Gone Away: A John Murray Journey

Introduced by Jeet Thayli, author of Booker Prize shortlisted novel Narcopolis. At the age of 20, Dom Moraes - already a celebrated poet who would go on to be regarded as one of India's finest writers - returned to his native India after finishing education in England. After spending time in Delhi, meeting Jawaharlal Nehru and the young Dalai Lama, he embarked on a meandering journey through northern India, Nepal and Sikkim at a time of political tension and the threat of invasion by China. Brilliant, curious and precocious, seldom without a drink in his hand, he chanced his way into some extraordinary situations - including staying in a Nepalese palace with a resident bear and being shot at and chased by Chinese soldiers. Gone Away details these adventures with a poet's eye for detail, and the luminosity and humour for which Moraes was known.