Confessions of a Thug is an English novel written by Philip Meadows Taylor. This crime-novel was first published in 1839. A best-seller in 19th-century Britain, the novel is based on the Thuggee cult in India. Its popularity can be gauged from the fact that many consider it as the British Empire’s most sensational folklore fiction in the first half of the 19th century. Many readers in India place it as one of the most influential novels about India. Thanks to this novel, the word “thug” incorporated in the English dictionary, meaning deceiver.
The plot of Confessions of a Thug revolves around a fictional character, a Muslim thug named Ameer Ali. It tells a tale of crime and retribution in India which started in the late 18th century and ended in 1832. The novels story divulges the practices of the Thugs, as they were called. During that period, they resorted to murdering innocent travelers for money and valuables. Alis confession and conversation with authors stand-in English man provides a strand for the narrative of the novel.
About the Author
What separates Taylor from other English writers that several of his stories tell illustrating periods in Indian history and society, giving prominence to the native feature, institutions and traditions, for which he had a great regard. In particular, Seeta is remarkable for a sympathetic, romantic portrayal of the marriage between a British civil servant and a Hindu widow just before the Indian Mutiny.
