It took me thirteen long and troubled years to write Shantaram. The first two drafts of the book-six years’ work and six hundred pages-were destroyed in prison. My hands, damaged by the residual effects of frostbite, suffered so badly during the winters in the punishment unit of the prison that many pages of the manuscript journal, which survived and which I still have with me, are stained and streaked with my blood. When I was released, the hardships were severe and unrelenting. I almost, but not quite ever, despaired of finishing the book. The fact that I did complete it, this novel written in blood and tears and exultation that you’ve just read, is a testament to the help and involvement of a great many people. In making this grateful acknowledgement to them I’m sure that, unintentionally, some names will be omitted from my personal honour roll. I ask those friends and colleagues to forgive me.

I want to thank my manager, Tammy Michaels, for whom the true beauty of art is its passionate exaltations; my editor, Margot Rosenbloom; the agent for the project, Joe Regal; the first commissioning editor in the USA, Tim Bent; and George Witte, at St. Martin’s Press, whose erudition, urbanity, and love for the world of the word are an artist’s inspiration.

I thank Jessica and Nick, for their being and their forgiveness and their love; Nick, Mary, Paris, and Blaise, for the wondrous gift of their faith in me; my best friend, Shula, who was always the first to read the words, and to speak love for them; and my mother and my stepfather, whose unflagging moral, spiritual, and financial support-beyond what I’ve ever deserved or could repay-has sustained me, and uplifted this work.

Reaching back from this moment through those thirteen years, I also want to thank the following colleagues and loved ones: Alan and Maria Almeida, Trish Anderson, Mike and Jenny Arnold, Don Arnold, Chloris and Chris Bath, Christine Boyle, Kerry Boxall, Buckley Bullock, Nick and Helen Burrows, Roger Bushell, Grant Carey, William Carey, Sarah Carroll, Tracy Carroll, Alfredo Cerda, Paul Chamberlain, Narayan Chandrashekar, Julia Chennels, Glen and Bindi Choyce, Sue Coley Celia Conor, Tom Cooper, Graeme Corcoran, Laurie Cosgrove, Peter Craven, Daniella Cripa, Malcolm Crook, Li Cunxin, Alison Davidson, Mark Davis, Danny Ders, James Dorabjee, Paul Dornbusch, Cameron Drake, Suzannah Espie, Peter Feme, Lindsay Forbes, Lisa Freedman, Kate Galloway, Con Gantinas, Richard Gelemanovic, Claudia Glenewinkel, Linnet Good, Nicholas Goodwin, Sherridan Green, David Greenman, Ingrid Grobel, Lutz Grossman, Anna Hampson, Justine Hampson, Meredith Harsh, Jason and Victoria Hartcup, Wendy Hatfield, Robbie Heazlewood, Mark Holden, Chris, Lee, and Ian Hunter, Pietro The Colonel Iodice, Izumi, Bashka Jacobs, Sue Jamison, Sandy Jarrett, Jenny and Stewart, Kate Jones, Julie Jordanou, Katsuya and Michelle, Yusuf Mohammed Khan, Daniel Keays, Judi Kenneally, Val Keogh, Ranyana Kothari, Glen King, Andy Kirkland, Dr. Sue Knight, Clay Lafferty, Dr. John Lattanzio, Marc Lawrence, Kevin Leighton, Myriam Leo, Paul Linacre, Graham Lodge, Ian Lovell, Giinter Luck, Dr. Mohammed al Mahdi, Amad Malkoun, Elie Malkoun, Big Mick Mantzaris, Pat Martin, Nick and Christine Matheou, Maximillian, Elaine May, John McAuslan, Jim McManus, Joan McQueen, Martin and Claudia Meurer, Marjorie Michael, Mark Mitchell, Wendy Joy Morrissey Myriam, Jenny Nagle, Kim Albert Ng, Blaise Oarsman, Donna Palma, Kylie Parish, Lindon Parker, Vikram Patel, Jan Paull, Sally Paxton, Joyce Petrie, Susan Rokich, Max Rosenbloom, Andrew Rule, Aysha Rowe, Fabian Salamon, Kristina Schelldorfer, Michael Starkman, Sven Schmidt, David and Michelle Shipworth, Kathy Simota, Jo Skipwith, Dave Stevens, Barry and Steven Stockley, Anand Subramaniam, Sue and Phyl, Gregory and Mary Szczepaniak, Rosie Tovie, Lizette Twistleton, Gillian Upton, Rosalie Vaccari, Chandrakant Vishwanath, Void, Werner and Linda Weber, Cheryl Weinstein, Shelley and Barbara Weisberg, Chris Wilson, Cameron Woodhead, John Wooller, and Lee Xiaoshin.

Gregory David Roberts

Gregory David Roberts (born June 1952) is an Australian author, most noted for his novel Shantaram. He was a heroin addict and convicted bank robber who escaped from Pentridge Prison and fled to India where he lived for ten years.

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