Skip to content

Narcopolis
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Narcopolis Paperback - 2012

by Jeet Thayil

A tale of vice and passion set against a backdrop of late 1970's Bombay finds a New Yorker becoming entranced with the underworld culture of an opium den and brothel where he encounters a pipe-making eunuch, a violent businessman, and a Chinese refugee.


Summary

Shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize
 
Written in poetic and affecting prose, Jeet Thayil's luminous debut novel charts the evolution of a great and broken metropolis across three decades. A rich, hallucinatory dream that captures Bombay in all its compelling squalor, Narcopolis completely subverts and challenges the literary traditions for which the Indian novel is celebrated. It is a book about drugs, sex, death, perversion, addiction, love, and God and has more in common in its subject matter with the work of William S. Burroughs or Baudelaire than with that of the subcontinent's familiar literary lights. Above all, it is a fantastical portrait of a beautiful and damned generation in a nation about to sell its soul.

From the publisher

Shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize

Written in poetic and affecting prose, Jeet Thayil's luminous debut novel charts the evolution of a great and broken metropolis across three decades. A rich, hallucinatory dream that captures Bombay in all its compelling squalor, Narcopolis completely subverts and challenges the literary traditions for which the Indian novel is celebrated. It is a book about drugs, sex, death, perversion, addiction, love, and God and has more in common in its subject matter with the work of William S. Burroughs or Baudelaire than with that of the subcontinent's familiar literary lights. Above all, it is a fantastical portrait of a beautiful and damned generation in a nation about to sell its soul.

Details

  • Title Narcopolis
  • Author Jeet Thayil
  • Binding Paperback
  • Edition F First Edition
  • Pages 304
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Penguin Books, New York
  • Date 2012-09-26
  • ISBN 9780143123033 / 0143123033
  • Weight 0.49 lbs (0.22 kg)
  • Dimensions 7.82 x 5.12 x 0.86 in (19.86 x 13.00 x 2.18 cm)
  • Ages 18 to UP years
  • Grade levels 13 - UP
  • Themes
    • Cultural Region: Indian
    • Demographic Orientation: Urban
  • Library of Congress subjects Bombay (India)
  • Library of Congress Catalog Number 2011040210
  • Dewey Decimal Code FIC

Media reviews

"Thayil’s precision and economy distill what could be a sprawling and uneven saga into an elegant tapestry of beautifully observed characters and their complex lives."

Citations

  • Library Journal, 04/01/2013, Page 47

About the author

Jeet Thayil is the author of four poetry collections, including These Errors Are Correct and English and is the editor of The Bloodaxe Book of Contemporary Indian Poets. As a musician and songwriter, he is one-half of the contemporary music project Sridhar/Thayil. He lives in Delhi, India.
Back to Top

More Copies for Sale

Narcopolis: A Novel
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Narcopolis: A Novel

by Thayil, Jeet

  • Used
Condition
Used - Good
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780143123033 / 0143123033
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Frederick, Maryland, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
NZ$8.50
NZ$6.80 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Penguin Books. Used - Good. Good condition. A copy that has been read but remains intact. May contain markings such as bookplates, stamps, limited notes and highlighting, or a few light stains.
Item Price
NZ$8.50
NZ$6.80 shipping to USA
Narcopolis : A Novel

Narcopolis : A Novel

by Jeet Thayil

  • Used
  • good
  • Paperback
Condition
Used - Good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780143123033 / 0143123033
Quantity Available
2
Seller
Seattle, Washington, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
NZ$10.26
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Penguin Publishing Group, 2012. Paperback. Good. Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
Item Price
NZ$10.26
FREE shipping to USA
Narcopolis: A Novel
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Narcopolis: A Novel

by Thayil, Jeet

  • Used
Condition
UsedGood
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780143123033 / 0143123033
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Interlochen, Michigan, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
NZ$10.48
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
UsedGood. The item shows wear from consistent use, but it remains in good condition and works perfectly. All pages and cover are intact (including the dust cover, if applicable). Spine may show signs of wear. Pages may include limited notes and highlighting. May NOT include discs, access code or other supplemental materials.
Item Price
NZ$10.48
FREE shipping to USA
Narcopolis : A Novel
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Narcopolis : A Novel

by Thayil, Jeet

  • Used
Condition
Used - Good
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780143123033 / 0143123033
Quantity Available
3
Seller
Mishawaka, Indiana, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
NZ$12.08
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Penguin Publishing Group. Used - Good. Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages.
Item Price
NZ$12.08
FREE shipping to USA
Narcopolis: A Novel
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Narcopolis: A Novel

by Jeet Thayil

  • Used
  • Paperback
Condition
Used: Good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780143123033 / 0143123033
Quantity Available
1
Seller
HOUSTON, Texas, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
NZ$12.81
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Penguin Books, 2012-09-26. Paperback. Used: Good.
Item Price
NZ$12.81
FREE shipping to USA
ANGELOLOGY

ANGELOLOGY

by Trussoni, Danielle

  • Used
  • near fine
  • Paperback
  • first
Condition
Used - Near Fine
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780143123033 / 0143123033
Quantity Available
1
Seller
N. Potomac, Maryland, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
NZ$13.63
NZ$8.43 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
NY: Penguin Books, 2011. 1st printing (2011). Trade-sized. Photo cover. Edge nicks and wear.. Paperback. Near Fine.
Item Price
NZ$13.63
NZ$8.43 shipping to USA
Narcopolis: A Novel
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Narcopolis: A Novel

by Jeet Thayil

  • Used
  • Paperback
Condition
Used - very good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780143123033 / 0143123033
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Charlottesville, Virginia, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
NZ$17.04
NZ$7.67 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Penguin Books, September 2012. Trade Paperback. Used - very good.
Item Price
NZ$17.04
NZ$7.67 shipping to USA
NARCOPOLIS
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

NARCOPOLIS

by THAYIL,J

  • Used
  • Paperback
Condition
Used - Good+
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780143123033 / 0143123033
Quantity Available
1
Seller
NEW YORK, New York, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
NZ$23.00
NZ$7.65 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
pb. Good+. All pages and cover are intact. Possible minor highlighting and marginalia. Ships from an indie bookstore in NYC.
Item Price
NZ$23.00
NZ$7.65 shipping to USA
Narcopolis: A Novel
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Narcopolis: A Novel

by Thayil, Jeet

  • Used
  • Paperback
Condition
Used:Good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780143123033 / 0143123033
Quantity Available
1
Seller
HOUSTON, Texas, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
NZ$29.58
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Penguin Books, 2012-09-26. Paperback. Used:Good.
Item Price
NZ$29.58
FREE shipping to USA
NARCOPOLIS
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

NARCOPOLIS

by THAYIL,J

  • New
  • Paperback
Condition
New
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780143123033 / 0143123033
Quantity Available
1
Seller
NEW YORK, New York, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
NZ$30.67
NZ$7.65 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
pb. New. Brand New. Ships from an indie bookstore in NYC.
Item Price
NZ$30.67
NZ$7.65 shipping to USA