Description
Delhi is a city like no other, one which, in spite of being as old as time,
is culturally dominated by relatively new dwellers. Interspersed with
accounts of meeting assorted Delhiwallahs including Sufis, eunuchs, Persian scholars and an Englishwoman who stayed behind after the Raj’s hasty exit, City of Djinns seeks out the essence of this ancient town in a
travelogue like no other. Moving, profoundly insightful, and very entertaining, City of Djinns is a loving exploration by one of the great
historians of our time of a city he chooses to call home.
Dalrymple has pulled it off again … in it we see the first fine rapture of In Xanadu deepening into a profounder dedication’ -Jan Morris, Independent
“There are beautifully chiselled descriptions of a grand capital… but much of the book’s strength lies in Dalrymple’s skill in peeling the historical onion and showing how the New Delhi resonates with the old… A splendid tapestry -Trevor Fishlock, Sunday Telegraph
A sympathetic and engaging portrait of this age old city. It is fine, entertaining, well written stuff, thoroughly researched but with none of the stern academic tone that so many historical profiles adopt. What sustains it, apart from his erudite knowledge, is Dalrymple’s sense of historical adventure. Just open your eyes, he says. If you know how to look, even the abandoned ruins of the past are alive’ -Nicholas Wordsworth, Financial Times
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