Awards

• Short-listed for Los Angeles Times Book Prize 2018

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9780393239348

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Ruby Lal, an Indian historian now teaching in America, faces exactly these challenges in writing the biography of the Mughal empress Nur Jahan, a near contemporary of Elizabeth I. That she succeeds so admirably with a relative lack of authentic material is a tribute to her dexterity as a writer. She enlivens the mostly austere historical record by including (with due caveats) the many entertaining legends that have accrued around Nur Jahan over the centuries. In so doing she not only paints an absorbing portrait of a remarkable woman, but also offers a stylish reconstruction of a fascinating slice of Mughal life. -- The Telegraph ... meticulous book... In filling in the details of Nur Jahan's life, Ms Lai has not only written a revisionist feminist biography; she has also provided a vivid picture of the Mughal court, with its luxuries, beauties, intrigues and horrors. -- The Economist Lal's intriguing biography, with its chronology of her relatively swift rise to power and even swifter descent, restores Nur Jahan to her full splendour. -- 10 Books to read in July - BBC Culture This is an outstanding book, not only incredibly important but also a fabulous piece of writing. Here, India's greatest empress is reborn in all her fascinating glory in a luminescent account of her life and times. Ruby Lal has written a classic-one of the best biographies to come out this year and certainly the best ever of Nur Jahan. -- Amanda Foreman, author of The World Made by Women

An enchanting evocation of the brilliant Mughal Empire and a tender tribute to India's first female leader. Lush and sensuous, a jewel box of a book. -- Rosalind Miles, author of Who Cooked the Last Supper? The Women's History of the World What an extraordinary and detailed account of a remarkable woman-amazing! A very impressive, thorough, poetic, humane work. -- Deepa Mehta, filmmaker and screenwriter This is an outstanding book, not only incredibly important but also a fabulous piece of writing. Here, India's greatest empress is reborn in all her fascinating glory in a luminescent account of her life and times. Ruby Lal has written a classic-one of the best biographies to come out this year and certainly the best ever of Nur Jahan. -- Amanda Foreman, author of The World Made by Women

... meticulous book... In filling in the details of Nur Jahan's life, Ms Lai has not only written a revisionist feminist biography; she has also provided a vivid picture of the Mughal court, with its luxuries, beauties, intrigues and horrors. -- The Economist Lal's intriguing biography, with its chronology of her relatively swift rise to power and even swifter descent, restores Nur Jahan to her full splendour. -- 10 Books to read in July - BBC Culture This is an outstanding book, not only incredibly important but also a fabulous piece of writing. Here, India's greatest empress is reborn in all her fascinating glory in a luminescent account of her life and times. Ruby Lal has written a classic-one of the best biographies to come out this year and certainly the best ever of Nur Jahan. -- Amanda Foreman, author of The World Made by Women

Lal's intriguing biography, with its chronology of her relatively swift rise to power and even swifter descent, restores Nur Jahan to her full splendour. -- 10 Books to read in July - BBC Culture This is an outstanding book, not only incredibly important but also a fabulous piece of writing. Here, India's greatest empress is reborn in all her fascinating glory in a luminescent account of her life and times. Ruby Lal has written a classic-one of the best biographies to come out this year and certainly the best ever of Nur Jahan. -- Amanda Foreman, author of The World Made by Women

Author Information

Ruby Lal is a professor and historian. She is the author of several books, including Empress. She divides her time between Atlanta, Georgia, and Delhi, India.

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