Freedom at Midnight

Freedom at Midnight

"Freedom at Midnight" (1975) is a book by Dominique Lapierre and Larry Collins. It describes the events in the Indian independence movement in 1947-48, beginning with the appointment of Lord Mountbatten as the last viceroy of British India, and ending with the death and funeral of Mahatma Gandhi. The authors having interviewed many of those who were there, including Lord Mountbatten, the book gives a detailed account of the last year of British India, the princely states' reactions to independence, the partition of India and Pakistan, and the bloodshed that followed. It also covers the events leading to the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi. The book is a result of deeply scanned and researched events which often are left out by the historians. The maps of India and Pakistan were drawn on religious grounds by a man named Cyril Radcliffe who had never visited India in his life before being appointed as the chairman of the Boundary Commission. The book also explains the fury of both Hindus and Muslims, misled by their communal leaders, during the partition and the biggest mass slaughter in the history of India. One incident quoted is particularly terrifying: it describes a canal in Lahore that ran with blood and floating bodies.

Controversial for its portrayal of the British expatriates, the native rulers of India and members of India's first cabinet, it is a non-fiction book told in a casual style, similar to the authors' previous "Is Paris Burning?" and "O Jerusalem!".

Collins and Lapierre also wrote a book about their researches with respect to Lord Mountbatten, titled "Mountbatten and the Partition of India". This book contains interviews with Lord Mountbatten, and a selection of papers that were in his possession.The book mainly is a detailed portrayal of the various events, good and bad happening in India. The book, unlike others, reveals many stunning facts which would perhaps be never unearthed without an extensive research as the author. The most engrossing aspects of the book are the heart-rending portrayals of the religious carnage which occurred after the Partition. Another thing which makes it interesting is the highlight on the lives and the roles of the various insignificant monarchies scattered across British India. In all, this book is a complete documentation of the Indian political imbroglio at the time of Partition, and the helpless struggle of Mahatma Gandhi to save his country from Partition and from the clutches of his political foe, Mohammed Ali Jinnah, and his final moments, which have been documented with frightful detail.

External links

* [http://www.allfreeessays.net/student/Freedom_at_Midnight_book_review.html review at free essays]
* [http://www.amazon.com/dp/0006388515 Reviews at Amazon.com]


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Midnight (DC Comics) — Midnight Midnight on the cover of Smash Comics #46. Art by Alex Kotzky. Publication information …   Wikipedia

  • Midnight (role-playing game) — Midnight is a campaign setting for the role playing game Dungeons Dragons, released under the Open Gaming License. It was published by Fantasy Flight Games from 2003 to 2009. Contents 1 History 2 Setting 2.1 In game history …   Wikipedia

  • Midnight Lightning — Studio album by Jimi Hendrix Released November 1975 ( …   Wikipedia

  • Midnight Whispers — is the fourth novel in the Cutler series, written in 1992 by the ghost writer of V. C. Andrews novels, Andrew Neiderman. The novel follows the traditional formula of Andrews novels, and by being the fourth in its series, it thereby centres around …   Wikipedia

  • Midnight Special (Harry Belafonte album) — Midnight Special Studio album by Harry Belafonte Released 1962 …   Wikipedia

  • Midnight University — is a virtual university for free public education. It contains over 1,500 scholarly articles and has a discussion forum.[1] Former rector of the university is late Somkiat Tangnamo. On the cause of Thailand 2006 coup, the university s website[2]… …   Wikipedia

  • Midnight on the Mavi Marmara — is a book from 2010 edited by Moustafa Bayoumi. It was written after the Israeli attack on the Mavi Marmara. The book includes contributions by Noam Chomsky, Stephen Kinzer, Alice Walker and Stephen M. Walt. Reviews of the book have appeared in… …   Wikipedia

  • Midnight Sun Run — For marathons on a similar theme, see Midnight Sun Marathon (disambiguation). The Fairbanks Daily News Miner Midnight Sun Run is a ten kilometer road running event, held annually since 1983 in Fairbanks, Alaska, that attracts participants from… …   Wikipedia

  • Freedom (Grey's Anatomy) — Infobox Television episode | Title = Freedom Series = Grey s Anatomy Season = 4 Episode = 16 17 Guests = Amy Madigan (Dr. Wyatt) Lauren Stamile (Rose) Elizabeth Reaser (Ava/Rebecca) Loretta Devine (Adele Webber)Jurnee Smollett (Beth) John Cothran …   Wikipedia

  • A new day at midnight — álbum de estudio de David Gray Publicación 28 de octubre de 2002 Grabación 200 2002 Género(s) pop, folk, country Duración …   Wikipedia Español

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”