Victoria & Abdul : the true story of the queen's closest confidant / Shrabani Basu.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Basu, Shrabani.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Karim, Abdul, 1863-1909.

Karim, Abdul.

Victoria, Queen of Great Britain, 1819-1901.

Victoria.

Favorites, Royal--Great Britain.

Favorites, Royal.

Great Britain--Court and courtiers.

Great Britain.

Courts and courtiers.

Physical Description:

224 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Other Title:

Victoria and Abdul

Place of Publication:

Stroud : History Press, 2010.

Summary:

"The tall, handsome Abdul Karim was just twenty-four years old when he arrived in England from Agra to wait at tables during Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee. An assistant clerk at Agra Central Jail, he suddenly found himself a personal attendant to the Empress of India herself. Within a year, he was established as a powerful figure at court, becoming the queen's teacher, or Munshi, and instructing her in Urdu and Indian affairs. Devastated by the death of John Brown, her Scottish gillie, the queen had at last found his replacement. But her intense and controversial relationship with the Munshi led to a near-revolt in the royal household. 'Victoria & Abdul' examines how a young Indian Muslim came to play a central role at the heart of the Empire, and his influence over the queen at a time when independence movements in the sub-continent were growing in force. Yet, at its heart, it is a tender love story between an ordinary Indian and his elderly queen, a relationship that survived the best attempts to destroy it."--Publisher's description.

Contents:

Agra

A Jubilee present

An Indian Durbar

Curries and highlanders

Becoming the Munshi

A grant of land

Indian affairs

The Viceroy receives a Christmas card

The household conspires

Rebellion in the ranks

'Munshimania'

Redemption

Death of a queen

Last days in Agra

Endgame.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780752453644

0752453645

OCLC:

495598872

Publisher Number:

99938912056