkable new writer. Gold title * In the tradition of 'Hare with the Amber Eyes' (TCM 90k) and 'The English Patient' (TCM 60k), 'Farthest Field' is a powerful story of family and war. It marks the debut of a remarkable new prize-contending writer. * Raghu Karnad is a prodigiously talented and well connected young writer. His essay for the first FT-Bodley Head Essay Competition was described by Simon Schama, as "nothing short of brilliant". More of his work here:www.porterfolio.net/raghu.
karnad * For fans not just of Max Hastings, but also Michael Ondaatje, Vikram Seth's 'A Suitable Boy' and 'The Narrow Road to the Deep North' (TCM 60k). * Will be of significant interest to Kohima veterans, Indian 5th Infantry Division, Royal West Kents and the Indian Air Force. Bobby - the main character - served in the Sappers, or Royal Engineers. * Raghu's essay on Japanese POWs held during WW2 in Delhi's Old Fort will be published by Granta in an edition devoted to Indian writers - due out January 2015 to coincide with Jaipur Literary Festival, where Ragu is a regular.