The Indian poet-novelist Tabish Khair was born and educated in Bihar, India, but now lives mostly in Aarhus, Denmark where he is a professor of English at the University of Aarhus. His books include "Babu Fictions" (2001) and "The Bus Stopped" (2004).
A lyrical writer whose prose is often called "poetic," Khair is also known for his reluctance to allow his work to be categorized as representative of any kind of post-colonial Indian literary tradition. ("Can I represent anyone other than myself?" he once asked an interviewer. "On what grounds can I speak for someone else?")
"The Thing About Thugs" is set in Victorian England and tells the story of an Indian villager who travels to London with an English captain and fascinates him with the story of his life as a murderous thug.
