'A triumph: a first class comprehensive narrative of the impact upon the people of the Indian Ocean of those who penetrated it. It is hard to believe that this account of a European epic has any rival.' J. M. ROBERTS, author of the Penguin History of the World

 Until Vasco da Gama discovered the sea-route to the East in 1497-9 almost nothing was known in the West of the exotic cultures and wealth of the Indian Ocean and its peoples. It is this civilisation and its destruction at the hands of the West that Richard Hall recreates in this book. Hall's history of the exploration and exploitation - by Chinese and Arab travellers, and by the Portuguese, Dutch and British alike - is one of brutality, betrayal and colonial ambition. It is history told with the true gift of a storyteller and a keen eye for the exotic. It is a compelling and instructive epic.

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The Los Angeles Times says "Richard Hall's prose displays a rare polish, and his accounts of ordinary and exceptional lives unfold in graceful cadences." Fidelities is a stunning collection of stories that explores the varieties of gay experience - love stories, both passionate and compassionate; tales of suspense; narratives on the theme of AIDS; even a ghost story. Among the most adept and technically accomplished writers of his generation, Hall's third and last collection of short stories is an eloquent work of immense power. The author of the novels The Butterscotch Prince and Family Fictions, Hall's short stories give a sense of having been distilled and polished over time till they glow with depth and wisdom. "Diamonds Are Forever" highlights a gay man and his married sister who are incapable of seeing the shared traits that make it so difficult for them to accept each other; the story's carefully paced wrangling over an heirloom is masterful. "Avery Milbanke Day" features a 70-year-old writer - his seven novels about "the literature of hesitation" long neglected - decides to stay with his old dying lover and nurse him through a final crisis instead of attending a public celebration of his novels and himself. In "Country People" the author presents a gentle, eerie metaphor for the search for a sense of history, reflecting on previous generations of gay men and lesbians. Hall's final publication before his own death at age 66 from AIDS-related causes, this 30th year anniversary edition celebrates his art at its peak. This new edition includes a foreword by Alexander Inglis. "[A] rich, poignant collection ... The ruminations in Fidelities are remarkably palpable, utterly believable. Enlivened by precise flourishes of description, they touch directly on the reader's empathy button, and hold." - San Francisco Chronicle"Many of these stories are light in tone and charming in manner, but the relentless presence of AIDS and its consequences animates them ... Hall excels at depicting how to go on." - Washington Post Book World"Hall's stories evoke comparison with Henry James or Maupassant, Hemingway and Fitzgerald . A luminous collection . Hall has found in gay life stories to amuse, entertain, and move." - Lambda Book Report"Hall writes ... in a measured, often moving voice that explores the difficulties of grief and commitment." - Kirkus Reviews"Hall shows again and again his fidelity to the gay male community at large. These stories are the work of an acknowledged master at the top of his form." - Bay Area Reporter"Beautifully controlled ... arresting ... insightful ... pungent ... diverse ... [and] keenly observed." - Publishers Weekly

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