William Dalrymple Knihy

Posvätné prostitútky, tanečníci, do ktorých sa prevteľujú bohovia, kŕmiči lebiek i mníška, ktorá sa dobrovoľne vyhladuje na smrť. To nie sú obrázky z ďalekej minulosti, ale zo súčasnej Indie. Vykročíte po rušnej modernej ulici veľkomesta a o pár minút ste v celkom inom svete. Rýchlo sa rozvíjajúca indická ekonomika na jednej a vytrácajúce sa náboženské tradície na druhej strane. William Dalrymple prináša pohľad do súkromných životov deviatich ľudí, ktorí sa v modernej Indii 21. storočia rozhodli vydať na cestu viery. Dalrympleova kniha Deväť životov je hlbokým exkurzom do najrôznejších foriem náboženských praktík, ktoré sa v Indii vyvinuli v priebehu vekov. Na deviatich reportážnych portrétoch demonštruje nielen indickú náboženskú pestrosť, ale aj príbehy mimoriadnych ľudí, ktorých osud zavial na cesty viery.

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.

In Sri Lanka, Pakistan and India itself, William Dalrymple searches for evidence of Kali Yug, the Hindu "age of darkness." Venturing to places rarely visited by foreigners, he travels deep into guerilla territory with the Tamil Tigers. Visits Benazir Bhutto and meets the drug lords of the North West Frontier. He inveils a region where the strengths and problems of both modernity and tradition remain to be reconciled. The result is this engrossing, eagle-eyed and utterly enthralling collection."--Back cover.

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.

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.

Set against the backdrop of the 1839 British invasion of Afghanistan, the narrative explores the installation of Shah Shuja as a puppet ruler and the ensuing rebellion that led to a disastrous retreat for British forces. Dalrymple intricately connects historical events to contemporary issues, revealing the enduring tribal rivalries that shaped Afghanistan's politics. By examining the parallels between past and present leaders, he provides a comprehensive analysis of the complexities that have influenced both British and NATO engagements in the region, supported by newly uncovered primary sources.

In his third book William Dalrymple has dug deep to present the case of the Middle East s downtrodden Christians. More hard-hitting than either of his previous books, From the Holy Mountain is driven by indignation. While leavened with his characteristic jauntiness and humour, it is also profoundly shocking. Time and time again in the details of Dalrymple s discoveries I found myself asking: why do we not know this? The sense of unsung tragedy accumulates throughout the chapters of this book&From the Holy Mountain is the most rewarding sort of travel book, combining flashes of lightly-worn scholarship with a powerful sense of place and the immediacy of the best journalism. But more than that it is a passionate cri de coeur for a forgotten people which few readers will be able to resist Philip Marsden, Spectator

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.

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