Drunken Boat / Fortunate Traveller Press has announced the publication of Bhutan, a multi-genre collaboration between poet and photographer Sudeep Sen and writer Ravi Shankar. The book, available on Amazon, combines Sen's poetry and photography with Shankar's prose to create a portrait of Bhutan that goes beyond its reputation as the world's last Shangri-La.
Shankar, a Pushcart Prize winner and author of 18 books, approaches Bhutan's claim of being the happiest country on Earth—measured by Gross National Happiness rather than GDP—with wit, analytical rigour, and genuine wonder. His prose traces the country's modernizing monarchy, Buddhist heritage, and the complicated textures beneath the official narrative. Sen, an internationally acclaimed poet and photographer whose work has appeared in The Times Literary Supplement and The Guardian, provides spare, musical couplets and striking photographs of prayer flags, monasteries, and mountain light.
The collaboration offers a two-voiced, multi-modal portrait of a country at the crossroads of tradition and transformation. The book has garnered praise from notable figures, including actress Shabana Azmi, who called it "a unique and personal multi-genre book," and Dasho Kinley Dorji, who described it as "an elegant treasure trove." Diane Mehta noted that Shankar's "wit and his sceptical commentary is a foil for Sen's delicate musical poetry," while Amit Majmudar highlighted the "sheen of eudemonic delight and heightened astonished awareness" that adheres to the book.
Bhutan, nestled in the eastern Himalayas, has long cultivated its image as a happy kingdom, but the book delves into the reality behind that image. Shankar's prose moves with curiosity and candour, absorbing landscapes and sacred sites without surrendering critical intelligence. Sen's poetry and photography operate as short flashes of organic form, obsessed with colour, texture, and the sacred, making the book a genuinely integrated work of art.
The publication details include a trade paperback format with full colour, ISBN 978-0-9882416-3-7, and a price of $29.95. Sen and Shankar, both of South Asian origin, bring their unique perspectives to the work. Sen is the first Asian to deliver the Derek Walcott Lecture and read at the Nobel Laureate Festival, while Shankar teaches at Tufts University and is the founding Editor-in-Chief of Drunken Boat.
The book is not a conventional travelogue but a literary reckoning with place, beauty, and the stories nations tell about themselves. It offers readers a nuanced understanding of Bhutan's culture and its journey toward modernity, making it relevant for those interested in travel literature, poetry, photography, and South Asian studies.
