When Amitav Ghosh began the research for his monumental cycle of novels, The Ibis Trilogy, ten years ago, he was startled to find how the lives of the 19th century sailors he wrote of were dictated not only by the currents of the Indian Ocean, but also by the precious commodity carried in enormous quantities on those currents: Opium. Most surprising of all, however, was the discovery that his own identity and family history was swept up in the story.

Author, Amitav Ghosh joined Sean on the show...