Holysmoke Posted June 22, 2008 Posted June 22, 2008 A brilliant book.. A must read for sure. here are a couple of youtube links where the author speaks [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGL5eTU5DXA]YouTube - Shantaram - Gregory David Roberts - Part 1[/ame] [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qh4GD4YLbNw]YouTube - Shantaram - Gregory David Roberts - Part 2[/ame] [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWjnkxDW0cU]YouTube - Shantaram - Gregory David Roberts - Part 3[/ame] [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjcNOzh3J1g]YouTube - Shantaram - Gregory David Roberts - Part 4[/ame] [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBJ7eMWSXfE]YouTube - Shantaram - Gregory David Roberts - Part 5[/ame] A few facts about the author.. * Armed robberies with toy pistol to support heroin habit, end year 1977 * Capture and imprisonment, 1978; Escape from Maximum Security Pentridge prison, 1980 * Helped by motorcycle gang, BLF Union, & revolutionaries to escape to New Zealand, 1980 * Fight conservation campaign to save sacred Maori mountain, Mount Maungahiha, 1981 * Escape from custody (twice) in New Zealand, end 1981 * Arrive in India, beginning 1982 FROM 1982 to 1990 * Six months in remote Maharashtrian village, learn to speak Marathi language * Live in Bombay slum, establish and operate free clinic for slum dwellers * Imprisoned in India for 4 months * Recruited by Bombay mafia, training in currency crime, gold smuggling, passports * Gunrunning operation to unit of mujaheddin fighters in Afghanistan * Wounded in action, evacuated to Pakistan, recover and return to Bombay * Appointed controller mafia forgery unit, write short stories, published in popular series * Passport smuggler to Nigeria, Zaire, Iraq, Iran, Mauritius, Sri Lanka * Establish casting agency for foreign extras in Bollywood movies, act in movies * Arrive in Germany, work as singer, establish rock band, receive recording contract * Manhunt by European police, escape custody in Italy & Switzerland, escape to India * Act in Bollywood movies & TV dramas, establish travel agency in Bombay * Passport smuggling to Switzerland, Belgium, Holland, Nigeria, Zaire, Mauritius, etc. * Break with Bombay mafia council, freelance drug smuggling missions to Europe FROM 1990 to 2004 * Captured Frankfurt, 1990, imprisoned in Preungesheim prison with terrorists, 1990-91 * Teach myself to read & write German, win concessions, extradited to Australia, end 1991 * 2 years solitary confinement, 4 years mainstream prison in Australia, begin novel, 1991-97 * Develop philosophical and cosmoogical model, "Resolution Theory" * Released from prison, begin novel 1997, end parole 2002 * Sell rights Shantaram, in USA (St. Martin’s Press) & UK (TimeWarner Books UK) * Publish Australian edition of novel, Shantaram, August, 2003 * Tour Australia, New Zealand, Europe, UK, Ireland, Hong Kong during 2004 * Sell movie rights to Johnny Depp, Brad Grey, Graham King, Warner Brothers, October 2004 * Sell Italian Translation rights to Neri Pozza, October 2004 * Begin writing screenplay for movie version of Shantaram, October 2004 Amazon's review shows that 197 out of 245 people gave the book 5 stars out of 5... Here's the first review for the book.. Shantaram is one of those books that you wait to find for five years, even a decade. You know how it is. You read a really great book and, on coming to the end page, immediately want to find another book just as good to fill its place. So you go out looking for such a book, but cannot find it. You look for a week, then a month, then months turn to years, and finally,5 to 10 years later, you finally find a book that is a really great read. Shantaram is such a book. It is an A+ story that captivates you on page one and sustains the pace through every one of its 920 pages. It overflows with a wide range of characters of every moral persuasion, good and bad. And it is rich with the big themes on the nature of humanity and the human struggle to survive and thrive, for better or worse. In addition, the actual writing is superb, descriptive and often beautiful, without ever descending into sentimental or maudlin. Roberts always manages to find the right phrase or word to bring into clear focus the incredible wide range of experiences he paints. I might add, this is one book that I do not want to see as a movie, because there is no way that a mere movie could be a fraction as good as this glorious, three dimensional work. I'll be lucky if I have to wait only another 5 - 10 years to find another book this good. I'd recommend this book to anyone who hasnt read it already. The first 400 pages of the book are time pass, and light, and then the book gets serious towards the end.. PS.. I have the ebook.. in PDF format, so if anyone needs it, just post here.. nospam 1
nospam Posted June 22, 2008 Posted June 22, 2008 looks interesting, will dld and read it, thanks. :hatsoff:
flamy Posted June 25, 2008 Posted June 25, 2008 ya am at halfway stage. He is an amazing writer. Very romantic.
chakradhar Posted June 29, 2009 Posted June 29, 2009 Please can u send me the shantaram e-book.Thanks!
DomainK Posted June 29, 2009 Posted June 29, 2009 Are they not making a movie on it starring Jhonny Depp?
nikred Posted June 29, 2009 Posted June 29, 2009 Is there a movie being made on this - What happened? :dontknow:
DomainK Posted June 29, 2009 Posted June 29, 2009 Is there a movie being made on this - What happened? :dontknow: IMDB says in development- 2011. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0429087/
DomainK Posted June 29, 2009 Posted June 29, 2009 Please can u send me the shantaram e-book.Thanks! Uploading. Wait.
DomainK Posted June 29, 2009 Posted June 29, 2009 Please can u send me the shantaram e-book.Thanks! http://rapidshare.com/files/249956987/Shantaram.pdf.html :two_thumbs_up:
flamy Posted June 29, 2009 Posted June 29, 2009 Johnny Depp is going to act in the movie :woot: of course, he is also producing it I think. He actually snatched the role from crowe iirc.
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