Amitav Ghosh
Novelist, first English-language writer to win the Jnanpith
- Age
- 70 yrs
- Birthday in 256 days
- Works listed
- 6
- Novel, Book
- Honours
- 4
- Most recent 2018
- Profile views
- 2
- 0 followers
Amitav Ghosh is a novelist whose historical fiction ranges across the Indian Ocean world, from the opium trade to the Sundarbans. He has also written influential non-fiction on climate change, and in 2018 became the first English-language writer to receive the Jnanpith Award.
Biography
Early novels
His first novel, The Circle of Reason (1986), was followed by The Shadow Lines (1988), about memory, borders and the riots of 1964, which won the Sahitya Akademi Award. The Calcutta Chromosome (1995) won the Arthur C. Clarke Award for science fiction.
Scholar
Ghosh studied at the Doon School, St. Stephen’s College in Delhi and the University of Oxford, where he earned a doctorate in social anthropology after fieldwork in an Egyptian village — later the basis of his book In an Antique Land (1992).
Historical epics
The Glass Palace (2000) spans Burma, India and Malaya; The Hungry Tide (2004) is set in the Sundarbans. His Ibis trilogy — Sea of Poppies (2008, shortlisted for the Booker), River of Smoke and Flood of Fire — tells the story of the nineteenth-century opium trade between India and China.
Climate writer
In The Great Derangement (2016) he argued that literature had failed to confront climate change, and he followed it with Gun Island (2019) and The Nutmeg’s Curse (2021). He received the Padma Shri in 2007 and the Jnanpith Award in 2018.
Timeline
-
1956
Born in Calcutta (now Kolkata), West Bengal
-
1986
The Circle of Reason
-
1988
The Shadow Lines
-
2000
The Glass Palace
-
2004
The Hungry Tide
-
2007
Padma Shri
-
2008
Sea of Poppies
-
2016
The Great Derangement
-
2018
Jnanpith Award
Notable works
-
1988
The Shadow Lines Novel
-
1995
The Calcutta Chromosome Novel
-
2000
The Glass Palace Novel
-
2004
The Hungry Tide Novel
-
2008
Sea of Poppies Novel
-
2016
The Great Derangement Book
Awards and honours
-
Sahitya Akademi Award
1989 · The Shadow Lines.
-
Arthur C. Clarke Award
1997
-
Padma Shri
2007
-
Jnanpith Award
2018
Did you know?
-
1
He is a trained social anthropologist.
-
2
He was the first English-language writer to win the Jnanpith.
-
3
One of his novels won a major science-fiction award.
Frequently asked
Who is Amitav Ghosh?
Amitav Ghosh is a novelist whose historical fiction ranges across the Indian Ocean world, from the opium trade to the Sundarbans. He has also written influential non-fiction on climate change, and in 2018 became the first English-language writer to receive the Jnanpith Award.
How old is Amitav Ghosh?
Amitav Ghosh is 70 years old, born on 11 July 1956 in Calcutta (now Kolkata), West Bengal.
Where is Amitav Ghosh from?
Amitav Ghosh was born in Calcutta (now Kolkata), West Bengal.
What is Amitav Ghosh known for?
Amitav Ghosh is best known for The Shadow Lines; The Glass Palace; The Hungry Tide; the Ibis trilogy; The Great Derangement.
What awards has Amitav Ghosh received?
Notable honours include Sahitya Akademi Award (1989), Arthur C. Clarke Award (1997), Padma Shri (2007), Jnanpith Award (2018).
References
- Amitav Ghosh — Wikipedia. Wikipedia. Retrieved 27 October 2026.
- Amitav Ghosh — Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved 27 October 2026.
- Amitav Ghosh — Goodreads author page. Goodreads. Retrieved 27 October 2026.
- Amitav Ghosh — Hindi Wikipedia. Wikipedia (Hindi). Retrieved 27 October 2026.
- Official website. www.amitavghosh.com. Retrieved 27 October 2026.
- Amitav Ghosh (Q336125) — structured data. Wikidata. Retrieved 27 October 2026.
Includes material from the Wikipedia article “Amitav Ghosh”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. That text is available under the same licence. Learn more
External links
Featured in
About this profile
- Researched by the TrackFame editorial team; reviewed by Sanjay Sokal under our editorial policy
- First published 27 October 2026
- Last updated
Cite this page
“Amitav Ghosh.” TrackFame, last updated 28 October 2026. https://trackfame.com/person/amitav-ghosh
Discussion 0
Sign in or create an account to join the discussion.
No comments yet — be the first.
More in Literature
Literature
Kabir
Fifteenth-century poet-saint of the Bhakti movement
Literature
Vikram Seth
Novelist and poet, author of A Suitable Boy
Born 1952
Film & TV
Gulzar
Poet, lyricist and film director
Born 1933
Literature
Arundhati Roy
Novelist and essayist, winner of the Booker Prize
Born 1961
Literature
Mahasweta Devi
Bengali writer and activist for tribal communities
1926 – 2016
Literature
Chetan Bhagat
Best-selling author of Five Point Someone and 2 States
Born 1974