Episode Overview

Podcast: NPR's Book of the Day
Episode Title: Amitav Ghosh’s 'Wild Fictions' gathers essays on empire and the environment
Date: January 8, 2026
Host: Andrew Limbong
Guest: Amitav Ghosh, Indian Bengali writer and essayist
Main Theme:
This episode explores Amitav Ghosh's new essay collection Wild Fictions: Essays on Literature, Empire and the Environment. The conversation dives into humankind’s relationship with the environment, migration patterns, and how the elevation of humans above all else is central to current ecological and societal crises. Ghosh offers nuanced, global perspectives on the interconnectedness of life, drawing on history, culture, and the latest scientific research.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Climate Crisis as Political, Cultural, and Imaginative (02:37–03:17)

• Host's Framing: Host Andrew Limbong opens by recalling childhood lessons about ecological interconnectedness, setting the stage for Ghosh’s broader discussion about environmental responsibility.
• Political Roots of Climate Change:
  • Ghosh argues the "climate crisis" is not just political, but "also... cultural and imaginative."
  • He explains, “it’s very hard for us today... to recognize that the world is in a sense, animate, that it’s actually an actor. And this actor is now sort of lashing out against us.” (Amitav Ghosh, 02:43–03:04)
  • He attributes nature’s current “lashing out” (e.g., climate disasters) to greenhouse gas emissions created by humans.

Rethinking the Migration “Crisis” (03:17–05:21)

• Beyond Politics and Economics:
  • Ghosh provides a nuanced take that migration is not purely about politics or economics:
    • “There is also a very important factor... really modern technology, especially modern communications technologies... these journeys, you know, they occur through the cell phone.” (03:24–04:19)
  • He reflects on field research in Italy during Europe's migration surge, emphasizing how digital networks (phones, communications) drive migration as much as aspiration or need.
• Historical Migration Networks:
  • Ghosh, referencing his Bengali heritage, notes that migration follows historical patterns:
    • “During the age of sail, a very large percentage of the world’s seamen were actually from Bengal... these networks become really an engine for moving people.” (04:29–05:21)
  • He draws parallels between past and present, suggesting that both historic and modern networks foster aspirations and continual movement.

Human-Centrism and Environmental Collapse (05:21–07:13)

• Anthropocentrism at the Core:
  • The host cites a provocative concept from Ghosh’s writing: “it is the elevation of human above all other species... responsible for our current planetary crisis.” (05:21–05:37)
  • Ghosh expands, criticizing the anthropocentric worldview:
    • “Our culture has become more and more anthropocentric... we really don’t even recognize that other forms of sentience might exist.” (05:37–06:21)
  • He summarizes rapidly evolving scientific insights, “recent work in botany... shows us that trees communicate... that a forest is much more than just a collection of trees, that it’s a living entity which makes history, which adapts to changes of various kinds.”
• Interdependence of Species:
  • Ghosh rebuts the idea of prioritizing human needs above all else:
    • “It’s not really a question of even out of just the purest self interest, we find ourselves in a position of care, where we must care for these other entities all around us because our own lives absolutely fundamentally depend on them.” (06:34–07:06)
  • Memorable analogy: If bees are exterminated, "all our food systems will collapse."
  • The message: Survival is a web—all species’ fates are intertwined.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “[Climate change] is very hard for us today... to recognize that the world is in a sense, animate, that it’s actually an actor. And this actor is now sort of lashing out against us.”
  — Amitav Ghosh (03:04)

• “This modern communications technology is really one of the drivers, in my opinion, of this enormous movement of people that we are now seeing across the planet.”
  — Amitav Ghosh (04:17)

• “Our culture has become more and more anthropocentric... to the point where we really don’t even recognize that other forms of sentience might exist.”
  — Amitav Ghosh (05:37)

• “If we do end up exterminating all the bees, all our systems will collapse, all our food systems will collapse. We know that now.”
  — Amitav Ghosh (06:34)

Key Timestamps

• 00:02 — Host introduction and theme-setting on ecological interconnectedness
• 02:37–03:17 — Ghosh on the climate crisis as a political, cultural, and imaginative challenge
• 03:17–05:21 — Ghosh on migration: the role of technology, communications, and historic networks
• 05:21–07:13 — Ghosh on anthropocentrism, plant sentience, and interdependence
• 06:34 — Ghosh on the consequences of losing bees and interconnected survival

Tone and Language

The conversation is thoughtful, urgent, and reflective, mirroring Ghosh’s thoughtful prose in his essays. Ghosh speaks with clarity, blending scientific references with cultural observation. The host supports with insightful questions, giving space for depth and nuance.

Summary

This episode offers a powerful lens into Amitav Ghosh’s worldview, as sampled from his new essay collection Wild Fictions. It challenges listeners to rethink human exceptionalism, consider the deep historical roots and modern drivers of migration, and respect the vital web of interdependent life. Ghosh’s essays, as discussed, make the case that both planetary and social crises demand more expansive, interconnected thinking—rooted in humility, care, and a reimagining of our place in the world.