William Dalrymple (historian)

Infobox Writer
name = William Dalrymple

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imagesize = 200px
caption = William Dalrymple
pseudonym =
birthdate = birth date and age|1965|3|20
birthplace = Scotland
deathdate =
deathplace =
occupation = Writer and Historian
nationality = British
period = 1989 -
genre = History, Travel, Non-fiction,
subject = India, Middle East, Mughal period, Eastern Christianity, Muslim World, Christian-Muslim relations, religious syncretism
movement =
debut_works = Travel narrative: In Xanadu 1989
spouse = Olivia Fraser
partner =
children = 3
relatives =
influences = Travel writers Robert Byron, Eric Newby and Bruce Chatwin.
Historians Simon Schama, Linda Colley, and Steven Runciman.
influenced =


website = http://www.williamdalrymple.uk.com William Dalrymple
footnotes =

William Dalrymple (born 20 March 1965 in Scotland) is a historian and writer.

Life

Dalrymple was born William Hamilton-Dalrymple, the son of Sir Hew Hamilton-Dalrymple Bt., a cousin of Virginia Woolf. He was educated at Ampleforth College and Trinity College, Cambridge, where he was first a history exhibitioner then senior history scholar.

Dalrymple is married to the artist Olivia Fraser and has three children. He is a fellow of the Royal Asiatic Society and the Royal Society of Literature.

Interests and Influence

Dalrymple's interests include India, the Middle East, Mughal rule, the Muslim world and early Eastern Christianity. All of his six books have won major literary prizes. His first three were travel books based on his journeys in the Middle East, India and Central Asia. His early influences included the travel writers Robert Byron, Eric Newby and Bruce Chatwin.

More recently, Dalrymple has published a book of essays about South Asia, and two award-winning histories of the interaction between the British and the Mughals between the eighteenth and mid nineteenth century. About these last two works, he has cited the stylistic influence of the narrative histories of Sir Steven Runciman and Simon Schama [cite web
url = http://www.harpercollins.co.uk/Authors/Interview.aspx?id=77&aid=1364
title = An interview with William Dalrymple
accessdate = 2007-07-05
publisher = Harper Collins] .

He is a regular contributor to "The New York Review of Books" [cite web
url = http://www.nybooks.com/authors/9809
title = Book review by William Dalrymple
accessdate = 2007-06-30
publisher = The New York Review of Books] , "The Guardian" [cite web
url = http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/william_dalrymple/index.html
title = Articles by William Dalrymple
accessdate = 2007-06-30
publisher = GuardianUnlimited] , the "New Statesman" [cite web
url = http://www.newstatesman.com/writers/william_dalrymple
title = Articles by William Dalrymple
accessdate = 2007-06-30
publisher = The New York Review of Books] and "The New Yorker" [cite web
url = http://www.newyorker.com/search/query?queryType=nonparsed&query=%22William+Dalrymple%22&submit.x=0&submit.y=0&submit=Submit&bylquery=&month1=-1&day1=-1&year1=-1&month2=-1&day2=-1&year2=-1&page=&sort=
title = Articles by William Dalrymple
accessdate = 2007-06-30
publisher = The New Yorker] .

He has written a few articles for Time magazine. Among them he contributed with the article "The Real Islam" for their 2004 annual issue "Asian Journey" [cite web
url = http://www.time.com/time/asia/2004/journey/india.html
date = 2004-08-26
title = The Real Islam
accessdate = 2007-08-18
publisher = Time Magazine] . He wrote an essay "Business as Usual" [cite web
url = http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/article/0,28804,1649060_1649046_1649026,00.html
date = 2007-08-13
title = Why India's Rise is Business As Usual
accessdate = 2007-08-18
publisher = Time Magazine] for the "India Charges Ahead" special issue commemorating 60 years of Indian independence.

He is the founder and co-director of the Jaipur Literature Festival along with writers Namita Gokhale and Eleanor O’Keeffe. The festival is held annually in the Indian city of Jaipur . [cite web
url = http://www.kiwicollection.com/around_world_detail/ITEM=242/
title = Looking for something special? Try treasure hunting in India
accessdate = 2008-04-22
publisher = KiwiCollection.com] [cite news
url =http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?id=0640ff75-70ec-460d-8d06-a9bfc6d124aa
title =Writes of passage
date = 2008-01-30
accessdate =2008-04-23
publisher =Hindustan Times]

Dalrymple spends most of the year in New Delhi, India, but summers in London and Edinburgh. He is now said to be engaged in an extended four-volume history of the Mughal Empire [cite web
url = http://specials.rediff.com/news/2007/may/07sld2.htm
date = 2007-05-07
title = Delhi had an overwhelming effect on me
accessdate = 2007-08-18
publisher = Rediff.com] .

Books

*"In Xanadu" (1989)

Written at age 22 while Dalrymple undertook a journey from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre (Jerusalem) to the site of Shangdu (Outer Mongolia), known as Xanadu in English literature.

*"City of Djinns" (1994)

His second book covers a one year period of time that Dalrymple and his wife spent in Delhi. The book also incorporates much of Delhi's history, especially issues surrounding partition and colonial rule of Delhi.

*"" (1997)

His third book traces the Eastern Orthodox congregations scattered across the Middle East from their ancient origins, reviews how they have fared under centuries of Islamic rule, and discusses the complex relationship between Islam, Judaism, and Christianity in the region.

*"The Age of Kali" (1998)

This book is a collection of essays from a decade of travel around the Indian subcontinent. It deals with many controversial subjects such as Sati, the caste wars in India, political corruption, and terrorism. It was released in India as "At the Court of the Fish-Eyed Goddess".

*"White Mughals" (2002)

Dalrymple's fifth book is social history, covering the warm relations that existed between the British and some Indians in the 18th and early 19th century, when one of three British men in India was married to an Indian woman. It documents the interracial liaison between English officer James Achilles Kirkpatrick and an Indian princess. The geopolitical context of late 18th century India is also covered.

*"Begums, Thugs, And White Mughals – The Journals of Fanny Parkes " (2002)

Dalrymple edited this historical travel book based on the journals of Fanny Parkes, who resided in India from 1822 to 1846.

*"The Last Mughal, The Fall of a Dynasty, Delhi 1857" (2006)

His most recent book. It covers the circumstances in which Delhi was taken over by the sepoys during the Indian Rebellion of 1857, and the subsequent downfall of the last Mughal, Bahadur Shah Zafar.

TV and Radio

Dalrymple has written and presented the six part television series "Stones of the Raj" (Channel 4, August 1997) [cite web
url = http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/series/28568
title = Stones of the Raj
accessdate = 2007-08-18
publisher = British Film Institute] , the three part "Indian Journeys" (BBC, August 2002) [cite web
url = http://www.indiantelevision.com/headlines/y2k2/aug/aug107.htm
title = BBC World to premiere Indian Journeys 20 August
accessdate = 2007-08-18
publisher = Channel 4] and "Sufi Soul" (Channel 4, Nov 2005) [cite web
url = http://www.channel4.com/culture/microsites/C/can_you_believe_it/debates/sufi.html
title = Sufi Soul
accessdate = 2007-08-18
publisher = Channel 4] .

The six part "Stones of the Raj" documents the stories behind some of British India's colonial architecture starting with "Lahore" (16 August 1997), "Calcutta" (23 August 1997), "The French Connection" (30th August 1997), "The Fatal Friendship" (6 September 1997), "Surrey In Tibet" (13 September 1997), and concluded with "The Magnificent Ruin" (20 September 1997).

The trilogy of "Indian Journeys" consists of three one hour episodes starting with "Shiva’s Matted Locks" which while tracing the source of the river Ganges, takes Dalrymple on a journey to the Himalayas. The second part "City Of Djinns", is based on his travel book of the same name, takes a look at Delhi’s history, and last "Doubting Thomas", which takes Dalrymple to the Indian states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu, where St Thomas, the Apostle of Jesus is closely associated [cite news
url = http://www.mid-day.com/entertainment/television/2002/august/28541.htm
date = 2002-08-09
title = The voyager - William Dalrymple
accessdate = 2007-08-17
publisher = Mid Day] .

Additionally he has done a six-part history series "The Long Search" for Radio 4 [cite web
url = http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2002/05_may/27/long_search.shtml
title = The Long Search
accessdate = 2007-08-18
publisher = BBC] . In this series Dalrymple searches to discover the spiritual roots of the British Isles. As Dalrymple says "In the course of my travels I often came across the assumption that intense spirituality was somehow the preserve of what many call 'the mystic east'... it's a misconception that has always irritated me as I've always regarded our own indigenous British traditions of spirituality as especially rich."

Achievements

* "In Xanadu" - 1990 "Yorkshire Post" Best First Work Award; Scottish Arts Council Spring Book Award; shortlisted for John Llewellyn Rhys Memorial Prize. [cite web
url = http://www.oxfordbookstore.com/oxfordonline/asppages/item_final.asp?strSKU=BD95637&strSKUSrl=2&sid=2FK4E9B103R89N6LEB8SW8WC3C500439
title = The Last Mughal
accessdate = 2007-06-30
publisher = Oxford Bookstore]
* "City of Djinns" - 1994 Thomas Cook Travel Book Award and the "Sunday Times" Young British Writer of the Year Award. [cite web
url = http://home.comcast.net/~netaylor1/cooktravel.html
title = THOMAS COOK TRAVEL BOOK AWARD 1980-2003
accessdate = 2007-06-30
publisher = THE BOOKLIST CENTER ]
* "From the Holy Mountain" - Scottish Arts Council Autumn Book Award for 1997; shortlisted for the 1998 Thomas Cook Award, the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize and the Duff Cooper Prize. [cite web
url = http://www.stanfords.co.uk/stock/from-the-holy-mountain-a-journey-in-the-shadow-of-byzantium-72283/
title = From the Holy Mountain: A Journey in the Shadow of Byzantium
accessdate = 2007-06-30
publisher = Stanfords]
* "The Age of Kali" - 1998, won the French Prix d'Astrolabe in 2005. [cite web
url = http://www.stanfords.co.uk/stock/age-of-kali-indian-travels-and-encounters-80706/
title = Age Of Kali: Indian Travels and Encounters
accessdate = 2007-06-30
publisher = Stanfords]
* "White Mughals: Love & Betrayal in Eighteenth-Century India" (2002) won the Wolfson Prize for History (2002) and the Scottish Book of the Year Prize (2003); also shortlisted for the Kiryama Prize, the PEN History Prize and the James Tait Black Memorial Prize.) [cite web
url = http://www.thecitycircle.com/events_full_text2.php?id=347
title = White Mughals
accessdate = 2007-06-30
publisher = The City Circle]
* Awarded the Mungo Park Medal in 2002 by the Royal Scottish Geographical Society for his outstanding contribution to travel literature. cite web
url = http://www.contemporarywriters.com/authors/?p=auth519D193A0f109211E7HsY1BA97C3
title = William Dalrymple
accessdate = 2007-06-30
publisher = Contemporary Writers: British Council]
* The television series "Stones of the Raj" and "Indian Journeys", which he wrote and presented, won him the Grierson Award for Best Documentary Series at BAFTA in 2002. [cite web
url = http://www.penguinbooksindia.com/AuthorLounge/AuthorDetail.asp?aid=2754
title = William Dalrymple
accessdate = 2007-06-30
publisher = Penguin Books India]
* "The Long Search", his BBC Radio 4 series on the history of British spirituality and mysticism, won the 2002 Sandford St Martin Prize for Religious Broadcasting and was described by the judges as "thrilling in its brilliance... near perfect radio."
* In December 2005 his article on the "madrasas" of Pakistan was awarded the prize for Best Print Article of the Year at the 2005 FPA Media Awards. [cite web
url = http://www.cerebration.org/dalrymple.html
title = Author in Focus: Interview with William Dalrymple
accessdate = 2007-06-30
publisher = Penguin Books India]
* Received the Sykes Medal in 2005 from the Royal Society for Asian Affairs for his contribution "to understanding contemporary Islam." [cite web
url = http://www.penguinbooksindia.com/AuthorLounge/AuthorDetail.asp?aid=2754
title = William Dalrymple
accessdate = 2007-06-30
publisher = Cerebration.Org]
* Received an Honorary Doctorate of Letters, Honoris Causa, from the University of St Andrews (2006) "for his services to literature and international relations, to broadcasting and understanding." [cite web
url = http://calvin.st-andrews.ac.uk/external_relations/news_article.cfm?reference=955
title = Honorary Degrees June 2006
accessdate = 2007-06-30
publisher = University of St. Andrews]
* On 20 February 2007 "The Last Mughal" won the Duff Cooper Memorial Prize for History and Biography. [cite web
url = http://www.nybooks.com/authors/9809
title = Book review by William Dalrymple
accessdate = 2007-06-30
publisher = The New York Review of Books]
* Received an Honorary Doctorate of Letters, Honoris Causa, from the University of Lucknow (2007) "for his outstanding contribution in literature and history." [cite news
url = http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Girls-steal-the-show-at-LU-convocation/240394/
title = Girls steal the show at LU convocation
date = 2007-11-18
accessdate = 2007-11-19
publisher = Express India]
* Received an Honorary Doctorate of Letters, Honoris Causa, from the University of Aberdeen (2008. [cite news
url =http://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/Article.aspx/716673?UserKey=0
title =Graduates told to make their mark in life
date = 2008-07-08
accessdate = 2008-07-05
publisher = The Press and Journal]
* Received the 2008 Colonel James Tod Award given by the Maharana Mewar Foundation for achieving excellence in his field [cite news
url =http://www.hindu.com/mp/2008/03/08/stories/2008030852170100.htm
title =The winners take it all
date = 2008-03-08
accessdate = 2008-08-06
publisher = The Hindu] .
* "The Last Mughal" has just won the 2007 Vodafone Crossword Book Award for best work in English non-fiction. [cite news
url =http://www.indiainfoline.com/news/innernews.asp?storyId=72532&lmn=1&cat=18
title =Vodafone Crossword Popular Book Awards honours best writers
date = 2008-07-05
accessdate = 2008-07-05
publisher = India Infoline.com]

References

External links

* [http://www.williamdalrymple.uk.com William Dalrymple's Home Page]
* [http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/sacredtexts/podwilliamdalrymple.html Extract of Dalrymple talk Bahadur Shah Zafar] MP3 sound file
* [http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/whatson/downloads/files/dalrympesacredreview.mp3 Dalrymple interviewed about British Library exhibition] MP3 sound file