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The Age of Kali
Travels and Encounters in India
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Travels and encounters in India.
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Description
William Dalrymple's The Age of Kali is an evocative collection of essays vividly recounting the multifaceted cultural, political, and social landscapes of India during the twilight years of the 20th century. Through his engaging and often startling narratives, Dalrymple offers readers an intimate glimpse into the contrasting worlds that coexist within the subcontinent.
With a keen eye for detail and a passion for storytelling, Dalrymple registers the unique essence of India by introducing a cast of memorable characters and an array of surprising incidents. He encounters 15-year-old guerrilla girls, dowager Maharanis, and witnesses flashy Bombay parties juxtaposed with violent village feuds. His journey encompasses the bizarre and the extraordinary, from a group of vegetarian terrorists determined to demolish India's first Kentucky Fried Chicken outlet to a palace where port and cigars are delivered to guests via a miniature silver steam train.
During his explorations, Dalrymple meets significant figures such as cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan, film producer Ismail Merchant, former Prime Minister of Pakistan Benazir Bhutto, and the flamboyant Indian pop star Baba Sehgal. Each interaction provides a profound insight into their lives and the complex tapestry of contemporary South Asia.
The Age of Kali is not just an anthology of whimsical tales; it also delves into the darker aspects of India. Dalrymple bears witness to the terrifying nightly ritual dedicated to the goddess Parashakti, who demands offerings at her bloodthirsty shrine. He chronicles the turmoil of the civil unrest in Kashmir, the caste-driven massacres in Bihar, and the gripping tension over dinner with a drug baron on the North-West Frontier.
The author's journey is peppered with remarkable oddities, such as the terrorist apes in Jaipur, subdued only when their bananas were laced with opium, and the mystical shrine where it is believed that the deity Lord Krishna engages nightly in celestial dalliance with his 16,108 wives and 64,732 milkmaids.
Dalrymple's prose in The Age of Kali is both haunting and enlightening, shedding light on the resilience and the myriad contradictions of India. His observations are marked by a sense of curiosity, compassion, and a deep understanding of the region's history and contemporary challenges. This book is an essential read for anyone seeking to comprehend the complexities of Indian society through the eyes of a masterful storyteller.
Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?
The Age of Kali by William Dalrymple has been praised for Dalrymple’s exceptional travel writing. The Daily Mail and Sara Wheeler in the Independent highlight his talent and suggest he represents the future of travel literature.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9780006547754
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Format: Paperback / softback
Date Published: 21 June 1999
Country: United Kingdom
Imprint: Flamingo
Audience: General / adult
DIMENSIONS
Spine width: 25.0mm
Width: 129.0mm
Height: 198.0mm
Weight: 290g
Pages: 416
About the Author
William Dalrymple was born in Scotland and brought up on the shores of the Firth of Forth. He wrote the highly acclaimed bestseller In Xanadu when he was twenty-two. The book won the 1990 Yorkshire Post Best First Work Award and a Scottish Arts Council Spring Book Award; it was also shortlisted for the John Llewellyn Rhys Memorial Prize. In 1989 Dalrymple moved to Delhi where he lived for six years researching his second book, City of Djinns, which won the 1994 Thomas Cook Travel Book Award and the Sunday Times Young British Writer of the Year Award. From the Holy Mountain, his acclaimed study of the demise of Christianity in its Middle Eastern homeland, was awarded the Scottish Arts Council Autumn Book Award for 1997; it was also shortlisted for the 1998 Thomas Cook Award, the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize and the Duff Cooper Prize. A collection of his writings about India, The Age of Kali, was published in 1998. William Dalrymple is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and of the Royal Asiatic Society, and in 2002 was awarded the Mungo Park Medal by the Royal Scottish Geographical Society for his ‘outstanding contribution to travel literature’. He wrote and presented the television series Stones of the Raj and Indian Journeys, which won the Grierson Award for Best Documentary Series at BAFTA in 2002. He is married to the artist Olivia Fraser, and they have three children. They now divide their time between London and Delhi.
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