Gregory David Roberts

Gregory David Roberts is an Australian author whose extraordinary life story reads like the plot of one of his novels. Born in Melbourne in 1952, he became addicted to heroin following the breakdown of his marriage and loss of custody of his daughter. He robbed a series of building societies to fund his addiction, was sentenced to nineteen years in prison, escaped from Pentridge Prison in broad daylight, and fled to India on a false passport. In Bombay (now Mumbai), Roberts lived in a slum, worked with the local mafia, fought with the mujahideen in Afghanistan, and was eventually recaptured and returned to Australian prison, where he wrote his epic novel Shantaram. The book, based on his experiences, became an international bestseller, selling over six million copies and being translated into thirty-nine languages. Its sequel, The Mountain Shadow, continued the story. Shantaram was adapted as a television series by Apple TV+. Roberts has been clean from drugs for decades and now lives in India. His audiobooks and books offer listeners and readers an epic, deeply personal story of crime, redemption, love, and survival that is all the more extraordinary for being rooted in real events.