William dalrymple frsl, frgs, fras born william hamiltondalrymple on 20 march 1965 is a scottish historian and writer, art historian and curator, as well as a prominent broadcaster and critic. William dalrymple is the author of six previous acclaimed works of history and travel, including city of djinns, which won the young british writer of the year prize and the thomas cook travel book award. 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. Return of a king by william dalrymple, 9781408831595, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. Book launch of return of a king by william dalrymple kolkata, january 10, 20. Apr 02, 2016 return of a king by william dalrymple, vintage, 560 pp. Apeejay kolkata literary festival 20 hosted the launch of z zreturn of a king. If you are the publisher or author of this book and feel that. Excerpt from william dalrymples return of a king asia. See all books authored by william dalrymple, including city of djinns.
Apeejay kolkata literary festival hosts the book launch of. 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 by william dalrymple, vintage, 560 pp. Praise for william dalrymple s return of a king brilliant. William dalrymples return of a king is a riveting account of one imperial disaster on the roof of the world. His book, return of a king is the most recent winner of the award established in 2010 by the council of the capital city of warsaw to celebrate books of reportage and honour the legacy of the journalist and writer ryzard kapuscinski. William dalrymple s return of a king is a riveting account of one imperial disaster on the roof of the world.
Return of a king is a triumph of balanced historical analysis. 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. 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. 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 audio books, best sellers, author bio. Now based in delhi, dalrymple joins us for a special event to discuss his most recent, acclaimed book return of a king. In fact lets just say that in my opinion, narrative history that is as good as it gets. 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.
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. Many people had recommended this book to me but i was dismissive about it as it is authored by a british and i thought it would be purely written from british perspective. Y ears of ascension led to fatal hubris, exemplified by the disaster of the first anglo. The fullest and most powerful description of the wests first encounter with afghan society. 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. White mughals, which won britain s most prestigious history prize, the wolfson. William dalrymple return of a king inkroci magazine. His books have won numerous awards and prizes, including the duff cooper memorial prize, the thomas cook travel book award, the sunday times. 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. Dalrymple makes an important contribution by including recently discovered afghan accounts of the war, which provide helpful local context.
Jan 14, 2014 return of a king by william dalrymple, 9780307948533, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. Prizewinning and bestselling historian william dalrymples masterful retelling of britain. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Many people had recommended this book to me but i was dismissive about it as it is authored by a british and i thought it would be purely written from british perspective and purely utilizing british sources like other numerous authors.
Dalrymple, with his fluid prose, narrates the incidents of the first afghan war, or the british invasion of afghanistan in 183942, with utmost clarity and vivacity. William dalrymple, an expert on the indian subcontinent in india and delhi are two great books to understand india takes us to afghanistan, in the mid1800s, to recount an insane and unprepared english military operation among the worlds most impervious mountains. The beginning of the great game, a game of chess with no holds barred for the control of the region among european colonial. After reading city of djinns, william dalrymple had become one of my favorite authors. Jan 01, 20 in the spring of 1839 british forces invaded afghanistan for the first time, reestablishing shah shuja on the throne and ushering in a period of conflict over the territory still unresolved today. I just finished reading return of a king by william dalrymple and i thought i should share my impression of the book here. This latest book in the saga, the return of a king, captures the british at the cusp of a new era. From william dalrympleawardwinning historian, journalist and travel writera masterly retelling of what was perhaps the wests greatest imperial disaster in the. Buy return of a king book online at low prices in india.
Prizewinning and bestselling historian william dalrymple s masterful retelling of britain. 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 an awardwinning broadcaster and critic. Dalrymple has told the story of the first afghan war, its causes and consequences, with deep knowledge of the sources from both or rather, all sides. Apeejay kolkata literary festival hosts the book launch of return of a king by william dalrymple kolkata, january 10, 20. Dalrymple makes an important contribution by including recently. The battle for afghanistan, 18391842 will be out in december this year, and has many echoes in contemporary events in the wartorn country. Many congratulations go to william dalrymple for winning the prestigious kapuscinski prize for literary reportage. William dalrymple return of a king the battle f book. The battle for afghanistan, 183942 is a magisterial new look at the first afghan war, in which british and east india company troops invaded afghanistan to install a puppet ruler, shah shuja, on the throne in kabul, only to be ferociously expelled by an indigenous uprising less than three years later. Few writers could go wrong with a story populated with so many villains, rogues, poltroons, swashbucklers, spies, assassins and heroes. Jun 26, 20 against this backdrop, the eminent british historian william dalrymple turns to that war in the return of a king, a wellresearched and lucidly written account of the period. The battle for afghanistan, 183942, the definitive analysis of the first. Shortlisted for the samuel johnson prize 20, 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 attle for afghanistan 18394 i by william dalrymple, award.
Jan 30, 2014 return of a king by william dalrymple, 9781408831595, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. William dalrymple books list of books by author william. For all the boys own tone, however, return of the king is a serious work of history. The beginning of the great game, a game of chess with no holds barred for. Against this backdrop, the eminent british historian william dalrymple turns to that war in the return of a king, a wellresearched and lucidly written account of the period. The anarchy tells the remarkable story of how one of the worlds most magnificent empires disintegrated and came to be replaced by a dangerously unregulated private company, based thousands of miles overseas in one small office, five windows wide, and answerable only to its distant shareholders. There is no need to tell the story here, this is the second dalrymple book i have read in a short space of time.
Of dalrymples recent works, return of a king is perhaps the most directly relevant to the present day. Analysis of the first afghan war, 18391842, told through the lives of characters on all sides and using contemporary afghan accounts of the conflict. If you are one of those who wondered if history could actually mean hisstory, then this is the book for you. Praise for william dalrymples return of a king brilliant. In the spring of 1839 british forces invaded afghanistan for the first time, reestablishing shah shuja on the throne, in reality as their puppet, and ushering in a period of conflict. Prizewinning and bestselling historian william dalrymples masterful retelling of britains greatest imperial disaster is a powerful. Book summary in the spring of 1839, the british invaded afghanistan for the first time.
The battle for afghanistan is a nonfiction book by william dalyrmple, author of critically acclaimed books like xanadu, city of djinns, white mughals and the last mughal. 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. 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. This flew in the face of advice from alexander burnes, the young and celebrated player of the great game, who. Jan 26, 20 of dalrymple s recent works, return of a king is perhaps the most directly relevant to the present day. With access to newly discovered primary sources from archives in afghanistan, pakistan, russia and. From william dalrymple awardwinning historian, journalist and travel writera masterly retelling of what was perhaps the wests greatest imperial disaster in the east, and an important parable of neocolonial ambition, folly and hubris that has striking relevance to our own time. Of dalrymple s recent works, return of a king is perhaps the most directly relevant to the present day. The battle for afghanistan, 183942 by william dalrymple in 1839, nearly 20,000 british troops poured through the mountain passes into afghanistan and installed the exiled shah shuja on the throne as their puppet. The battle for afghanistan by dalrymple, william isbn. In his most ambitious and riveting audiobook to date, william dalrymple tells the story of the. The battle for afghanistan, 183942 by william dalrymple.
The author spent time in both afghanistan and pakistan during its research and elaborates on. Awardwinning writer william dalrymple said his return of a king. Whereas that book was a slender but intense personal account rolled into a historical narrative of the city, return of a king seemed like the opposite. Jan 26, 2019 i just finished reading return of a king by william dalrymple and i thought i should share my impression of the book here. James delingpole, mail on sunday complex and remarkable.
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