Description - Empire of Enchantment: The Story of Indian Magic by John Zubrzycki
A vibrant narrative of India's magical traditions and their journey across the world.
A vibrant narrative of India's magical traditions and their journey across the world.
India's association with magicians goes back thousands of years. Conjurers and illusionists dazzled the courts of Hindu maharajas and Mughal emperors. As British dominion spread over the subcontinent, such wonder-workers became synonymous with India. Western magicians appropriated Indian attire, tricks, and stage names. Switching their turbans for top hats, Indian jugglers fought back, and earned their grudging respect.
This book tells the extraordinary story of how Indian magic descended from the realm of the gods to become part of daily ritual and popular entertainment across the globe. Recounting tales of levitating Brahmins, resurrections, prophesying monkeys, and 'the most famous trick never performed', Empire of Enchantment vividly charts Indian magic's epic journey from street to stage.
'Zubrzycki has found the most wonderful story, and told it brilliantly. It is - quite literally - a book of marvels.'
-William Dalrymple, multi-award-winning author of City of Djinns, The Age of Kali, White Mughals, and Nine Lives
'An amazing, brilliant, and incredibly erudite book. Zubrzycki's knowledge is dazzling, and his discussions of Indian magicians and their Western imitators or denigrators allow him to tell marvellous stories about animal trainers, snake charmers, not to mention, thieves, Thugs, folk healers, spies, automatons, and about fascinating characters -Thurston, Sleeman, Sorcar - and many more.'
-Lee Siegel, professor of religion at University of Hawaii, and author of Net of Magic- wonders and deceptions in India
'Exceptionally well-crafted and brilliantly told, Empire of Enchantment brings alive the most enchanting tales and traditions from the history of Indian magic, packed with an extraordinary cast featuring emperors and politicians, street performers and thugs. Travelling with Zubrzycki from distant antiquity down to our own, more recent times, what this book offers is a universe of pure, unadulterated delight.'
-Shashi Tharoor, author of Inglorious Empire- what the British did to India
Buy Empire of Enchantment: The Story of Indian Magic by John Zubrzycki from Australia's Online Independent Bookstore, BooksDirect.
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