But the book is useful as a portrait of a Westerner who came to India and discovered a hidden world of a culture and society that has disappeared amid the violent cataclysms of the 19th and 20th centuries. City of Djinns is a well-rounded book that presents the various aspects of the city. Archibald Constable,trans.Irving Brock (Reprint … ‘Those who were left behind are in misery. The only positive of this book is that the stories he relates. It is his second book, and culminated as a result of his six-year stay in New Delhi. All agreed that the crumbling ruins of these towns were without number. Peeling back the layers of Delhi’s centuries-old history, City of Djinns is an irresistible blend of research and adventure. Los Angeles is the largest city in the state of California and the second largest in the United States. Such high hopes dashed again. I'm going to keep an eye out for all his other books. I usually do not re-read books, but when a book is as interesting as this one, what does a girl do? Dalrymple was played by Bollywood and stage actor Tom Alter, with Zohra Sehgal playing the role of Nora Nicholson, a British national who prefers to stay in India after it achieves independence. City of Djinns: A Year in Delhi (1993) is a travelogue by William Dalrymple about the historical capital of India, Delhi. A book review of 'City of Djinns' by William Dalrymple. delhi sultanate had siri, tughlaqabad,jahapanah, firozobad. This is the second time I've read this book. Let's begin with disclaimers, they seem to do good. Dalrymple describes ancient ruins[1] and the experience of living in the modern city: he goes in search of the history behind the epic stories of the Mahabharata. You must be referring to one of his early books on Delhi- The City of Djinns. City of Djinns Synopsis. I kept running into William Dalrymple's, William Dalrymple is the best travel writer(only exception is V.S.Naipaul). Delhi is a city like no other, one which, in spite of being as old as time, is culturally dominated by relatively new dwellers. Welcome back. Sparkling with irrepressible wit, City of Djinns peels back the layers of Delhi's centuries-old history, revealing an extraordinary array of characters along … It is a travelogue on the city of Delhi where describes his first-hand account of his visit to historical places and his conversations with locals. The many traditions, the ever-changing rulers, the rich history, it all had me awestruck. Now it is all gone.”, “On the road, as in many other aspects of Indian life, Might is Right.”, Sunday Times/Peters Fraser + Dunlop Young Writer of the Year Award (1994), See all 3 questions about City of Djinns…, White Mughals: Love and Betrayal in Eighteenth-Century India, The Last Mughal: The Fall of a Dynasty: Delhi, 1857, From the Holy Mountain: A Journey among the Christians of the Middle East, Books on a history of human habitats in India, International Giveaway: Of Mughal Emperors, Samosas, and Chai, Goodreads Members Suggest: 32 ‘Vacation’ Reads. as well as whirling dervishes and eunuch dancers (‘a strange mix of piety and bawdiness’). 3 likes. The book was adapted into a play in 2007 by Rahul Dasinnur Pulkeshi of Delhi-based Dreamtheatre. As this strange summer of staying put winds down, one thing remains truer than ever: Books offer us endless adventure and new horizons to... To see what your friends thought of this book. 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