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Amitav Ghosh Wins the 2011 Blue Metropolis International Literary Grand Prix

Toronto, ON—May 01, 2011 Indian author Amitav Ghosh, author of Sea of Poppies, has won the 2011 Blue Metropolis International Literary Grand Prix. The $10,000 award is given in recognition of a lifetime of literary achievement by a writer of international stature. It was presented at a ceremony in Montreal on April 28th. Previous winners include A.S. Byatt, Margaret Atwood, Carlos Fuentes, Paul Auster, Mavis Gallant and Norman Mailer.

Born in Calcutta, Amitav Ghosh grew up in India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. He is the author of more than a dozen critically acclaimed books, including the celebrated international bestseller Sea of Poppies, published by Viking Canada and shortlisted for the 2008 Man Booker Prize.

Amitav Ghosh's previous works include non-fiction books such as The Imam and the Indian and novels such as The Hungry Tide, The Glass Palace and The Calcutta Chromosome. He currently divides his time between Calcutta, Goa and Brooklyn.

Sea of Poppies is the first novel in the Ibis Trilogy, a historical adventure that touches on the impact of colonialism, set against the backdrop of the 19th century Opium Wars. Penguin Canada will release the second installment in the Trilogy, River of Smoke, in fall 2012.

On the grand scale of an historical epic, River of Smoke follows a storm-tossed cast of characters from Calcutta to Mauritius to the crowded harbours of China in a tale as transporting and mesmerizing as an opiate induced dream. For further information, visit www.amitavghosh.com.