Anglo-Indian History Gets Its First Graphic Novel - And It's Long Overdue

Join Keith Butler for the launch of The History of Anglo-Indians: A Graphic Novel, exploring heritage, identity, and untold histories.
About this Event

Keith Butler has spent his career ensuring Anglo-Indian voices are heard. Now, the New Zealand-based, award-winning writer has done something no one has done before.

The History of Anglo-Indians: A Graphic Novel by Keith Butler and illustrated by Harry MacLure of Chennai, is the first work of its kind—a rigorously researched, visually alive account of a community that helped shape modern India, yet was probably never taught its own history—not in a school. Not in a classroom. Not anywhere in the curriculum.

Butler fears that absence may have impacted the Anglo-Indian psyche. He decided to do something about it.

The graphic novel launches in partnership with the South Asia Gallery, Manchester — the UK's boldest new space dedicated to telling the full, complex story of South Asian heritage. It is a fitting home for a book that refuses to let one of South Asia's most overlooked communities remain a footnote.

The History of Anglo-Indians speaks directly to Anglo-Indians in India and across the diaspora, to Indians who grew up alongside this community, and to anyone who believes the full story of a nation belongs to everyone.

Bold in form. Unfiltered in truth. Long overdue.

Keith Butler's work has appeared in Penguin, Meanjin, The Age (Melbourne), Anglo-Ink Books, and the Scopus-listed International Journal of Anglo-Indian Studies.

The 1.5-hour event will feature a presentation by Keith Butler on the research and journey behind The History of Anglo-Indians: A Graphic Novel, followed by an opportunity for attendees to explore the book, purchase copies, have them signed, and engage in conversation with the author. The session will also include an audience interaction segment, offering space for reflection, questions, and discussion around Anglo-Indian history, identity, and heritage.