The Anarchy
First edition cover, UK
AuthorWilliam Dalrymple
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
GenreNon-fiction
PublisherBloomsbury Publishing
Publication date
2019
Pages576
ISBN9781408864371 (Hardback)
954.031
LC ClassDS465 .D35
Preceded byKoh-i-Noor: The History of the World's Most Infamous Diamond 
Websitehttps://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/anarchy-9781408864395/

The Anarchy: The Relentless Rise of the East India Company is a 2019 history book by William Dalrymple. It recounts the rise of the East India Company in the second half of the 18th century, against the backdrop of a crumbling Mughal Empire and the rise of regional powers.

Overview

The book deals with the history of the East India Company in the Indian subcontinent, beginning with the humble origins of the East India Company, founded in 1599 when it received a royal charter awarding them a monopoly on all trade between England and Asia. By the end of the first half of the 18th century, they had established bases in Bombay, Calcutta and Madras. The main part of the book deals with the territorial conquests, starting from the Battle of Plassey in 1757, which results in the conquest of Bengal, the richest province of Mughal India. By the end of 1803, they have gained control over the entire subcontinent and command a large private army.

Dalrymple draws from known sources and previously untranslated or unknown sources like the Shah Alam Nama, a biography of Shah Alam II, the Mughal emperor during most of the events.

Reception

The book has received positive reviews. Maya Jasanoff of The Guardian notes that the book is an "... energetic pageturner that marches from the counting house on to the battlefield, exploding patriotic myths along the way."[1] Tirthankar Roy writes in The Times Literary Supplement that "...he is a terrifically good storyteller. He makes the reader see how events unfold and observe the personalities up close. He is widely read both on the primary sources and the historical scholarship. As a result, The Anarchy is one of the best books on Indian history published in a long time."[2]

M Saad of Scroll notes that "[i]t is an achievement in itself that he has adroitly dealt with a work of such proportions. Dalrymple writes with a mastery in which he has few equals among his contemporaries. He is known for narrating the most dreadful of all historical events with a certain grace unique to his writing."[3] Mukund Padmanabhan writes in The Hindu that "[i]n his familiar passionate manner, Dalrymple cuts through the stodge that pervades a lot of writing on history to serve up a book that has it all — the compulsive pull of a thriller, the erudition of a significant piece of non-fiction, and the loveliness of a piece of literature."[4] Madhumita Mazumdar writes in The Telegraph that "[t]he Anarchy remains a unique meditation on corporate avarice told with the deftness of a scholar and the charm of a raconteur."[5]

The book was long listed for the Baillie Gifford Prize 2019, and short listed for the Duke of Wellington medal for Military History, the Tata Book of the Year (Non-fiction) and the Historical Writers Association Book Award 2020. It was a Finalist for the Cundill Prize for History and won the 2020 Arthur Ross Bronze Medal from the US Council on Foreign Relation.[6]

President Barack Obama included The Anarchy in his list of favorite books of 2019.[7]

TV Adaptation

The Anarchy is set for adaptation by Jeremy Brock. The initial plan is it to be made into three TV series. Dalrymple will act as a creative consultant.[8] It will be made as an international production between Wiip and Roy Kapur Films and produced across India, United Kingdom and the United States. [9]

Further reading

  • Robins, Nick. The Corporation that changed the world: How the East India Company shaped the modern multinational, Pluto Press, 2012.

References

  1. ↑ Jasanoff, Maya (11 September 2019). "The Anarchy by William Dalrymple review – the East India Company and corporate excess". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 30 March 2021. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
  2. ↑ Roy, Tirthankar (22 November 2019). "Stinging to death - Modern history". The Times Literary Supplement. Archived from the original on 25 January 2021. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
  3. ↑ Saad, M. (28 September 2019). "William Dalrymple's book masterfully chronicles an early instance of corporate power over governance". Scroll.in. Archived from the original on 23 May 2021. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
  4. ↑ Padmanabhan, Mukund (3 October 2019). "William Dalrymple on 'The Anarchy' and the cunning of the East India Company". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 24 May 2021. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
  5. ↑ Mazumdar, Madhumita (11 October 2019). "William Dalrymple's Anarchy: How a single business operation managed to replace the mighty Mughal empire". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 13 June 2020. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
  6. ↑ "Baillie Gifford Prize 2019 Longlist". 12 September 2019. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
  7. ↑ "Barack Obama's favourite books in 2019: The Anarchy by William Dalrymple, Normal People by Sally Rooney". The Indian Express. 31 December 2019. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
  8. ↑ Blackburn, Jack, History. "British imperialism show could be Bollywood's answer to Succession". The Times. Retrieved 25 April 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  9. ↑ Ramachandran, Naman (20 April 2023). "'The Last King of Scotland' Writer Jeremy Brock to Script 'The Anarchy' Series From Wiip, Roy Kapur Films (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety.
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