Shantaram

'A literary masterpiece . . . at once erudite and intimate, reflective and
funny . . . it has the grit and pace of a thriller' Daily Telegraph

A novel of high adventure, great storytelling and moral purpose, based on an
extraordinary true story of eight years in the Bombay underworld.

'In the early 80s, Gregory David Roberts, an armed robber and heroin addict,
escaped from an Australian prison to India, where he lived in a Bombay slum.
There, he established a free health clinic and also joined the mafia, working
as a money launderer, forger and street soldier. He found time to learn Hindi
and Marathi, fall in love, and spend time being worked over in an Indian jail.
Then, in case anyone thought he was slacking, he acted in Bollywood and fought
with the Mujahedeen in Afghanistan . . . Amazingly, Roberts wrote Shantaram
three times after prison guards trashed the first two versions. It's a
profound tribute to his willpower . . . At once a high-kicking, eye-gouging
adventure, a love saga and a savage yet tenderly lyrical fugitive vision.'
Time Out