The unwieldy host of 16,000 british soldiers, indian sepoys, wives. Return of a king bloomsbury the baillie gifford prize. The battle for afghanistan, william dalrymple tells. Return of a king has got so many different stories in it, that youre not going to want to miss even a single one of them. Jon snows girlfriend actually is my wifes first cousin. Return of a king by william dalrymple how ironic it is that the subject of one of britains greatest colonial humiliations is so overlooked today, when it is surely at its most.
To make it meaningful, and not just a rehashing of a victorian british military. Of the books swooped into being by his scholarship to. If you are the publisher or author of this book and feel that. Apeejay kolkata literary festival hosts the book launch of return of a king by william dalrymple kolkata, january 10, 20. Like dalrymples heartbreaking, extraordinary white mughals, this book is as taut and richly embroidered as a great novel. William dalrymple on his new book return of a king the. Apeejay kolkata literary festival hosts the book launch of. Of course this was not simply a tale of hubris and nemesis. Return of a king is the definitive analysis of the first afghan war, told through the lives of. Reviews william dalrymple is that rarity, a scholar of history who can really write. But none would make a better job of it than william dalrymple in this thrilling, magnificently evocative return of a king. Return of a king is a catalogue of military incompetence, stupidity and treachery on a monumental scale, and the story is told in simple, yet very elegant, prose. The battle for afghanistan, 183942 dalrymple, william on. James delingpole, mail on sunday complex and remarkable.
And as the latest occupying force in afghanistan negotiates its exit, this chronicle seems all too relevant now. Return of a king by william dalrymple used very good. A book full of literary treasures, its even richer grander history than his bestselling the last mughal and the white mughals. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. To ask other readers questions about return of a king, please sign up. One of the most successful, influential and acclaimed travel books of recent years from the author of return of a king. The imprisoned shahs wife offers the sikh maharaja ranjit singh, the lion of punjab, the kohinur in exchange for the freedom of her husband. Arts and culture william dalrymple on his new book return of a king william dalrymple tells david robinson how he was nearly killed doing the fieldwork for his brilliant new book about britains. But none would make a better job of it than william dalrymple in his thrilling, magnificently evocative return of a king.
For news about william dalrymples new book and all things related. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. William dalrymple fras frsl frgs frse born william hamiltondalrymple on 20 march 1965 is a scottish historian and writer, art historian and curator, as well as a broadcaster and critic. Apeejay kolkata literary festival 20 hosted the launch of z zreturn of a king. Colorful afghan history in return of a king newsday. My first book by william dalrymple, who is a noted historian and mainstay of the. The battle for afghanistan by william dalrymple in the spring of 1839, the british invaded afghanistan for the first time.
In white mughals, william dalrymple discovers a world almost entirely unexplored by history, and places at its centre a compelling tale of seduction and betrayal. The battle for afghanistan by dalrymple, william isbn. William dalrymple is the bestselling author of in xanadu, city of djinns, from the holy mountain, the age of kali, white mughals, the last mughal and, most recently, nine lives. William dalrymple was born in scotland in 1965, and brought up on the shores of the firth of forth.
William dalrymple, author of return of a king in 1839, great britain and russia were playing the world map like a chessboard and for no reason other than geography, afghanistan. Prizewinning and bestselling historian william dalrymples masterful retelling of britains greatest imperial disaster is a powerful and. In the spring of 1839, a gaudy pageant of 20,000 british and east india company troops marc. Return of a king by william dalrymple, seen here in delhi, focuses on the first angloafghan war. He lives with his wife and three children on a farm outside delhi.
Return of a king is the definitive analysis of the first afghan war, told through the lives of unforgettable characters on all sides and using for the first time contemporary afghan accounts of. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading return of a king. The economist in return of a king, dalrymple has done again what he did magnificently for two other telling episodes of british imperial history in white mughals 2002 and the last mughal 2006. Return of a king by william dalrymple by bloomsbury. In xanadu william dalrymple 0006544150 9780006544159 this is an account of the quest which took william dalrymple and his companions across the width of asia, along dusty, forgotten roads, through villages and cities full. In fact lets just say that in my opinion, narrative history that is as good as it gets. He was educated at ampleforth and trinity college, cambridge where he was first history exhibitioner then senior history scholar.
The latest and most brilliant in this long line of critics is william dalrymple and his return of a king. William dalrymples return of a king is a riveting account of one imperial disaster on the roof of the world. In the spring of 1839, the british invaded afghanistan for the first time. The battle for afghanistan by william dalrymple in the acknowledgments of the book, dr. The battle for afghanistan, written by the scottish historian william dalrymple and published in 2012, is an account of the first angloafghan war from 1839 to 1842. Buy return of a king book online at low prices in india. In dalrymples usual happy style of historical narrative, applied to a fascinating, neat and highly suggestive series of events, this long and involved book will be a great success, and bring the famous story to a large new audience philip hensher spectator of the books swooped into being by his scholarship to which he himself has. William dalrymple is remarkable in that in his case the eagle would be more appropriate. Return of a king, the battle for afghanistan by william. William dalrymple is one of britains great historians and the bestselling author of the wolfson prizewinning white mughals, the last mughal, which won the duff cooper prize, and the hemingway and kapuscinski prizewinning return of a king. The battle for afghanistan, 183942, the definitive analysis of the first.
William dalrymple fras frsl frgs frse born william hamilton dalrymple on 20 march 1965 is a scottish historian and writer, art historian and curator, as well as a broadcaster and critic. The best is the diary of lady florentia sale, wife of a soldier, who. A towering history of the first afghan war by bestselling historian william dalrymple. He has won the thomas cook travel book award, the sunday times young british writer of the year award, the french prix dastrolabe, the wolfson prize for history, the scottish book of the year award, the duff. William dalrymples history of the first afghan war is as richly.
William dalrymple on his new book return of a king. According to dalrymple, the afghans regarded their deliverance from the british in 1842 as. Led by lancers in scarlet cloaks and plumed shakos, nearly 20,000 british and east india company troops poured through the high mountain passes and reestablished on the throne shah shuja ulmulk. The battle for afghanistan, 183942, by william dalrymple. Not surprisingly, because as one of william dalrymples profilers has said, he has collected a, clutch. The anarchy william dalrymple book instock buy now. His book, return of a king, will repay your time immensely. Return of a king by william dalrymple, 9781408831595, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. In that sense, it is a book of finely etched portraits. The battle for afghanistan, 183942 kindle edition by dalrymple, william. William dalrymple on return of a king the hugh hewitt show. William dalrymples the return of a king is about afghanistan, which means its about death in its most horrible forms.
It is not the speed of the cavalry but the velocity of passion that provides the rustle to the pages of return of a king. If youre just tuning in, william dalrymple is the author of, among other things, from the holy mountain, white mughals, and the bestselling city of djinns. Now based in delhi, dalrymple joins us for a special event to discuss his most recent, acclaimed book return of a king. Dost mohammed, who was allegedly leaning towards the russians, with the luckless thenexiled shah shuja. William dalrymple the story of the first angloafghan war, with striking parallels with whats going on in our neighbourhood and the world today. His books have won numerous awards and prizes, including the duff cooper memorial prize, the thomas cook travel book award, the sunday times young british writer of the year award, the hemingway, the.
But a dispute over an afghan woman who was a harem girl of a powerful afghan. I fatten up in london, then diet in india victoria moore talks to author william dalrymple over an oriental breakfast at nopi, london. William dalrymple opens the doors to his delhi farmhouse channelling the indian subcontinents colour, chaos and warmth, the dalrymples farmhouse on the outskirts of delhi is much like its residents. Few writers could go wrong with a story populated with so many villains, rogues, poltroons, swashbucklers, spies, assassins and heroes. From william dalrympleawardwinning historian, journalist and travel writera masterly retelling of what was perhaps the wests greatest imperial disaster in the. Return of a king is the definitive analysis of the first afghan war, told through the lives of unforgettable characters on all sides and using for the first time contemporary afghan accounts of the conflict. The best is the diary of lady florentia sale, wife of a soldier, who records events with a cold and penetrating. Led by lancers in scarlet cloaks and plumed shakos, nearly 20,000 british and east india company troops poured through the passes and reestablished on the throne shah shuja ulmulk.
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