gregory daVid robertS'S Semi-autobiographical noVel shantaraM haS been an Australian bestseller since its original publication in 2003. Marketed largely as nonfiction, presents a fictionalized version of author's experiences as a on run, particularly his adventures in Mumbai underworld. Rob- erts's novel stands out in field of Australian literary production, which has been characterized by declining fiction sales in recent years. Following in footsteps of many notable convict authors, Roberts has also drawn on a number of generic conven- tions to produce one of most notable bestsellers in Australian publishing history. A novel displaying elements of popular fiction, literary fiction, and autobiography, unsettles categories, consequently it has attracted little academic consider- ation. With a narrative that straddles Australia and India, displays a cos- mopolitanism, which has allowed it to transcend national boundaries. In terms of its popularity, is anomalous in Australian literary landscape. Its healthy sales figures challenge notion that Australian novels are not read by local, let alone global audiences. The ongoing success of in Australia and overseas can also be partly attributed to Roberts's entrepreneurial approach to promoting his writing, which is intimately bound up with his colorful criminal persona. The provenance of Shantaram-and varied phenomena associated with it-serve to illuminate sig- nificant aspects of current publishing scene. Due to dearth of extended critical writing on Shantaram, this article draws upon reviews from newspapers and periodi- cals along with online fan responses to account for its robust readership.introductionIn 1978, Gregory David Roberts (formerly known as Gregory John Peter Smith) committed a series of armed robberies in Melbourne while addicted to heroin and was later sentenced to nineteen years imprisonment. is story of Rob- erts's escape from Pentridge prison in 1980, and his ten years on run in Asia, before his extradition from Germany and completion of his sentence back in Australia. Promoted as a novel based on author's own experiences, it has appeal of autobiography while retaining artistic license of fiction. follows adventures of protagonist Lindsey or in Mumbai-and later in Afghanistan-after his escape from Pentridge. The narrative begins with Lin's arrival in with a forged passport and new identity. At first he sees city through eyes of backpackers he befriends, but soon becomes familiar with world of slums thanks to his local guide Prabaker. It is as a result of Prabaker's invitation to visit his home village in Maharashtra that Lin is dubbed Shantaram or man of peace, despite his violent past. This re-naming allows Lin to reinvent himself and begin to make amends for his crimes. The labyrinthine plot mimics collec- tion of dwellings Lin encounters when he enters vast slum region of Mumbai. The narrative twists and turns, following Lin's skirmishes in underworld, his romantic attachment to Karla, a mysterious Swiss businesswoman, and his attempts at redemption through service as a slum doctor.an auStralian deSperate in bombayAlthough may seem unique in context of contemporary Aus- tralian literary scene, it joins a considerable tradition of Australian writing about India. Australia's first travel book about is James Hingston's The Australian Abroad (1879), which reveals Hingston's fascination with the strangeness and in- tractable difference of mysterious East (Walker 17-9). Another notable work, Mollie Skinner's Tucker Sees (1937), features Tucker, a rough and ready Aus- tralian who gets caught up in a number of Indian adventures en route to real war. Bruce Bennett observes that at end of novel, Tucker has seen India and is ready for anything life may throw at him (Bennett 555). …