Erasmus Prize winner Amitav Ghosh's latest nonfiction work Opium and Imperialism looks at the transformative effects of the opium trade on Britain, India and China, and on the world over the centuries. The book blends travelogue, memoir and economic and cultural history. Ghosh finds that opium is at the root of some of the world's largest companies, many of America's most powerful families and prestigious institutions... it is deeply intertwined with contemporary globalism and even his own family's history. Moving deftly between horticulture, the myths of capitalism and the social and cultural consequences of colonialism, Smoke and Ashes reveals the vital role of a tiny plant that has left an indelible mark on the world, bringing it to the brink of destruction. ?A sharp, compelling and always accessible account of how opium has corrupted the world.? Times Literary Supplement ?Rich and engaging? this layered tale blends travelogue, memoir and historical treatise.? Telegraph ?[An] inspiring and revealing history? As a masterful storyteller, [Ghosh] has succeeded in exposing the shameful story of the British Empire?s opium trade.? Financial Times