John Gimlette is the author of four previous books. He’s also a regular contributor to the broadsheets, and all his books have featured on Radio 4. His awards include the Shiva Naipaul Prize and the Dolman Travel Book Prize.

In his latest work, Elephant Complex, he describes his travels in Sri Lanka. Few places are as contradictory. The island is home to over 5,800 wild elephants and yet it’s only the size of Ireland. It’s rich in culture and resources, and yet it’s given to moments of inexplicable rage. For the last three decades, it’s hosted not only an alluring tourist industry but also the most savage civil war Asia has ever known. There was once a time when outsiders felt they knew this island. Now, we’re not so sure.

Stone Relief depicting a Human Skeleton and an Elephant

Some Refreshment

Street Parade with Armed Police Guard

Elephants Bathing in the River Pinnawala

Shipwreck and Soldier

Morris Oxford