Praise for The Devil’s Wind
‘Was Nana Saheb one of the leaders of the 1857 uprising? A monster who killed English women and children? Or was he a patriot? In The Devil’s Wind, Manohar Malgonkar tries to find an answer, giving us at the same time, in Nana Saheb’s own words, a fascinating picture of those tumultuous times, of confused loyalties and cruel betrayals. In Malgonkar, a new generation of readers will find a rare and skilled writer of historical fiction.’
—Shashi Deshpande, author
‘The Devil’s Wind is a fascinating novel about the life and times of Nana Saheb. Imaginative and inventive, yet never losing sight of authenticity, taking in the vast turbulent sweep of history, and yet intimate, as a chamber play. Now printed fifty years after its first publication, this rediscovered classic gleams like one of Nana Saheb’s own lost gems.’—Avik Chanda
‘The Devil’s Wind and J.G. Farrell’s The Siege of Krishnapur are two of the finest pieces of fiction set in the context of the uprising of 1857. Using the revolt as a backdrop, Malgonkar weaves a poignant love story and makes it almost credible. It remains a powerful evocation of those tumultuous times.’—Rudrangshu Mukherjee
‘Nana-Saheb, one of the leaders of the Indian Mutiny of 1857, gets a chance to tell his own story in a historical novel.’ — The New York Times (1972)
About the Book
When Dhondu Pant Nana Saheb, the adopted son of exiled Maratha Peshwa Bajirao II, is denied rights as the Peshwa’s heir by the British after his father’s death, he makes an appeal to reclaim his title, only to be rebuffed again.
Then, as a mutiny breaks out in Kanpur in 1857 and Nana Saheb emerges as its leader, he is labelled by the British as a villainous monster, a barbarous butcher and the criminal leader of the ‘Sepoy Mutiny’, which sweeps across India from 1856 to 1859. Yet, to a nation in turmoil, he becomes a hero who stands up to the colonial oppression and emerges as a forerunner to the leaders who bring freedom to the nation less than a century later.
In The Devil’s Wind, Nana Saheb’s story—a significant, turbulent and intrigue-filled chapter in India’s history—is skilfully brought to life by master storyteller Manohar Malgonkar in vivid, inventive detail.
Poulomi Chatterjee, Publisher at HarperCollins Publishers India, says ‘Manohar Malgonkar was an absolute legend – a versatile, inventive master-storyteller, who used his craft brilliantly to bring to life historical periods, events and personalities. HarperCollins is delighted to be bringing back his work in sparkling new editions for generations of new readers to rediscover him.’
Ridhima Kumar, Commissioning Editor at HarperCollins Publishers India, says, ‘It’s hard to believe that an entire generation never got a chance to read essential classics by Manohar Malgonkar. I We feel so thrilled to be making these books available for everyone to read again. These must-read classics have never looked so good before!’
About the Author
Manohar Malgonkar (1913-2010) was an eminent post-Independence writer whom R.K. Narayan once referred to as his `favourite Indian novelist in English’. He was hailed as `one of India’s most exuberant storytellers’ in an article published by The New York Times in 1965. Born near Belgaum, Malgonkar was the grandson of the prime minister of a former princely state of Dewas. He served in the army during World War II, was a big-game hunter, a farmer, a mine owner and an adventurer. Later, he started working as a journalist and thereafter took to book writing. His works are as diverse as his personal life and have a blend of history, romance and military life. Some of his major works include The Princes, A Bend in the Ganges and The Sea Hawk: Life and Battles of Kanhoji Angrey.
For further information please write to sagiri.dixit@harpercollins-india.com
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