Confessions of a Thug (novel)

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Confessions of a Thug
Author	Philip Meadows Taylor
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English
Genre(s)	Novel
Publisher	Kessinger Publishing
Publication date	1839
Media type	Print (Hardback & Paperback)
Pages	552 pp
ISBN	ISBN 141911381X

Confessions of a Thug is an English novel written by Philip Meadows Taylor in 1839 based on the Thuggee cult in British India. Ameer Ali, the anti-hero protagonist of Confessions of a Thug, was said to be based on a real Thug called Syeed Amir Ali (or Feringhea), whom the author was acquainted with.^[1]

Confessions of a Thug went on to become a best seller in 19th century Britain. The book also became one of Queen Victoria's favourite novels. The story of the Thuggee cult was popularized by Confessions of a Thug, leading to the Hindi word "thug" entering the English language.

1 Subject Matter
2 Synopsis of the Plot
3 See also
4 References
5 External links

[edit] Subject Matter

This book is a tale of crime and retribution. Set in 1832 in India, the story lays bare the practices of the Thugs, or deceivers as they were called, who lived in boats and used to murder those passengers whom they were able to entice into their company in their voyages up and down the rivers. This classic was originally published in 1839, and reprinted in 1873.

[edit] Synopsis of the Plot

The life and careers of Thugs were dramatized in the novel.

"A strange page in the book of human life is this! Thought I, as he left the room. That man, the perpetrator of so many hundred murders, thinks on the past with satisfaction and pleasure; nay he takes a pride in recalling the events of his life, almost every one of which is a murder, and glories in describing the minutest particulars of his victims, and the share he had in their destruction, with scarcely a symptom of remorse! Once or twice only has he winced while telling his fearful story, and what agitated him most at the commencement of his tale I have yet to hear."