Richard Francis Burton

Goa, and the Blue Mountains: Or, Six Months of Sick Leave Richard Francis Burton

Burton was a young British officer during the colonial period in India. Recovering from cholera, he was sent to the Nilgiri hills to recuperate. He journeyed along the coast of western India, visiting such places as Goa (the last remnant of the mighty Portuguese empire), Calcutta, and Ootacamund (the British rest-station). Burton's writing reflects the intolerance common in the imperialist era, and yet his insatiable curiosity led him to talk to the outcasts of society as well as the elite. While Burton has an unkind word for everyone, he also displays sincere compassion and a keen eye for local culture.