The rise of the self-made man, from Don Draper to Li Ka-shing

My novel Beggar’s Feast explores the life and times of a self-made Sri Lankan man. Over one hundred years, he marries three times, is widowed twice under dark circumstances, fathers 16 children and amasses great wealth, while pursuing heady adventures and shady business ventures in Australia and across Asia. Readers are often surprised to learn that the story that inspired the book comes out of my own family history. I came across it when I was in Sri Lanka a few years ago and an uncle shocked me with tales of a strange and notorious figure from our past.

The rise of the self-made man, from Don Draper to Li Ka-shing 66d56acf-4009-4428-b783-7b94438248c5

The rise of the self-made man, from Don Draper to Li Ka-shing 66d56acf-4009-4428-b783-7b94438248c5

The man in question did terrible, terrible things on his way up but kept rising and, in the end, enjoyed a rich and full and happy life. In my fictional telling, he’s called Sam Kandy and is born in rural Ceylon in 1899, where he’s told by his family and the greater society around him that his origins will prevent his becoming anything more than a dirt-poor village boy. Pushed to prove otherwise to himself and everyone else, Kandy becomes a powerful and often ruthless self-made man consumed with proving the world wrong about his chances and preventing others from knowing about his bleak beginnings.

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/c515cff8-7e03-11e3-95dd-00144feabdc0.html

The rise of the self-made man, from Don Draper to Li Ka-shing

The rise of the self-made man, from Don Draper to Li Ka-shing

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