The Calcutta Chromosome interweaves a network of traces – from the history of malaria research, theological movements generally deemed to be heretical in the West, and slightly futuristic computer technology inter alia – to provide the possibility of an alternative subaltern history, which exists in parallel with colonial history as an equally – or possibly more – potent epistemological system, albeit one which has traditionally operated through silence. The main narrative of the novel involves a re-examination of the history of late nineteenth-century malaria research by a possibly deranged Calcutta-born man named Murugan, who is convinced that Ronald Ross, the British scientist who was awarded the 1902 Nobel …
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Citation: Thieme, John. "The Calcutta Chromosome". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 28 March 2003 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=1334, accessed 22 November 2024.]
