The Siege of Krishanpur by J G Farrel

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India, 1857 CE.

The Siege of Krishnapur tears down British delusions about colonialism and moral superiority. It is one part of J. G. Farrels Empire Trilogy (Troubles, based around the Irish independence struggle, and The Singapore Grip set in pre-WW2 Singapore, make up the rest of the series). 

JGF modelled the siege of Krishnapur on the attacks on Kanpur and Lucknow during the First War of Independence (1857, AKA the Indian Mutiny Rebellion). Krishnapur - an apt name for a fictional Indian town - becomes a stage where the British residents face some harsh but natural consequences of colonisation; and illustrates the strains that a siege puts on the population. A crucial feature of the book that will immediately draw the reader’s attention is the reversal of roles - a battalion of Indian sepoys have sealed off Krishnapur from the outside world, and the story is told from the POV of British residents.

A cross section of British society is presented in the form of the residents of Krishnapur - civic officials, a magistrate, doctors, soldiers, a poet and a fallen woman. The siege compels the residents to confront their beliefs in the British way of life and also their own self-image. The horrible effects of a siege are detailed and those who don’t fall to the sepoys lose their lives to starvation and disease, and the rest are reduced to eating dogs and beetles. The outspoken JGF turns the tables and subjects the British to Indian rebels, forcing them to confront the true face of colonialism and fight for survival against powers human, psychological and biological (cholera, fever & filth). 

JGF’s writing is historically accurate and imaginative at the same time. As mentioned above - the book is based on the siege on Lucknow and uses first-person accounts like letters and diaries as a source and as inspiration. Despite the life-and-death scenario being played out through the book, it is also witty, absurd and sometimes hilarious to read.

The Siege of Krishnpur won the Booker Prize in 1973, and was nominated for The Best of the Booker prize in 2008. Also nominated for The Best of the Booker were works of Salman Rushdie, Peter Carey and JM Coetzee; authors more famous and more widely read than JGF, but once you chance upon a review of this book it is hard to miss how deeply The Siege of Krishnapur is acclaimed as a brilliant book. 

JGF’s other book in the series - Troubles, won the Lost Man Booker Prize in 2010. 

JGF died tragically at the age of 44; he drowned off the coast of Ireland.