A Buddhist monk takes up arms to resist the Chinese invasion of Tibet - then spends the rest of his life trying to atone for the violence by hand printing the best prayer flags in India. A Jain nun tests her powers of detachment as she watches her best friend ritually starve herself to death. Nine people, nine lives; each one taking a different religious path, each one an unforgettable story. William Dalrymple delves deep into the heart of a nation torn between the relentless onslaught of modernity and the ancient traditions that endure to this day. This title is longlisted for the Samuel Johnson Prize.
Nine Lives
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'His most ambitious yet, taking the reader into lurid, scarcely imaginable worlds of mysticism ... Dalrymple has an inimitable way of conjuring the Indian landscape' --Financial Times
`This is travel writing at its best. I hope it sparks a revival' -- Observer
`Beautifully written, ridiculously erudite and, more than any of his previous work, reveals Dalrymple to be remarkably warm - and open-hearted ... a towering talent' --The Times
`This is travel writing at its best. I hope it sparks a revival' -- Observer
`Beautifully written, ridiculously erudite and, more than any of his previous work, reveals Dalrymple to be remarkably warm - and open-hearted ... a towering talent' --The Times
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. City of Djinns won the Thomas Cook Travel Book Award and the Sunday Times Young British Writer of the Year Award. The Age of Kali won the French Prix D'Astrolabe and White Mughals won the Wolfson Prize for History 2003 and the Scottish Book of the Year Prize. His most recent book, The Last Mughal, was longlisted for the Samuel Johnson Prize and won the Duff Cooper Memorial Prize. Hi lives with his wife and three children on a farm outside Dehli.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
22 of 22 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
William Dalrymple takes on the biggest subject of all: the human search for the divine. Elegant, sad, wise and moving it is the best and most nuanced book on South Asian spirituality to appear for many years: no wonder it has been top of the bestseller list here in India for weeks. Only someone who has spent many years in the subcontinent would have the depth of knowledge that this book displays and in many ways it is the culmination of Dalrymple's writing career. Even for those of us who grew in this country will find much that is strange and new. A wonderful achievement.
51 of 54 people found the following review helpful
By L. E. Davies
Format:Hardcover
Elegant and occasionally elegiac William Dalrymple has written a beautiful and insightful book on the hidden India, a country at once capitalist and modern but also still spiritual and unique. The people who Dalrymple interview are representative of a traditional and devout way of life - but yet their individualism shines through. I was touched, amused and sometimes bewildered by their stories and religious devotion. Nine Lives is Dalrymple's best book since From The Holy Mountain.
21 of 22 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
William Dalrymple is one of my favourite authors.This is his latest book. It is a travel book . There are 9 chapters on his conversations and interactions with 9 persons touching on their respective religious traditions of India. The first chapter is on Mataji, a Jain. The third chapter is on Rani Bai, a devadasi -these are girls given to Hindu temples to serve the Gods but now plying their trade as prostitutes.
Dalrymple said that the idea for this book was born 16 years ago in 1993 when he was corkscrewing up a Himalayan trail. He does not identify when his interviews took place. It is therefore difficult to envisage when and how India's traditional forms of religious life have been transformed in the vortex of the region's rapid change.If you are looking for a history book on India's religious traditions this is not for you. But if your interest is in the travel genre do read this book.
Dalrymple said that the idea for this book was born 16 years ago in 1993 when he was corkscrewing up a Himalayan trail. He does not identify when his interviews took place. It is therefore difficult to envisage when and how India's traditional forms of religious life have been transformed in the vortex of the region's rapid change.If you are looking for a history book on India's religious traditions this is not for you. But if your interest is in the travel genre do read this book.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
A must read
Another long awaitied and absorbing read from this author. Beautifully descriptive, he treats his subjects with great sensitivity and compassion.
Published 3 months ago by J. Yacoub
5.0 out of 5 stars
a rare combination of travel writing and a page turner
As Indians we often take pride in the diversity in our society and justifiably so. Why the hell not I say! Read more
Published 5 months ago by Arun
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very insightful
I absolutely loved this book. I've read all of William Dalrymple's books and his knowledge of India, its culture, history and people, is deep and perceptive. Read more
Published 8 months ago by AuntieSue
5.0 out of 5 stars
a celebration of individuals and diversity
This is a very enjoyable account of the lives of nine people who have followed a religious path in India and Pakistan, often giving up family and a settled life to follow their... Read more
Published 10 months ago by markr
5.0 out of 5 stars
Faith moves millions
God 1 rewrite
Nine Lives
In search of the Sacred in India
By William Dalrymple
A review by the Cote d'Azur men's book group... Read more
Nine Lives
In search of the Sacred in India
By William Dalrymple
A review by the Cote d'Azur men's book group... Read more
Published 11 months ago by Ivor R. B. Hibbitt
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very Good
It's a fascinating book. To the credit of the author, he wrote about 9 seemingly diverse and very different lives, with same good humour and sympathy. Read more
Published 12 months ago by John Berry
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent insight into "Hinduism"
I have often struggled to understand what a Hindu/Hinduism is. This book is excellent because it doesn't try to explain this (! Read more
Published 14 months ago by Kelly Ryan
5.0 out of 5 stars
Nine Lives
Quite the best overview of modern religious diversity in India I have read. William Dalrymple's comprehensive and sympathetic synopsis of the impact of ancient and contemporary... Read more
Published 16 months ago by Dickburger
4.0 out of 5 stars
Well, but,?
Having read William Dalrymple,s other books ie. In Xanadu, The Last Mughal, The Age of Kali, and From the Holy Mountain, all excellent reads, especially From the Holy Mountain, I... Read more
Published 19 months ago by Hughwho?
4.0 out of 5 stars
Some more please!
Having been in India and having looked more or less unsuccessfully for the sacred, this book filled a gap in a certain way; it answered some questions. Read more
Published 22 months ago by LondonReader
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