A Great Clamour: Encounters with China and Its Neighbours

An intellectual who faults the Communist Party for not being left enough; a Tibetan poet who has become the conscience of her nation; and the bestselling novelist who has began to enjoy ‘the fruits of capitalism’—here are some of the people through whom Pankaj Mishra explores the contradictions and dynamism of modern-day China. Journeying to Tibet on the newly built express from Beijing, to Mongolia on the Trans-Siberian Railway, and then through Indonesia, Malaysia and Taiwan, he draws, too, a vivid portrait of China’s neighbours, and the shadow the restless giant casts over its stage. Full of unexpected ideas and fresh insights, A Great Clamour is an extraordinary account of contemporary Asia from one of our finest essayists.