The Siege of Krishnapur
J. G. Farrell · 1935–1979 · England
Why it matters
Besieged in an Indian station during the 1857 uprising, the British defend civilization with phrenology lectures and cannon loaded with silverware. A Booker-winning comedy of Victorian certainties dying under fire: the historical novel as demolition.
At a glance
historical fictionsatire
Difficulty 5/10medium pace344 pagesUrbane period pastiche whose comedy depends on catching the Victorian ideas being skewered.
Deep dive
How a chandelier, a bust of Shakespeare, and an entire Residency library all end up loaded into cannon, and what Farrell's black comedy is really taking aim at.
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