'Loot' traces the love, war and art that shaped India's colonial history

NPR's Book of the Day

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Books, Arts

4.2 • 672 Ratings

🗓️ 20 June 2023

⏱️ 9 minutes

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Summary

In her new novel Loot, Tania James writes of a 17-year-old woodworker who's commissioned to build a tiger automaton for the Indian ruler Tipu Sultan in the 18th century. The story is inspired by the real-life Tippoo's Tiger, one of the most famous sculptures in London's Victoria and Albert Museum. James' tale of colonization, war, love and art stretches across India and Europe – and as she tells NPR's Ari Shapiro, it continues to raise questions about historical artifacts and who should own them.

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0:00.0	Hey there, I'm Chloe Veltman and this is NPR's Book of the Day.
0:06.4	The restitution movement is gaining ground around the world as more countries fight for the return of precious artefacts stolen by invaders and colonizers in previous ages.
0:17.0	Lute, a new novel by Tanya James, delves eloquently into this issue with its fictional take on the
0:22.9	story of the real-life Tipu's Tiger. The mechanical sculpture was made for an Indian Sultan in the late
0:29.1	1700s and depicts a big cat mauling a European soldier. Raiding British force is made off with
0:35.9	the automaton and it remains in the Victoria
0:38.2	and Albert Museum to this day. All things considered host Ari Shapiro chatted with James about
0:44.1	her imagining of the tiger's journey from India to London, as well as about the author's creative
0:49.4	process. Here's Ari Shapiro. In the US., national security news can feel far away from daily life.
0:57.1	Distant wars, murky conflicts, diplomacy behind closed doors.
1:01.6	On our new show, Sources and Methods.
1:03.6	NPR reporters on the ground bring you stories of real people,
1:07.4	helping you understand why distant events matter here at home.
1:10.9	Listen to sources and methods on the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts.
1:16.8	In the late 1700s, an Indian ruler commissioned an incredible work of art.
1:22.6	It's carved out of wood, a tiger attacking a man.
1:26.7	And inside the tiger is a musical instrument similar to a pipe organ.
1:36.6	The Victoria and Albert Museum in London posted this video showing how the automaton makes music with the turn of a crank.
1:48.6	This real creation is at the center of a new novel, Lute.
1:54.9	The plot travels from India to Europe, touching on war, immigration, love, and art.
1:57.3	Tanya James is the author. Welcome.
1:59.2	Hi, Ari. Thank you for having me.
	...

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