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THE GLASS PALACE

The Glass Palace (2001) by leading Indian author Amitav Gosh is a historical novel and family saga that looks at the creation of contemporary Myanmar (formerly known as Burma) through two families, one Burmese royalty, the other Indian. It extends a period of 115 years. Along with mass critical acclaim, The Glass Palace has been translated into 25 languages.

Its themes include colonialism, heartbreak, and personal grit. The historical novel is divided into seven parts.

While The Glass Palace has hundreds of characters, one of its main protagonists is an 11 year old orphan boy named Rajkumar; he is a refugee from India with an entrepreneurial drive and a romantic heart. The novels opens to a scene of British cannons going off in the suburbs of Mandalay, the capital of what was called Burma, right before the English invasion of 1885. While Rajkumar overheard some speculation that the British were unhappy with trade deals proposed by Burma’s king, King Thebaw, no one actually thought that was reason enough to go to war.

Rajkumar is the only person quick-witted enough to know that the city is under siege. He found work as an assistant food seller to Ma Cho, a bright and gruff (but also kind) woman who is a distant friend of his family’s. The two hide their wares and prepare for the invasion.

When the British invade Mandalay in 1885, the royal family goes into exile in India. With the glass palace empty, thousands of people stream through its hallowed halls to loot everything that isn’t nailed down; this includes its highly valuable crystals and mirrors, which will be sold on the black market later. It’s during this chaotic moment that Rajkumar catches a glimpse of the 10-year-old Dolly, who is a beautiful girl and the queen’s favorite servant. He falls in love with her instantly.

The two have a brief talk, then promise to find each other again, someday. He vows one day to make enough money so that she will marry him. As the years progress and Rajkumar becomes a successful businessman, he will think of Dolly and push himself toward greater success for the chance to be reunited with her.

Rajkumar learns about the teak fine-furniture business through Saya John, a personable man. from East Asia who Ma Cho periodically took as a lover. Saya John tells Rajkumar all about teak, a type of plant used to wood; teak is highly valuable for its polished appearance.

The narrative then switches to detailing the exiled family’s life in Ratnagiri, a small fishing village in the suburbs of Bombay (currently called Mumbai). Queen Supayalt is increasingly frustrated with her thwarted life; the family has to ration their resources and she has lost all of
her social prestige. She frequently takes her anger out on the help.

But not all of the family shares her distress. King Thebaw, while initially distraught, ends up making the most of his new living situation under British powers. He and his family become prominent figures in these village, and they all gain some peace in exile.

Political life in Ratagiri does become heated after an ambitious Collector (a high-powered administrator from the British-Indian government) moves into town and starts bossing everyone else around. Some of his actions infuriate Dolly, but Uma—the Collector’s wife—apologizes for her husband’s bullying behavior, and lets Dolly know that she’s sympathetic toward the Indian movement for independence.

Meanwhile Rajkumar, now in his late 20s, has advanced his career by transporting teak with elephants, and entering oil drilling operations in Burma. Eventually, he earns enough money to found a private lumber mill. His friend and business partner, Doh Say, helps him run the lumber mill.

With enough money in the bank, Rajkumar hires a private investigator to find Dolly. They are both in their early 40s. He finds out that she is now employed at the house of Uma and the Collector. He dines there, sees Dolly working there, and after some brief romances, asking her to move back with him to Burma, which was now called British Malaya.

Rajkumar and Dolly have two children: Neel and Dinu. Rajkumar’s several teak enterprises flourish. He becomes one of the world’s top stationary producers through his lumber mill. He tries not to think about his collaboration with British rule.

After some sage advice from Saya John, Rajkumar makes the most of the burgeoning rubber industry during WW1. He becomes an even wealthier man.

In WWII, the mid-Asian countries unite against a belligerent Japan. Rajkumar’s business doesn’t fare as well as it did in WWI. When Japan invades British Malaya, they show no mercy on local businesses, and seize all of Rajukumar’s assets. The family is effectively ruined.

After much war, death, and family separation, the novel concludes in 1996 during strikes from the rubber plantation workers that Rajkumar (long ago deceased) once employed. Aung San Suu Kyi, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1990, would remain under house arrest from 1988 to 2010. By describing her in-depth, the author conveys his hope for the future of Burma/Myanmar.