The Museum of the World, brilliantly translated from the German into English for the first time

sohela.singh@harpercollins.co.in | 11 November 2022

HarperCollins India is proud to announce the upcoming publication of  THE MUSEUM OF THE WORLD by Christopher Kloeble, translated by Rekha Kamath Rajan

 Releasing on 29 November 2022

Rs 599 | 464pp

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About the Book

Bartholomew is an orphan from Bombay. He’s twelve years old and speaks almost as many languages. That is why, in the year 1854, he is hired as a translator by the brothers Schlagintweit from Germany who, with the support of Alexander von Humboldt and the East India Company, embark upon the greatest expedition of their time, which takes them across India and the Himalayas.

But Bartholomew is also pursuing his own agenda: he wants to establish the first museum of his remarkable, complex native land. And for this, he is willing to risk everything – even his life.

Based on the true story of a huge scientific undertaking by three Bavarian brothers, and brilliantly translated by Rekha Kamath Rajan, Christopher Kloeble’s The Museum of the World is a fantastic adventure that will change the way we see the history of colonialism.

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Talking about the book, Christopher Kloeble says, ‘I couldn’t be happier that The Museum of the World is being published with HarperCollins India. For me this means the story is coming home. Even though I wrote the novel in German I always imagined the readers to be South Asian. It is my declaration of love to my other home.’

Rekha Kamath Rajan, translator, says ‘I thoroughly enjoyed translating this wonderful novel which gives an Indian narrator a voice and makes Europeans the object of his gaze.’

Rahul Soni, Associate Publisher, Literary at HarperCollins India adds, ‘The Museum of the World is a rare thing – a novel of ideas as well as a rollicking adventure yarn. Based on an actual expedition undertaken by three Bavarian brothers, it is a story of science and colonialism. But it is also a story of the coming of age of its orphan teenage narrator – and through his sense of wonder, we see our own country and its history with new eyes. This novel is a gift – and I’m delighted to be able to bring it to readers in India.’

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About the Author and the Translator

Christopher Kloeble is an award-winning scriptwriter and the author of three novels, a short story collection and a memoir. He has taught at Dartmouth College, Georgetown University, Cambridge University and Hong Kong University, among others. His books have been translated into nine languages. He lives in Berlin and New Delhi.

Rekha Kamath Rajan spent the better part of her life reading, studying and teaching German literature at Elphinstone College in Mumbai and at the Centre of German Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi. Her research focuses on representations of India in the German literary and missionary discourse.

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For review copies, interviews, excerpts or more information, please write to: sohela.singh@harpercollins.co.in