Mansur
by Vikramajit Ram
Description
Shortlisted for the JCB Prize for Literature 2023
Saturday, the 27th of February, 1627. The master artist Mansur, who works under the patronage of Mughal emperor Jahangir, must finish his painting of a dodo and prepare for an imminent journey to Kashmir when he is interrupted by a younger colleague, Bichitr. An innocuous remark from this visitor – first to Mansur and a little later to the portraitist Abu’l Hasan – has dire consequences as more characters at the imperial atelier, the library and the Women’s Quarter are drawn into a web of secrets, half-truths and petty rivalries.
At the heart of the story is a jewel-like verse book whose pages Mansur has illuminated and filled with lifelike butterflies. On reaching Verinag, the royal summer retreat in Kashmir, the painter must present the book to its author, the empress Nur Jahan, who had commissioned it as a keepsake for her husband, the emperor Jahangir.
A delay in the book reaching Mansur from the bindery adds to his apprehensions that its very existence is no longer a secret, coupled with dread that so precious an artefact might fall into the wrong hands. What must the painter confront before his masterwork is conveyed safely to Verinag?
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Rights Information
World rights available excluding the Indian subcontinent
Author Biography
Vikramajit Ram was born and educated in Bangalore. After graduating from the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad, he practised as a graphic designer for several years. His first book, Elephant Kingdom: Sculptures from Indian Architecture was followed by Dreaming Vishnus: A Journey through Central India, Tso and La: A Journey in Ladakh, and a novel, The Sun and Two Seas, set in India of the 13th century.
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View all titlesBibliographic Information
- Publisher Pan Macmillan India
- Publication Date November 2022
- Orginal LanguageEnglish
- ISBN/Identifier 9789390742981
- Publication Country or regionIndia
- FormatHardback
- Primary Price 390 INR
- Pages176
- ReadershipGeneral
- Publish StatusPublished
- Copyright Year2022
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