The boatman
Subtitle: an Indian love story
By: John Burbidge
Publisher: Transit Lounge
Published: 2015
Place of publication: Melbourne, Vic
Language: eng
Number of pages: 270
ISBN-13: 9781921924804
Copyright date: 2014
Subjects: Travel; Gay men; Biography; Australians; Homosexuality; Social life and customs; Description and travel
Description: The six years John Burbidge spent in India as a community development worker changed him in many ways, but one stands out from all the rest. It led him to confront a deeply personal secret-his attraction to his own sex. After taking the plunge with masseurs on a Bombay beach, he found himself on a rollercoaster ride of sexual adventuring. A complicating factor in his journey of self-discovery was the tightly knit community in which he lived and worked, with its highly regimented schedule and minimal privacy that forced him to live a double life. Written with passion, integrity and humour, The Boatman is packed with incident, anecdote, adventure and above all, real and memorable people. Burbidge takes hold of India as few have done before, deftly interweaving the search for selfhood with an intimate exploration of Indian life and society. His story shows us how, when we dare to immerse ourselves in a culture radically different from our own, we may discover parts of ourselves we never knew existed.
Notes: "First published in a different version by Yoda Press, New Delhi 2014"--Title page verso.