Shantaram
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- Create Date：2022-10-14 04:54:59
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Gregory David Roberts
- ISBN：1742611079
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Summary
"A publishing phenomenon" Sunday Times
It took me a long time and most of the world to learn what I know about love and fate and the choices we make， but the heart of it came to me in an instant， while I was chained to a wall and being tortured。
Shantaram is a novel based on the life of the author， Gregory David Roberts。 In 1978 Roberts was sentenced to nineteen years imprisonment as punishment for a series of robberies of building-society branches， credit unions， and shops he had committed while addicted to heroin。 In July 1980 he escaped from Victoria's maximum-security prison in broad daylight， thereby becoming one of Australia's most wanted men for what turned out to be the next ten years。 For most of this period he lived in Bombay。 He set up a free health clinic in the slums， acted in Bollywood movies， worked for the Bombay mafia as a forger， counterfeiter， and smuggler and， as a gun-runner， resupplied a unit of mujaheddin guerrilla fighters in Afghanistan。 This is the setting of Shantaram。
Apart from having this highly unusual personal background， Greg Roberts is a very gifted writer。 His book is a blend of vivid dialogue， unforgettable characters， amazing adventures， and superb evocations of Indian life。 It can be read as a vast， extended thriller， as well as a superbly written meditation on the nature of good and evil。 It is a compelling tale of a hunted man who had lost everything - his home， his family， and his soul - and came to find his humanity while living at the wildest edge of experience。
Gregory David Roberts retired from public life in 2014 to devote time to his family and new writing projects。
The Mountain Shadow ， sequel to Shantaram ， is available now。
PRAISE FOR SHANTARAM
"A literary masterpiece 。。。 at once erudite and intimate， reflective and funny 。。。 it has the grit and pace of a thriller" Daily Telegraph
"Powerful and original 。。。 a remarkable achievement" Sunday Telegraph
"Extraordinarily vivid 。。。 a gigantic， jaw-dropping， grittily authentic saga" Daily Mail
"At once a high-kicking， eye-gouging adventure， a love saga and a savage yet tenderly lyrical fugitive vision。" Time Out
Fans of Vikram Seth， John Irving and David Mitchell will love Shantaram。
It took me a long time and most of the world to learn what I know about love and fate and the choices we make， but the heart of it came to me in an instant， while I was chained to a wall and being tortured。
Shantaram is a novel based on the life of the author， Gregory David Roberts。 In 1978 Roberts was sentenced to nineteen years imprisonment as punishment for a series of robberies of building-society branches， credit unions， and shops he had committed while addicted to heroin。 In July 1980 he escaped from Victoria's maximum-security prison in broad daylight， thereby becoming one of Australia's most wanted men for what turned out to be the next ten years。 For most of this period he lived in Bombay。 He set up a free health clinic in the slums， acted in Bollywood movies， worked for the Bombay mafia as a forger， counterfeiter， and smuggler and， as a gun-runner， resupplied a unit of mujaheddin guerrilla fighters in Afghanistan。 This is the setting of Shantaram。
Apart from having this highly unusual personal background， Greg Roberts is a very gifted writer。 His book is a blend of vivid dialogue， unforgettable characters， amazing adventures， and superb evocations of Indian life。 It can be read as a vast， extended thriller， as well as a superbly written meditation on the nature of good and evil。 It is a compelling tale of a hunted man who had lost everything - his home， his family， and his soul - and came to find his humanity while living at the wildest edge of experience。
Gregory David Roberts retired from public life in 2014 to devote time to his family and new writing projects。
The Mountain Shadow ， sequel to Shantaram ， is available now。
PRAISE FOR SHANTARAM
"A literary masterpiece 。。。 at once erudite and intimate， reflective and funny 。。。 it has the grit and pace of a thriller" Daily Telegraph
"Powerful and original 。。。 a remarkable achievement" Sunday Telegraph
"Extraordinarily vivid 。。。 a gigantic， jaw-dropping， grittily authentic saga" Daily Mail
"At once a high-kicking， eye-gouging adventure， a love saga and a savage yet tenderly lyrical fugitive vision。" Time Out
Fans of Vikram Seth， John Irving and David Mitchell will love Shantaram。
Reviews
Riccardo Mondavi
，
One of the best books ever read: everything ranging from love to war， from friendship to treachery， from philosophy to religion。 Definitely recommended to discover India and Bombay of the 1980s
Sion Leslie-Potter
，
Brilliant
Nicole Haber
，
one of my favorite books of all time。
LINDA MEYERS
，
Wonderful from beginning to end。。。A novel full of not only a story but of wisdom and life lessons。 The depth the author takes us is remarkable given the amount of pain Lin goes thru， emtionally and physically。 A full picture of life choices and getting or not getting what we truly want in life。
Jessica King
，
This book was by far the BEST book that I have read in my life。The characters， the quotes， literally everything was phenomenally written！
Gerard Mulhair
，
An epic story set in an epic country。 Really enjoyed it。 Almost reads like 4 stories in one。 Long but worth it。
Sharon McAlpine
，
The portrayal of Bombay was exceptional and so detailed， I felt as if I had been transported there。 The writing is beautifully done。 I must admit I did stop reading the book for a week， but picked it back up and finished it。 Well worth pursuing until the end。
Edward Correa
，
Enamorado de este libro。 Simplemente es de esos relatos que uno quiere seguir leyendo para siempre， sin que se acaben las páginas。 Y decir eso después de 900 páginas tiene todo el mérito del mundo。 Cuesta encontrar un libro tan extenso， con tantos giros en la historia， con tantos personajes （de nombres complicados para nosotros en occidente） y que aún así mantenga la calidad de principio a fin。 Ya desde el primer 20% del libro sabía que tenía algo especial en las manos， y solo puedo agradecer qu Enamorado de este libro。 Simplemente es de esos relatos que uno quiere seguir leyendo para siempre， sin que se acaben las páginas。 Y decir eso después de 900 páginas tiene todo el mérito del mundo。 Cuesta encontrar un libro tan extenso， con tantos giros en la historia， con tantos personajes （de nombres complicados para nosotros en occidente） y que aún así mantenga la calidad de principio a fin。 Ya desde el primer 20% del libro sabía que tenía algo especial en las manos， y solo puedo agradecer que la calidad se mantuviera a lo largo de toda la obra。 Definitivamente es una obra imperdible。 Absolutamente recomendada！ 。。。more
Eleanor
，
Non ho parole。 Questo libro ha tutto il mio cuore， la mia anima， la mia persona。 E le mie lacrime più sincere。 Grazie Shantaram❤️
Linda
，
This was a really ambitious book。 A little too ambitious for me。 It started off enchanting with descriptive details of Bombay and all it’s characters。 I felt like I was there amongst them and enjoying the ride until the book changed。 It lost it’s beauty。 The characters were either “evil” or “good” depending on how Linbaba felt towards them。 He is our sole ride through Bombay and our only source of knowledge。Gregory David Roberts brings us into his semi-auto graphical novel with his character Lin This was a really ambitious book。 A little too ambitious for me。 It started off enchanting with descriptive details of Bombay and all it’s characters。 I felt like I was there amongst them and enjoying the ride until the book changed。 It lost it’s beauty。 The characters were either “evil” or “good” depending on how Linbaba felt towards them。 He is our sole ride through Bombay and our only source of knowledge。Gregory David Roberts brings us into his semi-auto graphical novel with his character Lin， better known as Linbaba。 Lin escaped an Australian prison ， obtained a New Zealand passport and escaped to Bombay。 He losses all his money， moves to a slum and miraculously learns the many dialects spoken there which wins the hearts of all that meets him。 He establishes a free medical clinic for slum-dwellers and becomes close all of them。 He falls in love with a woman named Karla。 Their love falls flat as does this novel in later chapters。 He somehow survives prison life where he’s beaten and starved and then becomes the favored Bombay Mafia soldier by a crime boss named Khaderbhai。 Khader becomes his spiritual advisor and father-figure 。 He gets stabbed， beaten， threatened so many times sometimes all in one night I stopped caring。 He fights a war in Afghanistan and even beats an heroine addiction。 It’s a lot for one lifetime。 Philosophy lesson from his mafia boss: “Anything that promotes， enhances， or accelerates this movement toward God is good。 Anything that inhibits ， impedes， or prevents it is evil。 And if we want know if something is good or evil- something like war and killing and smuggling guns then we ask the questions: What if everyone did this thing？ Would that help us ， in this bit of the universe， to get there， or would it hold us back？ And then we have a pretty good idea whether it’s good or evil。 What’s more important， we know why it’s good and evil。”Words to live by…。。 。。。more
Irene
，
This book has been on my shelf for many years。 As I picked it up to read， I was wondering if it could keep my interest for 900+ pages。 Well， it did。 What a wonderful book！ Loved the narrator's voice and the characters he introduced me too。 He took me to India， its culture， the slums， & their neighbors， especially the Afghans。 What a fascinating story that rid me of some of my false impressions of the region。 I find it interesting that it gets either 5 or 1 stars on Goodreads。 This book has been on my shelf for many years。 As I picked it up to read， I was wondering if it could keep my interest for 900+ pages。 Well， it did。 What a wonderful book！ Loved the narrator's voice and the characters he introduced me too。 He took me to India， its culture， the slums， & their neighbors， especially the Afghans。 What a fascinating story that rid me of some of my false impressions of the region。 I find it interesting that it gets either 5 or 1 stars on Goodreads。 。。。more
Doppia D
，
Non nascondo la mia paura per un romanzo ambientato in India。 Stupidamente pensavo agli stereotipi di "tigri-elefanti-foreste-povertà"。 Invece sono rimasto abbagliato da un ottimo stile narrativo e ad un'India che ovviamente era molto diversa da come me l'ero immaginata e che mi ha subito catturato :） Non nascondo la mia paura per un romanzo ambientato in India。 Stupidamente pensavo agli stereotipi di "tigri-elefanti-foreste-povertà"。 Invece sono rimasto abbagliato da un ottimo stile narrativo e ad un'India che ovviamente era molto diversa da come me l'ero immaginata e che mi ha subito catturato :） 。。。more
Sarah
，
1，000 pages of egotism and self-arrogance combined with an irritatingly brilliant story。 I have never hated a book and yet loved it so much at the same time。
Giannis
，
Δε μπορώ να βάλω λιγότερο από πέντε αστέρια σε ενα βιβλίο που σε συνεπαίρνει απο τις πρώτες σελίδες και κρατάει αμείωτο το ενδιαφέρον και την αγωνία μέχρι τις τελευταίες προτάσεις！ Αδιανόητα καλογραμμένο από έναν καταζητούμενο， φυγά που μέσα από τα δικά του， πραγματικά， βιώματα， παρέδωσε ένα διαμάντι της λογοτεχνίας！ Ένα έργο που σε λίγο καιρό θα θεωρείται κλασσικό στη κατηγορία του！
Maureen Bauer
，
One of my very favorite novels is "The Far Pavillions" by MM Kaye。 This story "Shantaram" is so very similar to that favorite story。 Gregory David Roberts has such a lyrical way of explaining even the mundane events of his existence living and working in Bombay。 I was not able to read it as often as I normally would have continued to read because I left it at my daughter's house while I babysat one Friday night， and was not able to pick it up for almost another week。 I loved the characterization One of my very favorite novels is "The Far Pavillions" by MM Kaye。 This story "Shantaram" is so very similar to that favorite story。 Gregory David Roberts has such a lyrical way of explaining even the mundane events of his existence living and working in Bombay。 I was not able to read it as often as I normally would have continued to read because I left it at my daughter's house while I babysat one Friday night， and was not able to pick it up for almost another week。 I loved the characterizations of the people in Lin's world。 His love of India， more specifically Bombay， are so evident in his descriptions of the events in his tale of life on the run。 I recommend this book to anyone who loves reading。 。。。more
Keruonedz
，
Shantaram opened a new world for me - full of poverty， smells， broken people。 However， it was also full of kindness， ability to help and to care for each other。 Bombai and India are very vibrant - maybe a bit much for me - it was interesting， though， to take a peak into its dis-order。 "I love it，" I answered and it was true。 To my eyes， the city was beautiful。 It was wild and exciting。 Buildings that were British Raj-romantic stood side to side with modern， mirrored business towers。 The haphazar Shantaram opened a new world for me - full of poverty， smells， broken people。 However， it was also full of kindness， ability to help and to care for each other。 Bombai and India are very vibrant - maybe a bit much for me - it was interesting， though， to take a peak into its dis-order。 "I love it，" I answered and it was true。 To my eyes， the city was beautiful。 It was wild and exciting。 Buildings that were British Raj-romantic stood side to side with modern， mirrored business towers。 The haphazard slouch of neglected tenements crumbled into lavish displays of market vegetables and silks。 I heard music from every shop and passing taxi。 The colours were vibrant。 The fragnances were dizzyingly delicious。 And there were more smiles in the eyes on those crowded streets than in any other place I´d ever known。 Above all else， Bombai was free - exhilaratingly free。 I saw that liberated， unconstrained spirit wherever I looked， and I found myself responding to it with the whole of my heart。 The past reflects eternally between two mirrors - the bright mirror of words and deeds， and the dark one， full of things we didn´t do or say。 "You´re a great listener。 That´s dangerous， because it´s so hard to resist。 Being listened to - really listened to - is the second-best thing in the world。""Okay， I will call you Lin。 I will call you Lin brother。 And you will call me Abdullah， isn´t it so？" "I guess it is。" Then we will remember this night， at the concert of the blind singers， because it is the night we begin brothering for each other。""The truth is that there are no good men， or bad men，" he said。 "It is the deeds that have goodness or badness in them。 There are good deeds， and bad deeds。 Men are just men - it is what they do， or refuse to do， that links them to good and evil。""Khaderbhai is a man who makes the future，" Abdullah concluded， when we stopped for a traffic signal。 "Most of us - me and you， my brother - we wait for the future to come to us。 But Abdel Khader Khan dreams the future， and then he plans it， and then he makes it happen。"One of the slum words in Hindi for lepers can be translated as the undead， and I felt that I was holding the nightmares of the undead in my hands。 All the world of suffering disease was concentrated in that glass of water。 I hesitated。 Karla once said that men reveal what they think when they look away， and what they feel when they hesitate。 With women， she said， it´s the other way around。For this is what we do。 Put one foot forward and then the other。 Lift our eyes to the snarl and smile of the world once more。 Think。 Act。 Feel。 Add our little consequence to the tides of good and evil that flood and drain the world。 Drag our shadowed crosses into the hope of another night。 Push our brave hearts into the promise of a new day。 。。。more
Raquel Salustio
，
Even if it wasn't based on the author's own experience and it was a product of his imagination it would be an amazing book。 What a life to live in such a sensitive way。 Much more than a thriller or a novel， it has the most profound philosophical insights。 Even if it wasn't based on the author's own experience and it was a product of his imagination it would be an amazing book。 What a life to live in such a sensitive way。 Much more than a thriller or a novel， it has the most profound philosophical insights。 。。。more
Miroslav
，
It is quite an adventure， one that takes you to different worlds several times over， it is quite a personál Journey full of protagonist emotions and inaides， there is a lot of it that happens as it is a long book， somsetimes it is very predictible， but at its best it is not。I came upon this book through Stewards Brand Whole Earth discipline， he mentions it in a chapter of his book dealing with overpopulation and describing slums not just mere symptom of this human explosion but as a part of a so It is quite an adventure， one that takes you to different worlds several times over， it is quite a personál Journey full of protagonist emotions and inaides， there is a lot of it that happens as it is a long book， somsetimes it is very predictible， but at its best it is not。I came upon this book through Stewards Brand Whole Earth discipline， he mentions it in a chapter of his book dealing with overpopulation and describing slums not just mere symptom of this human explosion but as a part of a solution as well， he speaks of strnog human relationships and comunal life and drive for work for better life， that can catapult people from worse Conditions to better in ageneration or two。 This books describes just such a thing while dealing with slum dvelers， they are the real heroes of this book。 I enjoyed it very much， thank you。 :D 。。。more
Ana Sobral
，
Que viagem maravilhosa fiz com este livro gigante em todos os sentidos！Demorei muito a acabar mas não senti pressa nenhuma， queria mesmo demorar-me em cada descrição， em cada aventura， em cada personagem。Não é um livro fácil mas eu senti que transformou， que mexeu cá dentro。 Fiquei fascinada com as descrições dos locais e das pessoas。 E apesar de ser de facto muito descritivo e extenso， não me cansou minimamente。 Este livro é 5 estrelas！
Debra Baker
，
You Must Read This BookShantaram is the best novel I've ever read。 Gregory David Roberts has a unique way with words， describing every scene in minute detail， taking you there。 You come to love the characters and care for each one。 I'll look for more books by him。 You Must Read This BookShantaram is the best novel I've ever read。 Gregory David Roberts has a unique way with words， describing every scene in minute detail， taking you there。 You come to love the characters and care for each one。 I'll look for more books by him。 。。。more
Greg
，
This was quite the story， I loved it at times， but I hated so many more times。 I cried a lot and felt disgusted way too many times。 The prose is exquisite， loved the accurate s descriptions of peoples， places， feelings and situations。 But honestly I’d never recommend this book to anyone battling depression or recovering from addictions。 It was hard， it got too real too many times。 It’s a great book but I would never read it ever again。
Lurdes
，
Usually I´m the kind of reader who chooses a book and reads it in an almost compulsive way。 Because I´m a great fan of detective crime novels， thrillers and spy novels and I "need" to get to the end！ But with "Shantaram" that didn't happen！ At first it was hard to try to understand such a different and shocking reality。 I couldn't move forward and felt frustrated。 I got to a point I had to admit that this book had to be read slowly。 Now and then It was necessary to stop and reflect on reading。 A Usually I´m the kind of reader who chooses a book and reads it in an almost compulsive way。 Because I´m a great fan of detective crime novels， thrillers and spy novels and I "need" to get to the end！ But with "Shantaram" that didn't happen！ At first it was hard to try to understand such a different and shocking reality。 I couldn't move forward and felt frustrated。 I got to a point I had to admit that this book had to be read slowly。 Now and then It was necessary to stop and reflect on reading。 And then I started to enjoy what I read more and more！It is by no means a page turner！ It's a book that forces us to reflect and put into perspective some of the "truths" that we hold as absolute， some of the choices we make or let the others make for us。。。Don't be frightned by the number of pages because when you reach the end you will realize that it was really worth it！ 。。。more
Melina Grinover
，
The descriptions in this book liberally take you to the places shantaram went。 From the beginning of the book I loved the way it was written but after all I was bored by the plot and the progress was so slow after the 70% of the book that I literally scrolled over many pages without reading。
Лена Горская
，
Вот уж с какой книгой точно не заскучаешь。 Тут вам и индийский фильм ，где все друг друга любят и танцуют， и боевик со своими мафиями и перипетиями， и философия с религией。 В общем， приключение на приключении， в этом и есть ее минус。 Настолько перегружена событиями， что после прочтения， я вздохнула с облегчением。 А на факт про историю основанную на реальных событиях， хочется сказать "Серьёзно？！" 。 Разве может столько выпасть на судьбу одного человека。Но это все же не значит， что книга мне не понр Вот уж с какой книгой точно не заскучаешь。 Тут вам и индийский фильм ，где все друг друга любят и танцуют， и боевик со своими мафиями и перипетиями， и философия с религией。 В общем， приключение на приключении， в этом и есть ее минус。 Настолько перегружена событиями， что после прочтения， я вздохнула с облегчением。 А на факт про историю основанную на реальных событиях， хочется сказать "Серьёзно？！" 。 Разве может столько выпасть на судьбу одного человека。Но это все же не значит， что книга мне не понравилась。 Я люблю Индию и все что с ней связано， автор полностью погрузил меня в страну， в которой я ни разу не была。 История преступного Бомбея меня захватила и удивила。 Ну и главное， давно я не читала чего то настолько приключенческого。 Не смотря на огромный обьем， я не могла оторваться （не считая дебри Афганистана， через которые я с трудом пробивалась ожидая возвращения в Бомбей） 。 。。。more
Gareth Brown
，
Phenomenonal
Christa Palmer
，
I do not understand why some people love this book。 It is utterly unrealistic and far too long。
Heidi Compton
，
I originally read this book about 10 years or more ago and loved it - this time round I could only skim read the second half as it felt long-winded， full of details I didn’t care about to do with the workings of the mafia etc。 I loved the first part of the book， with tales of the slum and his friendship with Prabaker - very touching， funny and entertaining and gave you a real sense of life in the Bombay slums。 The tales of his live interest were too cheesy and annoying as she was a pretty in lik I originally read this book about 10 years or more ago and loved it - this time round I could only skim read the second half as it felt long-winded， full of details I didn’t care about to do with the workings of the mafia etc。 I loved the first part of the book， with tales of the slum and his friendship with Prabaker - very touching， funny and entertaining and gave you a real sense of life in the Bombay slums。 The tales of his live interest were too cheesy and annoying as she was a pretty in likeable character and you wondered why he bothered - anyway ended up skipping a lot of second half and leaving it on holiday on purpose as I wouldn’t pass it on to friends… However I will be watching it on Apple TV when it comes out - make a great series if done well :-） 。。。more
Ethan Everson
，
One of my favorite books of all time。 The story is semi-autobiographical about a man who is on the run from Australian authorities after escaping from prison。 He flees to Bombay India in the 1980s and the story follows his life from then on。 It is an amazing story full of great friendships， heartbreaking love stories， and almost unbelievable action sequences。 The main character experiences all levels of society from extreme poverty to extravagant wealth。 Some parts will make you laugh， others wi One of my favorite books of all time。 The story is semi-autobiographical about a man who is on the run from Australian authorities after escaping from prison。 He flees to Bombay India in the 1980s and the story follows his life from then on。 It is an amazing story full of great friendships， heartbreaking love stories， and almost unbelievable action sequences。 The main character experiences all levels of society from extreme poverty to extravagant wealth。 Some parts will make you laugh， others will make you cry， and some parts will make your jaw hit the floor with amazement。 All in all I can't recommend this book enough。 。。。more
Bianca Lo
，
250 pages in then i gave up。。 think that’s a good faith effort。 The beginning was really promising - it was a good setup。 But very soon， Linbaba got annoying。 Every time he philosophizes about something or admires someone else’s philosophizing （this happens every 2 minutes） or laments about what a terrible person he is， I find myself cringing。 A lot of times it doesn’t even make sense… it’s like the author’s just dying to gush his soul out in an overly florid way and the best vehicle for that is 250 pages in then i gave up。。 think that’s a good faith effort。 The beginning was really promising - it was a good setup。 But very soon， Linbaba got annoying。 Every time he philosophizes about something or admires someone else’s philosophizing （this happens every 2 minutes） or laments about what a terrible person he is， I find myself cringing。 A lot of times it doesn’t even make sense… it’s like the author’s just dying to gush his soul out in an overly florid way and the best vehicle for that is to philosophize about random crap， skip the logic。 。。。more
Federica Zeppieri
，
Se non fosse che a volte risulti leggermente patetico e stereotipato， il libro merita cinque stelle。 La storia è incredibile e avvincente。 Non ho amato il protagonista e il personaggio di Karla， ma gli altri personaggi formano una costellazione umana variopinta， interessante e piena di cuore。 Ne vale la pena。
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Shantaram
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Shantaram&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Shantaram&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0