‘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.
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
ISBN: 9780006375951
Number of pages: 352
Weight: 250 g
Dimensions: 198 x 129 x 22 mm
‘Delightful … Surely one of the funniest books about India’ Times Literary Supplement ‘Scholarly and marvellously entertaining … a considerable feat’ Dervla Murphy, Spectator ‘Dalrymple has pulled it off again’ Jan Morris, Independent
Fascinating picture of the extraordinary melting pot of a year in Delhi which really resonated with our impressions from a mere three day visit 25 years after the book was written. Mr Dalrymple uses present day... More
Its'a great set up...the author starts a stint in India with his partner by finding a local place to stay with a thoroughly entertaining elderly couple. He then takes us through Indian history, ethnic tensions,... More
Please sign in to write a review
Would you like to proceed to the App store to download the Waterstones App?
