The Siege of Krishnapur

Posted by Riklaa on July 1, 2009 at 11:32pm
This would be classified as Historical Fiction. You have all of the ingredients that make up a particular time or event, but set in a fictional setting with caricatures of the stereotypes that make up that time or event. The Siege Of Krishnapur from the 1973 novel by J.G. Farrell dramatised by Olivier, Sony and Writer's Guild award winning Shelagh Stephenson Producer: Eoin O'Callaghan Broadcast 10 and 17 May 2009 (Classic Serial) It is 1857, and British rule in India is under siege. Inspired by the sieges of Cawnpore and Lucknow, this dramatization details the siege of a fictional town during the Indian Rebellion, from the perspective of the British residents. The main characters find themselves subject to the increasing strictures and deprivation of the siege, which reverses the "normal" structure of life where Europeans governed Asian subjects. The absurdity of the class system in a town that no-one can leave becomes a source of comic invention, though the text is serious in intent and tone. Heat, starvation, disease and death take their toll on the besieged colonists. But though vaguely absurd and impossibly insular in their outlook, they are given the opportunity to show the stuff of which they are made. Some, remarkably, rise to the occasion, surprising even themselves, while others betray the more preposterous traits of 19th-century colonialism and the reason why the Raj was ultimately destined to collapse. 160/44; 132 MB total; sound quality excellent Part 1 of 2 - It is 1857 and British rule in India is under threat. At first the colonists are confident that their 'superior culture' will prevail, but the Indian mutineers soon show their mettle. Part 2 of 2 - A series of attacks has all but destroyed the Residency at Krishnapur. Now swamped with squabbling civilians, the Collector is unsure how much longer his defences can hold out. Hopkins, The Collector ...... Alex Jennings Fluery ...... Ben Askew Prince Hari ...... Shiv Grewal Harry Dunstaple ...... Matt Addis Louise Dunstaple ...... Jasmine Hyde Dr Dunstaple ...... Malcolm Tierney Mrs Dunstaple ...... Caroline Guthrie Willoughby ...... Sam Dale Miriam ...... Janice Acquah Dr MacNab ...... Stephen Hogan The Padre ...... Philip Fox Cutter ...... Jonathan Tafler Lieutenant Peterson ...... Paul Rider Lucy Hughes ...... Lizzy Watts The Siege of Krishnapur From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia The Siege of Krishnapur is a novel by the author J.G. Farrell published in 1973. Inspired by events such as the sieges of Cawnpore and Lucknow the book details the siege of a fictional Indian town during the Indian Rebellion of 1857 from a single perspective: that of the British residents. The main characters find themselves subject to the increasing strictures and deprivation of the siege, which reverses the "normal" structure of life where Europeans governed Asian subjects. This reversal accounts for much of the success of the book, which is not just an early-1970s exercise in empire-bashing, nor an orthodox account of the decay of civilisation under pressure. The book portrays an India under the control of the Raj not under the East India Company as it was in 1857. The absurdity of the class system in a town no one can leave becomes a source of comic invention, though the text is serious in intent and tone. The book gained positive reviews from a variety of sources. and won the Booker Prize in 1973 (list of winners). Farrell used his acceptance speech to attack the sponsors for their business activities. In [2008] the book was short-listed with six other former winners for The Best of the Booker. Part One of Two

Farrell,JG - The Siege of Krishnapur 1of2 2009-05-10.mp3

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