Confessions of a Thug

Confessions of a Thug is an English novel written by Philip Meadows Taylor. This crime-novel was first published in 1839. A best-seller in 19th-century Britain, the novel is based on the Thuggee cult in India. Its popularity can be gauged from the fact that many consider it as the British Empire's most sensational folklore fiction in the first half of the 19th century. Many readers in India place it as one of the most influential novels about India. Thanks to this novel, the word "thug" incorporated in the English dictionary, meaning ‘deceiver.’

The plot of Confessions of a Thug revolves around a fictional character, a Muslim thug named Ameer Ali. It tells a tale of crime and retribution in India which started in the late 18th century and ended in 1832. The novel’s story divulges the practices of the Thugs, as they were called. During that period, they resorted to murdering innocent travelers for money and valuables. Ali’s confession and conversation with author’s stand-in English man provides a strand for the narrative of the novel.