Review
With clarity, wit and charm, Joya Chatterji tells the story of the subcontinent's recent history in a fluent sweeping arc ... Wide-angled and hugely ambitious, but also highly personal and pleasingly discursive, [it] is a book she has clearly enjoyed writing and, as a result, it is wonderfully enjoyable to read ... A wonderfully original, genre-defying work that is sure to be a classic ― William Dalrymple, Observer
Chatterji writes with infectious relish ... It's refreshing to read a history of modern India, Pakistan and Bangladesh that rises above the usual national and chronological divisions, and that ends on a surprisingly upbeat note ― Dominic Sandbrook, Sunday Times
Supremely readable ... Chatterji's scholarship and enthusiasm shine through. This account of South Asia surprises, moves and illuminates ― Rana Mitter, Financial Times
Definitive new 20th-century thematic history of the Indian subcontinent ― Financial Times
A provocative, pioneering work of political and social history… [an] invigorating book…nuanced and complex ― Times Literary Supplement
Original and revealing ... this is a book which both scholars and the wider public can dip into, enjoy and learn from ― Literary Review
A truly magnificent book about the history, politics and culture of 20th century South Asia ... A must read ― Mihir Bose, author of The Nine Waves
The story of South Asia told with verve, wit, and brilliance. This is a book that invents a genre: navigating effortlessly between the archives, conversations, memoir, newspapers, swooping out to make magisterial observations and zooming in to unearth nuggets of gossip. It is like riding a rollercoaster with a mesmerizing guide who can touch down on any part of South Asia that she chooses, before taking off again ― Anuradha Roy, author of All The Lives We Never Lived
A wonderful book concentrating for once on what the peoples of different South Asian countries have in common. That's something South Asians and all the rest of us should now concentrate on ― Sir Mark Tully
This book is a pleasure to read. I love its sheer bulk; its heft seems like a symbol of the inexhaustible richness of the modern history of what are now the countries of India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. One of South Asia's very best historians, Chatterji weaves engaging vignettes of her own experiences into a masterful account anchored in a chronological narrative and illuminated by four brilliantly chosen thematic focuses ― Professor Barbara D. Metcalf, co-author of A Concise History of Modern India
Displaying narrative sweep and analytical depth, Shadows at Noon is an incredible achievement by a historian writing at her best ― Professor Rudrangshu Mukherjee
This is history as it should be written, but rarely is. Chatterji maps the journey of South Asia from the high noon of empire to today, and in so doing a rich tapestry unfolds that is unlikely to be equalled for some time ― Professor Mahesh Rangarajan
History at its best; blending compelling evidence with deep insight, this is an invitation to enter worlds within worlds in the company of a master storyteller. ... [South Asia], as never before, is alive to me ― Dr Simon Longstaff
A brilliant, magisterial, and wonderfully nuanced work that makes a huge contribution to our understanding of the last century ... Every line holds some gem, triggers some memory, or gives new insight. This work sparkles ― Professor Robert Frykenberg
One of the best books I've read in years. Chatterji's magnum opus ― Professor Prasannan Parthasarathi
A charismatic, dazzling piece of work that has the feel of a future classic. Shadows at Noon is remarkably rich and full of life, packed with insights conveyed through beautifully moving storytelling. A unique and vital book, it is at once incredibly informative, profound and very readable - a genuine page-turner ― Dr Edward Anderson
Both erudite and intimate, Chatterji narrates how South Asia in the twentieth century produced democracy and authoritarianism, inclusion and violent exclusion, all at the same time, explaining our present as well as giving us an account of the past ― Professor Durba Ghosh
A tour de force of contemporary history of the Indian subcontinent. Its masterly analysis of the big picture - nationalisms, citizenship and the State - sets the stage for its innovative focus on ordinary people and their lives. A brilliant, wonderful read ― Professor Deepak Nayyar
This book's promise to deliver a 'people-centred history' of South Asia over the twentieth century is no small task. Chatterji's epic work meanders across this huge terrain, taking a series of imaginative angles such as the histories of the household, music, film and food, as well as many others. Combining scholarly rigour with a spontaneous tone and autobiographical style, this is a courageous and captivating work ― Professor Justin Jones
A historical epic in prose - masterly, original, provocative - and, yes, compellingly readable ― India Today
About the Author
Joya Chatterji is a Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge, Emeritus Professor of South Asian History at the University of Cambridge and sometime Reader in International History at the London School of Economics. From 2010 to 2021, she was first Editor then Editor-in-Chief of Modern Asian Studies, a leading scholarly journal in the field. Between 2014 and her retirement in 2019, she was Director of the Centre of South Asian Studies at Cambridge. She was elected a Fellow of the British Academy in 2018.
