The Glass Palace

Last updated
The Glass Palace
The Glass Palace.jpg
Hardback 1st edition cover
Author Amitav Ghosh
CountryUS, India
Language English
Genre Historical Fiction
PublisherRavi Dayal, Penguin India
Publication date
2000
Media typePrint (hardback)
ISBN 81-7530-0310

The Glass Palace is a 2000 historical novel by Indian writer Amitav Ghosh. The novel is set in Burma, Bengal, India, and Malaya, spans a century from the Third Anglo-Burmese War and the consequent fall of the Konbaung Dynasty in Mandalay, through the Second World War to late 20th century. Through the stories of a small number of privileged families, it illuminates the struggles that have shaped Burma, India and Malaya into the places they are today. [1] It explores the various facets of the colonial period, including the economic fall of Burma, the rise of timber and rubber plantations, the moral dilemmas faced by Indians in the British Indian Army, and the devastating effects of World War II. Focusing mainly on the early 20th Century, it explores a broad range of issues ranging from the changing economic landscape of Burma and India, to pertinent questions about what constitutes a nation and how these change as society is swept along by the tide of modernity. [2]

Contents

The name of the novel derives from the Glass Palace Chronicle , which is an old Burmese historical work commissioned by King Bagyidaw in 1829.

Summary

Part One - Mandalay

The novel starts with an 11-year-old boy called Rajkumar running through the city of Mandalay to find a woman called Ma Cho. He is the last surviving member of his family and comes to Burma from India with a bright entrepreneurial spirit and a hunger for success.

Rajkumar's work as an assistant on Ma Cho's food stall takes place in the shadow of the Glass Palace, in which King Thibaw and his wife reside with their daughters, the princesses. As the Third Anglo-Burmese War breaks out, everyday citizens of Mandalay are able to enter the enshrined building, and it is then that Rajkumar spots Dolly, one of the princesses' attendants, and instantly falls in love with her. However, the entire Royal Family and their entourage are quickly extradited by the British and sent into house arrest thousands of miles away on the West coast of India.

Part Two - Ratnagiri

Thibaw Palace, Residence of Burmese King exiled in Ratnagiri by British. King Thibaw is one of the few real characters in the novel. King Thebaw -Ratnagiri.jpg
Thibaw Palace, Residence of Burmese King exiled in Ratnagiri by British. King Thibaw is one of the few real characters in the novel.

Whilst Rajkumar's quickly evolving career begins to take shape with the help of Saya John, a successful teak merchant (Ma Cho's sometime lover), we are given a glimpse into the awkward beginnings of a new life for King Thebaw and his family as they try to settle into the port town of Ratnagiri, north of Goa. Events conspire to weave Outram House (the name of the residence the British provide to house the family and what remains of their assistants) more firmly into the life of Ratnagiri than had been expected. King Thebaw is revered by the local community, and in time the family come to feel secure and even happy in their new surroundings. The arrival of a new Collector stirs up feelings of resentment towards the colonial regime, but Uma, the Collector's headstrong wife, is able to help bridge the gap by befriending Dolly.

Meanwhile, Rajkumar has been enduring the hardships of the teak trade, having witnessed man and beast working together on an epic scale as elephants transport large volumes of wood down from the forests for sale into the British Empire's vastly expanding markets. Being the opportunist that he is, Rajkumar starts to make his own way in world after receiving advice from his new friend and colleague Doh Say. Borrowing cash from Saya John, he makes the journey to India to recruit poverty-stricken village-dwellers into the comparatively lucrative (yet undoubtedly perilous) world of early oil-mining in Burma. Having made enough money this way, Rajkumar does what has been his dream for some time: buy a timber-yard of his own, with Doh Say as business partner.

Having built a more than modest commercial empire, Rajkumar had one piece of unfinished business: to track down the only girl he'd ever loved, Dolly. Through an Indian connection in Rangoon (Yangon), Rajkumar makes contact with Ratnagiri via Uma, and is accordingly granted an audience with the Collector and his wife over a meal that of course stiffly conforms to colonial best practice. To his surprise, Dolly is present, and after some drama, he finally persuades her to leave the family she has been exiled with, and return with him to Burma as his wife.

Part Three - The Money Tree

Saya John prides himself on being able to spot the next big commodity, and on their return to Rangoon, he hands Rajkumar and Dolly a small clump of odd elastic material rubber ...

Part Four - The Wedding

A joining of multi-ethnic families in Calcutta.

Part Five - Morningside

Life before World War II on a rubber plantation in Malaya, run by Rajkumar with help of Saya John.

Part Six - The Front

The story of the Japanese invasion of Malaya and Burma and the subsequent family losses of lives and properties.

Part Seven - The Glass Palace

Post WWII lives of the scattered families.

Characters

Burmese Royal Family

Rajkumar's Family

Saya John's Family

Uma Dey's Family

Awards and translations

The Glass Palace was the Eurasian regional winner in the "Best Book" category of the 2001 Commonwealth Writers' Prize, [3] but Amitav Ghosh was not aware that his publishers had submitted his book, and he withdrew it upon learning that he had won the regional round. [4] It is also winner of Grand Prize for Fiction, Frankfurt eBook Award, 2001 [5] and New York Times Notable Books of 2001.

The Glass Palace was translated and published into over 25 languages. It was also translated into Burmese by writer Nay Win Myint and published serialized at one of Burma's leading literary magazines Shwe Amyutay. Since the last part of novel is an extended elegy to Aung San Suu Kyi , Burmese Press Scrutiny Board asked for many cuts in the translation. [6] The Burmese translation won the Myanmar National Literature Award in 2012. [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ratnagiri</span> City in Maharashtra, India

Ratnagiri is a port city on the Arabian Sea coast in Ratnagiri District in southwestern Maharashtra, India. The district is part of Konkan division of Maharashtra. The city is known for the Hapus or Alphonso mangoes. Ratnagiri is the birthplace of Indian independence activist Lokmanya Tilak. Thibaw, the last king of Burma, alongside his consort Supayalat and two infant daughters were exiled to a two-storied brick mansion in Ratnagiri. The building is now known as Thibaw Palace. This place has many villages like Karla, Rajiwada, Mirkarwada, etc.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Konbaung dynasty</span> Dynasty ruling Myanmar from 1752 to 1885

The Konbaung dynasty, also known as the Third Burmese Empire (တတိယမြန်မာနိုင်ငံတော်), was the last dynasty that ruled Burma/Myanmar from 1752 to 1885. It created the second-largest empire in Burmese history and continued the administrative reforms begun by the Toungoo dynasty, laying the foundations of the modern state of Burma. The reforms, however, proved insufficient to stem the advance of the British, who defeated the Burmese in all three Anglo-Burmese Wars over a six-decade span (1824–1885) and ended the millennium-old Burmese monarchy in 1885. Pretenders to the dynasty claim descent from Myat Phaya Lat, one of Thibaw's daughters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thibaw Min</span> Last King of Burma (reigned 1878–1885)

King Thibaw, also Thebaw or Theebaw, was the last king of the Konbaung dynasty of Burma (Myanmar) and also the last Burmese monarch in the country's history. His reign ended when the Royal Burmese armed forces were defeated by the forces of the British Empire in the Third Anglo-Burmese War, on 29 November 1885, prior to its official annexation on 1 January 1886.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Supayalat</span> Chief queen consort of Burma

Supayalat, also spelt Suphayalat, was the last queen of Burma who reigned in Mandalay (1878–1885), born to King Mindon Min and Queen of Alenandaw. The British corruption of her name was "Soup Plate". She was married to her half-brother, Thibaw, who became the last king of the Konbaung dynasty in 1878, upon Mindon Min's death. She is best known for engineering a massacre of 80 to 100 royal family members, to prevent potential rivals from usurping Thibaw's power, although she had always denied any knowledge of the plot, which may have been hatched by her mother together with some of the ministers, including the chancellor Kinwon Min Gyi U Kaung.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Taw Phaya Galay</span>

Prince Taw Phaya Galay Aung Zay was a Burmese prince, businessman and politician. He was one of the senior members of the Royal House of Konbaung and the grandson of King Thibaw and Queen Supayalat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Myat Phaya Lat</span> H.R.H. Princess Ashin Hteik Suhpaya Mayat Phaya Lat

Princess Myat Phaya Lat was a Burmese royal princess and most senior member of the Royal House of Konbaung. She was the Royal Householder after the death of her father, King Thibaw while in exile in 1916.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Myat Phaya</span> H.R.H. Princess Ashin Hteik Suhpaya Mayat Phaya

Princess Myat Phaya, was a Burmese royal princess and Head of the Royal House of Konbaung. She was the third daughter of the last ruling king of Burma, King Thibaw and his queen Supayalat.

Prince Edward Taw Phaya was the Pretender to the Throne of Burma. He was the second son of Princess Myat Phaya Galay, the fourth daughter of King Thibaw and Queen Supayalat. Upon the death of his aunt Myat Phaya Lat in 1956, he became the Head of the Royal House of Konbaung.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Konbaung tombs</span>

The Konbaung tombs are a collection of mausoleums built by Konbaung dynasty kings. They are scattered throughout the former royal capitals of Mandalay Region, including Mandalay, Amarapura, and Inwa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hteik Su Phaya Gyi</span> Burmese princess (1923–2021)

Princess Hteik Su Phaya Gyi, also known as Su Su Khin or Pwar May or Princess Tessie, was a Burmese princess and the final surviving royal of the Konbaung dynasty. Daughter of Princess Myat Phaya Galay, she was a senior member of the Royal House of Konbaung.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Myat Phaya Galay</span> H.R.H. Princess Ashin Hteik Suhpaya Mayat Phaya Galay

Princess Myat Phaya Galay was a Burmese royal princess and senior member of the Royal House of Konbaung. She was the fourth daughter of the last ruling king of Burma, King Thibaw, and his queen Supayalat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Taw Phaya Gyi</span> Burmese prince

Prince George Taw Phaya Gyi was a Burmese prince and heir to the defunct throne of Burma. He was the eldest son of Princess Myat Phaya Galay and the grandson of King Thibaw and Queen Supayalat. During the Japanese occupation, the Japanese government sought to set up Burma as a puppet kingdom within its empire with him as its puppet ruler.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Supayagyi</span> Chief queen consort of Burma

Supayagyi, also spelt Suphayagyi, was the penultimate chief queen consort of the Konbaung dynasty, and was married to Thibaw Min, the last monarch in the dynasty.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daing Khin Khin</span>

Daing Khin Khin, also known as Mi Khingyi, was a Burmese noblewoman and royal concubine of Thibaw Min, the last monarch of the Konbaung dynasty. She became the central figure in a renowned Burmese historical account that narrates a queen's endeavors to ensure fidelity in a reigning monarch.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Supayalay</span> Burmese queen consort (1863–1912)

Supayalay was a junior queen consort of the Konbaung dynasty, and was married to her half-brother Thibaw Min, the last monarch in the dynasty, in 1878. She was one of the three only queens of King Thibaw.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pyinzi Supaya</span> Burmese royal princess

Thu Pabawadi, commonly known as Pyinzi Princess or Pyinzi Supaya, was a high-ranking royal princess of the late Konbaung dynasty.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mingin Supaya</span> Princess of Mingin

Thiri Thu Yadana Dewi, commonly known as Princess of Mingin or Mingin Supaya, was a high-ranking Burmese royal princess during the late Konbaung dynasty.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Khin Maung Lat</span> Burmese nobleman and courtier

Khin Maung Lat, also known as Lat Thakin, was a Burmese nobleman and courtier. He had served as Royal Secretary to King Thibaw from 1914 to 1916. He married Princess Myat Phaya Lat, the second daughter of King Thibaw and Queen Supayalat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Death and state funeral of Mindon Min</span> Death and funeral of King Mindon of Burma

Mindon Min, the tenth king of the Konbaung Kingdom, died in Mandalay Palace at the age of 64 on the afternoon of 1 October 1878. A mourning period of seven days preceded his funeral, which took place on 7 October. His son Thibaw was proclaimed the new monarch by the Hluttaw.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Myat Phaya Gyi</span>

Princess Myat Phaya Gyi was a Burmese royal princess and most senior member of the Royal House of Konbaung. She was the eldest daughter of the last ruling king of Burma, King Thibaw, and his queen Supayalat.

References

  1. Ghosh, Amitav (2000). The Glass Palace. p. Back cover. ISBN   0375758771.
  2. "There'll Always Be an England in India", www.nytimes.com, retrieved 2008-01-14
  3. "Wild West at the London Book Fair", The Guardian, guardian.co.uk = 24 March 2001, 2001-03-24, retrieved 2001-03-24
  4. Amitav Ghosh - The Writer of Truth, Kavita Chhibber, archived from the original on 2017-10-23, retrieved 2009-12-14
  5. "Amitav Ghosh re-emerges with Sea of Poppies", The Hindu , 2008-05-24, archived from the original on 2008-06-28
  6. The Glass Palace - Now in Burmese, Amitav Ghosh, 14 May 2009, archived from the original on 2009-05-17, retrieved 2009-05-14
  7. "Amitav Ghosh : Awards".