William Dalrymple Bücher

Rangoon, November 1862. Ein in ein Leichentuch gehüllter Kadaver wird von britischen Soldaten zu einem anonymen Grab nahe einem Gefängnis getragen. Der englische Hochkommissar atmet auf, als er feststellt, dass es keine Spuren mehr des letzten der Großen Mogulen geben wird. Bahadur Shah II., genannt Zafar, geboren 1775, war der letzte Mogul-Kaiser, ein Nachkomme von Dschingis Khan. Obwohl er seine Rechte und Macht zugunsten der Britischen Ostindien-Kompanie verloren hatte, blieb Zafar ein raffinierter Dichter und talentierter Kalligraf, der zu einer Wiederbelebung der indischen Geschichte beitrug. 1857 wird Delhi, seine Hauptstadt, zum Schauplatz eines gewaltsamen Aufstands, der Sepoy-Revolte, den Zafar unterstützt. Dieser Aufstand, der von den Engländern niedergeschlagen wird, führt zur Zerstörung der einst prächtigen Stadt und des mogulischen Erbes. Diese bewegende Erzählung schildert das fabelhafte Delhi durch das Prisma von Zafar und erkundet ihr tragisches Schicksal während der Katastrophe von 1857. Mithilfe unveröffentlichter Archive in Urdu und Persisch bietet der Autor eine reiche Synthese religiöser Toleranz zwischen Indien und dem Islam und offenbart zeitgenössische Resonanzen am Ende der mogulischen Dynastie.

Ein Buch ganz nah am Herzen der indischen Kultur. Neun faszinierende Porträts aus dem heutigen Indien - neun Menschen auf höchst unterschiedlichen spirituellen Wegen in einer Gesellschaft, in der sich Globalisierung, Alltagsleben und Religion in einmaliger Weise durchdringen. William Dalrymple begegnet Gefängniswärtern und Nonnen, Tempeldienerinnen und Epensängern, Menschen, die dem Sufi smus anhängen oder tantrische Rituale am Leben erhalten. 'Pflichtlektüre - nicht nur für alle Indien-Touristen.' Deutschlandradio

Steve McCurry – die Farben und Gesichter Indiens Steve McCurry nimmt den Betrachter mit auf eine unvergessliche Reise ins exotische Herz Indiens. Ein stimmungsvoller Bildband für Reisende, Träumer und Liebhaber des indischen Subkontinents. Der legendäre Magnum-Fotograf Steve Mc Curry versteht es meisterhaft, die wilde Schönheit und die starken Gegensätze des Subkontinents in fesselnden Aufnahmen festzuhalten. Egal ob in den belebten Gassen von Neu-Delhi, beim bunten Ganesh Festival in Mumbai oder auf den Blumenmärkten in Kaschmir – stets gelingen ihm faszinierende Momentaufnahmen von Menschen in ihrer alltäglichen Umgebung. Seit über 30 Jahren bereist McCurry die Welt und ist heute einer der renommiertesten Fotografen, berühmt für seine intensiven Porträtaufnahmen, aber auch tief bewegenden Bilder aus Krisengebieten rund um den Globus. Zu Indien fühlt sich McCurry seit jeher hingezogen: Das Land bereiste er schon zu Beginn seiner Karriere in den 1970er-Jahren. Seitdem kehrte er unzählige Male zurück. Dieser großformatige Bildband mit 96 seiner schönsten und beeindruckendsten Aufnahmen wird ergänzt durch einen einleitenden Essay des Autors und Indienkenners William Dalrymple.

In the spring of 1839, the British invaded Afghanistan for the first time. 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 re-established on the throne Shah Shuja ul-Mulk. On the way in, the British faced little resistance. But after two years of occupation, the Afghan people rose in answer to the call for jihad and the country exploded into violent rebellion. The First Anglo-Afghan War ended in Britain's greatest military humiliation of the nineteenth century: an entire army of the then most powerful nation in the world ambushed in retreat and utterly routed by poorly equipped tribesmen. 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. Prize-winning and bestselling historian William Dalrymple's masterful retelling of Britain's greatest imperial disaster is a powerful and important parable of colonial ambition and cultural collision, folly and hubris, for our times.

In the spring of 587 A.D., 2 men set out from the great desert monastery of St Theodosius, near Bethlehem. It was the start of an extraordinary journey across the entire Byzantine world, and William Dalrymple has followed in their footsteps

India's rich cultural heritage played a pivotal role in shaping civilizations long before modern influences took hold. A millennium ago, its contributions in religion, art, technology, astronomy, mathematics, medicine, language, and literature spread widely, reaching regions from Afghanistan to Japan. This book explores the profound impact of India's cultural exports, revealing a history of influence that challenges the narrative of a solely passive cultural recipient.

The narrative explores the complex and often overlooked dynamics of the East India Company's rise and its impact on the Mughal Empire, which was once a significant global economic power. Through meticulous research and engaging storytelling, Dalrymple reveals the darker aspects of colonialism, highlighting the transition from a thriving empire to corporate dominance. This four-book collection provides a comprehensive view of over two centuries of colonial history, marked by political intrigue and resistance, making it an essential read for history enthusiasts.

In 1765 the East India Company defeated and captured the young Mughal emperor and forced him to set up a new government run by English traders. The creation of this new government marked the moment that the East India Company ceased to be a conventional international trading corporation, dealing in silks and spices, and became something much more unusual: an aggressive colonial power in the guise of a multinational business

As the author of the best travel book of recent years at the intensely irritating age of twenty-two, William Dalrymple has now shown that In Xanadu was no fluke. City of Djinns is an entertaining mix of history and diary informed by a deep curiosity about the ways in which the ghosts of even the most distant past still walk in the twentieth century. On one level there are the amusing rites of passage, the struggles with bureaucracy, the eccentricity of author's landlord, all entertainingly related. He has a way of letting you smell and feel the city. There are beautifully chiselled descriptions of a grand capital, but much of the book's strength lies in his skill in peeling the historical onion and showing how (the) New Delhi resonates with the old. A splendid tapestry.

'Could you show me a djinn?' I asked. 'Certainly, ' replied the Sufi. 'But you would run away.' From the author of the Samuel Johnson prize shortlisted 'The Return of a King', this is William Dalrymple's captivating memoir of a year spent in Delhi, a city watched over and protected by the mischievous invisible djinns. Lodging with the beady-eyed Mrs Puri and encountering an extraordinary array of characters - from elusive eunuchs to the last remnants of the Raj - William Dalrymple comes to know the bewildering city intimately. He pursues Delhi's interlacing layers of history along narrow alleys and broad boulevards, brilliantly conveying its intoxicating mix of mysticism and mayhem. 'City of Djinns' is an astonishing and sensitive portrait of a city, and confirms William Dalrymple as one of the most compelling explorers of India's past and present.

The first comprehensive and authoritative history of the Koh-i Noor, arguably the most celebrated and mythologised jewel in the world. On 29 March 1849, the ten-year-old Maharajah of the Punjab was ushered into the magnificent Mirrored Hall at the centre of the great Fort in Lahore. There, in a public ceremony, the frightened but dignified child handed over to the British East India Company in a formal Act of Submission to Queen Victoria not only swathes of the richest land in India, but also arguably the single most valuable object in the subcontinent- the celebrated Koh-i Noor diamond. The Mountain of Light. The history of the Koh-i-Noor that was then commissioned by the British may have been one woven together from gossip of Delhi Bazaars, but it was to be become the accepted version. Only now is it finally challenged, freeing the diamond from the fog of mythology which has clung to it for so long. The resulting history is one of greed, murder, torture, colonialism and appropriation through an impressive slice of south and central Asian history. It ends with the jewel in its current controversial setting- in the crown of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother. Masterly, powerful and erudite, this is history at its most compelling and invigorating.

The Age of Kali: Indian Travels and Encounters Dealing with the idea of 'Kal Yug' or 'Kali Yug', a time of social and political turmoil, Dalrymple's fourth book The Age of Kali is an impressive look at the forces that drive India. The book emphasizes the author's fear that the country he loves is slipping into a cycle of corruption, strife and volatile temperament. It is a tale of corrupt politicians, fanatical religious followers, ethic violence and social disintegration-all of which are the harbinger of the 'Kali Yug'. Dalrymple, who has lived in India for many years, writes about turbulent times and the ascent of the age of Kali or the 'kaliyug'. According to Hindu cosmetology, 'Kali Yug' is something akinto the end of times, when the world is filled with turmoil andgreed, and morals see a sharp dive. The author has written a set of vivid, in-depth essays that chronicle particular places, people and events set mostly in India during the early to mid-nineties-like Baba Sehgal, Imran Khan and Benazir Bhutto. In his poignant writing style, Dalrymple writes about a diverse range of topics including the violence in Bihar, the Bhutto family, Lucknow, Hyderabad, SatiMata and the city of widows. Darymple's love for the country where he has travelled, lived and made friends in is obvious. The Age of Kali is an eye-opening collection of essays, often dark and disturbing but nonetheless fascinating.

This compelling history of Britain's rule over India relates the true story of James Kirkpatrick, who converted to Islam and spied on the East India Company in the midst of an affair with the great-niece of the region's prime minister. Photos.

One of the most successful, influential and acclaimed travel books of recent years from the author of 'Return of a King', which has been shortlisted for the Samuel Johnson prize. At the age of twenty-two, William Dalrymple left his college in Cambridge to travel to the ruins of Kublai Khan's stately pleasure dome in Xanadu. This is an account of a quest which took him and his companions across the width of Asia, along dusty, forgotten roads, through villages and cities full of unexpected hospitality and wildly improbable escapades, to Coleridge's Xanadu itself. At once funny and knowledgeable, In Xanadu is in the finest tradition of British travel writing. Told with an exhilarating blend of eloquence, wit, poetry and delight, it is already established as a classic of its kind.

Fanny Parkes, who lived in India between 1822 and 1846, was the ideal travel writer - courageous, indefatigably curious and determinedly independent. Her delightful journal traces her journey from prim memsahib, married to a minor civil servant of the Raj, to eccentric, sitar-playing Indophile, fluent in Urdu, critical of British rule and passionate in her appreciation of Indian culture. Fanny is fascinated by everything, from the trial of the thugs and the efficacy of opium on headaches to the adorning of a Hindu bride. To read her is to get as close as one can to a true picture of early colonial India - the sacred and the profane, the violent and the beautiful, the straight-laced sahibs and the more eccentric "White Mughals" who fell in love with India and did their best, like Fanny, to build bridges across cultures.

Eine Villa in der Hauptstadt, eine Farm auf dem Land – der betagte K. K. Harouni ist ein vermögendes und einflußreiches Mitglied der pakistanischen Landbesitzerklasse. Verständlich, daß seine Beziehung zu einer Frau, die gesellschaftlich weit unter ihm steht, bei seiner Familie auf wenig Begeisterung stößt. Nach Harounis Tod wird sie dorthin verstoßen, wo sie herkam: auf die Straße. Um den Clan dieses Patriarchen und seine Angestellten kreisen acht faszinierende Erzählungen: über Harounis Neffen, der sich in eine Amerikanerin verliebt; über Nawab, den Elektriker, unentbehrliche Arbeitskraft auf Harounis Besitztümern und immer auf der Suche nach neuen Einnahmequellen; über Saleema, die sich als Küchenhilfe durchschlägt, bis sie Harounis Diener Rafik begegnet und ihr Leben plötzlich ganz anders zu werden verspricht. Doch das Glück ist meist von kurzer Dauer in Mueenuddins Pakistan. Daniyal Mueenuddins Debüt war bereits vor seinem Erscheinen ein Ereignis und machte Furore mit Vorabdrucken im New Yorker und in Salman Rushdies Best American Short Stories. Mitreißend, tragisch, elegisch und humorvoll webt es die Lebensgeschichten von Menschen ineinander und öffnet den Blick auf eine Welt, die man so schnell nicht vergißt.

Tantra, a term known in the West for its associations with sex, magic and esoteric mysticism, has had an impact on many religions and philosophies, including Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, Jainism, Vajrayana, Bo?npo, Ayurveda and Shamanism.00Alongside related ideas of ?mantra? (knowledge through sound) and ?yantra? (the means to leading a Tantric existence), the philosophy of Tantra claims that reality (prakriti) is pure consciousness, pure being, pure bliss ? a reality that is, however, veiled by illusion (maya). Through purification, elevation and reaffirmation of identity, Tantra aims to help us return to this unadulterated state of being.00In this beautiful book, art collector Joost van den Berg explains his fascination with Tantra imagery began with a chance discovery of the catalogue for the Tantra exhibition (1971) at the Hayward Gallery in London. It also features specially commissioned writings by scholars including modern art critic and curator Mel Gooding.00Perfect Presence is Berg?s third publication on this subject. It contains many examples of Tantric art from the 18th and 19th centuries alongside the work of contemporary artists such as Shezad Dawood and Ruth Marten who are inspired by this mystic art.00Exhibition: Redfern Gallery, London, UK (31.10.-08.11.2019).

Město džinů se odehrává se během jednoho roku, který autor strávil v Dillí. Bizarní exotické město se před námi postupně odhaluje, takže jsme brzy vtaženi do jeho křivolakých uliček, na hlučné bazary, do mešit, svatyní a hrobek. Vůbec si neuvědomujeme, že zatímco nás vypravěč baví neuvěřitelnými historkami o kohoutích zápasech, praštěných taxikářích a svatých mužích, bezděky do sebe nasáváme také množství vědomostí. Kromě toho, že se nenásilně seznámíme s celou pohnutou historií Indie, od násilného rozdělení, přes britskou nadvládu a sikhská povstání až do současnosti, potkáme spolu s autorem také nepřeberné množství figurek i osobností, tak živých, že jen těžko uvěříme, že jsme je neviděli na vlastní oči. Chovatelé holubů, súfističtí mystikové, muslimští léčitelé, hudebníci, tančící derviši, kaligrafové, filozofové, potrhlý indický domácí… to jsou jen někteří z mnoha. Pokud jste si až dosud vážně mysleli, že poučování musí být nudné, tahle kniha vás definitivně vyvede z omylu.