Why I Love… Historical Fiction Set In India

My love affair with India started rather early when I first watched the animated series "80 Days Around the World With Willy Fogg” (Portuguese and Spanish children might remember this quite well) based on the Jules Verne novel "80 days Around the World". The young widow, Princess Romy, who was saved from suttee by Rigodon and Fogg, seemed so exotic and mysterious to my 8 years old eyes (she still does!). At that age, my interest was mostly focused in her strange clothes and the fact that she was about to be burned with her dead husband. It intrigued me for weeks and my poor father had to find (and quickly!) some children's books about India to satisfy my curiosity. The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling was read many times until it fell apart.

In my late teens a friend of my mother gave me a copy of one of her favorite books - The Far Pavilions - and I was completely entranced. Such richness all through those pages! I just had to have more of that drug. ;-)

Today, my relationship with India continues, stronger than ever. For me it is still a place of adventure with a deeply fascinating culture, a land where everything seems possible, even under the worst situations that often make world news.

Here are some of my favorites reads:

The Far Pavilions by M. M. Kaye

Shadow of the Moon by M. M. Kaye

The White Mughals by William Dalrymple

Shalimar by Rebecca Ryman

Olivia and Jai by Rebecca Ryman

Zemindar by Valerie Fitzgerald






The Raj Quarted (The Jewel in the Crown, The Day of the Scorpion, The Towers of Silence, A Division of the Spoils) by Paul Scott

A Passage to India by E.M. Forster

Taj: A Story of Mughal India by Timeri Murari



For those interested, here are some other books I still didn’t read but who were warmly recommended by friends:

Beneath a Marble Sky by John Shors

The Twentieth Wife by Indu Sundaresan

East of the Sun by Julia Gregson

The Last Kashmiri Rose by Barbara Cleverly



I know this is all about books, nonetheless if you like historical fiction set in India and are also a movie buff, you simply have to watch Jodhaa Akbar. It might not be the most accurate historical movie in Indian cinema but what a fest for the eyes!

And finally, I wanted to thank the ladies of HT for inviting me and letting me share one of my passions. Thank you Ana T., Marg, Kailana and Teddy, it was a pleasure to be here with you! ;-)

Alex

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Alex is, besides a big historical fiction fan, the friend who is responsible for Historical Tapestry's image. She made the template, the buttons we use on our Why I Love and HT News series and even the bookmarks we occasionally send out. She blogs at Le Canapé and she always has interesting things up on her blog.

Thanks, Alex!