Drunken Boat / Fortunate Traveller Press has announced the publication of Bhutan, a multi-genre collaboration that combines the poetry and photography of Sudeep Sen with the prose of Ravi Shankar. The book offers a nuanced exploration of the Himalayan kingdom, pushing beyond its reputation as the world's last Shangri-La and examining the complexities beneath its official narrative of happiness.
Bhutan has long cultivated an image as the happiest country on Earth, measuring prosperity through Gross National Happiness rather than GDP. In Bhutan, Shankar approaches this claim with wit, analytical rigor, and genuine wonder. His prose traces the country's modernizing monarchy, its Buddhist heritage, and the complicated textures beneath the glossy surface. Sen's poetry and photography provide a stunning counterpoint, with spare, musical couplets and evocative images of prayer flags, monasteries, and mountain light.
The collaboration creates a two-voiced, multi-modal portrait of a country at the crossroads of tradition and transformation. As described in the book's promotional materials, Bhutan is not a travel book in any conventional sense but a literary reckoning with place, beauty, and the stories nations tell about themselves.
The book has garnered praise from notable figures. Actress Shabana Azmi called it a "unique and personal multi-genre book" that brings alive aspects of the country through the authors' signature styles. Dasho Kinley Dorji described it as "an elegant treasure trove" that captures what is special about Bhutan. Writer Diane Mehta noted that Shankar's wit and skeptical commentary serve as a foil for Sen's delicate musical poetry, while Amit Majmudar praised the book's "sheen of eudemonic delight and heightened astonished awareness."
The implications of this publication extend beyond literary circles. By challenging the simplistic label of Bhutan as the happiest country, the book prompts readers to question how nations construct their identities and what metrics truly reflect well-being. For travelers, it offers a more grounded perspective before visiting a country often romanticized. For the publishing industry, the multi-genre format—integrating poetry, prose, and photography—suggests a growing appetite for hybrid works that defy easy categorization.
Ravi Shankar is the author of 18 books, including the memoir Correctional, and teaches at Tufts University. Sudeep Sen is an internationally acclaimed poet and photographer whose work has appeared in The Times Literary Supplement and The Guardian. The book is available on Amazon in trade paperback format for $29.95.
