City of Djinns: A Year in Delhi » (Reprint)

William Dalyrmple has written several highly acclaimed books, including the bestseller In Xanadu and From the Holy Mountain. In 1989 he moved to Delhi, where he lived for four years. His writings have appeared in the Spectator, the Observer Magazine, the Independent, and the Sunday Times Magazine.

First published in 1993 (by Harper Collins), this account of a year spent in Delhi is both personal and historical as Dalrymple (an author of other works on India) describes the people he associates with, great festivals (and their history), monuments and sites (and their history), the seasons, and the small details of everyday life. Annotation ©2003 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Library Journal

Delhi has a richly layered past, and Dalrymple (In Xanadu, McKay, 1990) deftly peels away each layer to reveal how the city came to be what it is today. Djinns are spirits said to be seen only after prolonged fasting and prayer; they too are integral to understanding the city. The author, a young Scot carrying on the fine British tradition of travel writing, has a knack for meeting fascinating people and capturing their most revealing remarks. He introduces us to dervishes, eunuchs, partridge fighting, weddings, and expatriates. His wife contributes sketches that nicely complement his text. Considering the importance of Delhi, the capital of the world's second most populous nation, this book deserves to be in most public and academic libraries.-Harold M. Otness, Southern Oregon State Coll. Lib., Ashland