William Dalrymple est un auteur acclamé, réputé pour ses explorations perspicaces de l'histoire et de la culture de l'Inde. Ses œuvres se caractérisent par une recherche méticuleuse, des récits captivants et une capacité unique à faire revivre le passé pour les lecteurs contemporains. Dalrymple tisse magistralement des événements historiques avec des expériences humaines, explorant des thèmes de rencontres culturelles, d'identité religieuse et de transformations sociales. Sa prose évocatrice, riche en descriptions vives et en personnages mémorables, entraîne profondément les lecteurs dans les mondes qu'il dépeint.
Highlighting India's pivotal role in shaping ancient civilization, this groundbreaking history reveals how the country was a dynamic exporter of diverse ideas, art, and technology over a millennium and a half. The author, drawing from extensive scholarship, uncovers the influence of Indian culture on global developments, from the architecture of Angkor Wat to the spread of Buddhism and the origins of modern numerals. This work positions India as the heart of ancient Eurasia, reshaping our understanding of its historical significance.
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.
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).
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
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.
India explores the lives of everyday people in extraordinary settings through the lens of Steve McCurry, one of the most admired photographers working today. As featured on cnn.com. This new portfolio of emotive and beautiful photographs from India features 150 previously unpublished images taken across the Indian subcontinent, along with iconic photographs that are famous worldwide. Reproduced in a large format with captions, and an introductory essay, this book features a range of color pictures illustrating this most colorful of countries, capturing the lives of everyday people in extraordinary settings: from the Ganesh festival on Chowpatty beach in Mumbai to the Kolkata railway station before dawn to the flower markets of Kashmir and the streets of Old Delhi. Following Phaidon's 2013 bestseller Untold: The Stories Behind the Photographs, McCurry's India is a new selection of the photographer's beautiful and powerful images of India, a country he has photographed many times over the last thirty years. Other Phaidon titles by Steve McCurry, include Steve McCurry, The Iconic Photographs, Steve McCurry, Unguarded Moment and Steve McCurry: South Southeast.
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.
The last of the Great Mughals was Bahadur Shah Zafar II. This book charts the desecration and demise of this man, his dynasty, his city and civilisations mercilessly ravished by fractured forces and vengeful British troops. It provides an understanding of a pivotal moment in Indian and Imperial history.
