The Heir from Calcutta

The action in the book unfolds in the 18th century. The heir of the count's title, Frederick Ryland, and his fiancée Emily are returning from Calcutta to the shores of England. A pirate ship captained by Bernardito boards their vessel. The subsequent events develop rapidly, with plot lines intricately intertwining in various corners of the globe — England, Italy, Spain, along the coast of Africa, and in North America. Extraordinary twists of the plot, vibrant characters — all this makes the book impossible to put down.
This edition includes an afterword by Felix Schtilmark, detailing the life and work of the writer, as well as the completely fantastical story of the creation of "The Heir from Calcutta", and a complete set of illustrations by Arkady Lurie.

Robert Alexandrovich Shtilmark (1909–1985) was a remarkable Russian writer, author of the legendary novel "The Heir from Calcutta". The book was written in 1950–1951 in a Stalinist camp. In a letter to his son, Shtilmark reported that he "had come up with something adventurous, maddeningly complex and entertaining, that doesn't fit into any boxes". The novel was published in 1958 and instantly became a bestseller.