- Paperback: 304 pages
- Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC; Export ed edition (5 Oct 2009)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1408801531
- ISBN-13: 978-1408801536
- Product Dimensions: 23.2 x 15 x 2.6 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 799,335 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
Nine Lives
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More About the Author
Product Description
Review
'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
Review
Praise for White Mughals: 'No brief review can do justice to its manifold excellence This is quite simply a stunning achievement' - Frank McLynn, Independent on Sunday 'William Dalrymple is that rarity: a scholar of history who can really write' - Salman Rushdie 'A gorgeous, spellbinding and important book A tapestry of magnificent set pieces and a moving romance' - Miranda Seymour, Sunday Times 'The most perceptive and sympathetic observer of the Asian scene writing today' - Charles Allen, Literary Review
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
17 of 17 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.
50 of 53 people found the following review helpful
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.
20 of 21 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
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 1 month ago by John Berry
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 2 months ago by Kelly Ryan
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 4 months ago by Dickburger
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 7 months ago by Hughwho?
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 10 months ago by LondonReader
A wonderful inside view into India
I read this book as I was travelling through India and came across a few of the lifestyle described in the book and it was lovely to have this bit of inside knowledge, it gave the... Read more
Published 12 months ago by Valerie Donluqet
great
having spent many years living in india and being a fluent hindi speaker, this book is as good as it gets. bless dalrymple bhai. kamal hai
Published 16 months ago by bengoo
[...]
I borrowed this from not having read any of Dalrymple's travel books before, and I really enjoyed it. Read more
Published 16 months ago by miss me morris
nine lives
I am a great fan of William Dalrymple and have read most of his books.This book is of much interest because it deals with lives of religious people who are trying to adjust to the... Read more
Published 17 months ago by Mr. Pashupati Mittal
A fascinating look at the lives of others
William Dalrymple is already well-established. All that needs to be added is that each of the chapters in this book tells the story of someone's life: and what characters they are. Read more
Published 18 months ago by MAH
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