Patrick French's India: A Portrait tells the story of how India emerged from a turbulent struggle for independence to become a vibrant democracy with one of the fastest-growing economies in the world. India is the biggest democracy on earth, a country of dynamic change, huge divisions and countless identities. Is there any way to discover the 'real' India? In this intimate biography of 1.2 billion people, Patrick French travels all over the country talking to everyone from political leaders to mafia dons, from chained quarry workers to self-made billionaire entrepreneurs, to tell the story of post-independence India as never before.

The story of Kim (1901) unfolds against the backdrop of the political conflict between Russia and Britain in Central Asia known as The Great Came. The novel is notable for its detailed portrait of the people, culture, and varied religions of India. "The book presents a vivid picture of India, its teeming populations, religions, and superstitions, and the life of the bazaars and the road."

The story of Kim (1901) unfolds against the backdrop of the political conflict between Russia and Britain in Central Asia known as The Great Came. The novel is notable for its detailed portrait of the people, culture, and varied religions of India. "The book presents a vivid picture of India, its teeming populations, religions, and superstitions, and the life of the bazaars and the road."

The story of Kim (1901) unfolds against the backdrop of the political conflict between Russia and Britain in Central Asia known as The Great Came. The novel is notable for its detailed portrait of the people, culture, and varied religions of India. "The book presents a vivid picture of India, its teeming populations, religions, and superstitions, and the life of the bazaars and the road."

The story of Kim (1901) unfolds against the backdrop of the political conflict between Russia and Britain in Central Asia known as The Great Came. The novel is notable for its detailed portrait of the people, culture, and varied religions of India. "The book presents a vivid picture of India, its teeming populations, religions, and superstitions, and the life of the bazaars and the road."

A compelling portrait of a society in the grip of imperialism, A Passage to India depicts the fate of individuals caught in the great political and cultural conflicts of their age. It begins when Adela and her elderly companion Mrs Moore arrive in the Indian town of Chandrapore, and feel trapped by its insular and prejudiced British community. Determined to explore the 'real India', they seek the guidance of the charming and mercurial Dr Aziz. But a mysterious incident occurs while they are exploring the Marabar caves, and the well-respected doctor soon finds himself at the centre of a scandal.

A collection of three classic books by V. S. Naipaul, with an introduction from Paul Theroux, author of The Great Railway Bazaar. Nobel laureate V. S. Naipaul first visited India in 1962 at the age of twenty-nine, hoping to settle the ghosts of a painful ancestral past. That journey was the first in what would become a decades-long project. An Area of Darkness chronicles the author's initial visit as estrangement gives way to connections and conversations. Prompted by the Emergency of 1975, India: A Wounded Civilization presents an intellectual portrait of a country whose people are no longer so willing to speak or bear witness. India: A Million Mutinies Now captures a panorama of voices and stories fifteen years later, at another moment of national upheaval. Born of Naipaul's wish to see for himself the homeland from which he was twice displaced, India emerges as an invaluable account of a nation in times of dramatic change: acutely observant, tender, at once brilliantly composed and vividly clear-sighted.

A major new celebration of the French short story across the twentieth century The short story has a rich tradition in French literature. This feast of an anthology celebrates its most famous practitioners, as well as newly translated writers ready for rediscovery. Here are fables, puzzles, fairy tales, war stories and family histories, testing and expanding the boundaries of the form. They are stories about the self and the other, the centre and the periphery, experimental and existential, real and surreal. The second volume takes the reader through the tumultuous twentieth century in the company of writers including Simone de Beauvoir and Maryse Conde, Patrick Modiano and Virginie Despentes, covering world wars, revolutions, and the horrors of the motorway service station. Along the way we meet electronic brains, she-wolves, a sadistic Cinderella, ancestors, infidels, dissatisfied housewives and lonely ambassadors, all clamouring to be heard. Funny, devastating and fresh at every turn, this is the place to start for lovers of French literature, new and old. Edited and with an introduction by Patrick McGuinness, academic, writer and translator.

Exploring issues of colonialism, faith and the limits of comprehension, E.M. Forster's A Passage to India is published as a Penguin Essential for the first time. When Adela Quested and her elderly companion Mrs Moore arrive in the Indian town of Chandrapore, they quickly feel trapped by its insular and prejudiced 'Anglo-Indian' community. Determined to escape the parochial English enclave and explore the 'real India', they seek the guidance of the charming and mercurial Dr Aziz, a cultivated Indian Muslim. But a mysterious incident occurs while they are exploring the Marabar caves with Aziz, and the well-respected doctor soon finds himself at the centre of a scandal that rouses violent passions among both the British and their Indian subjects. A masterly portrait of a society in the grip of imperialism, A Passage to India compellingly depicts the fate of individuals caught between the great political and cultural conflicts of the modern world.

100 color photographs. Text in English, German, French, Italian and Spanish. Here is a portrait of Ireland in all its splendor. Whether pristine landscapes or gritty urban street scenes, historic castles and monuments or picturesque villages, these pictures reveal the wondrous variety of a country renowned for its beauty and the vitality and gregariousness of its people.

The next generation of Parisian interior designers curated by the editors of French Architectural Digest. From Vincent Darre and Joseph Dirand to India Mahdavi, a new wave of design talent has emerged in Paris. Combining nonchalant elegance with the French capital's perennial chic flair, their interiors reflect a refreshingly innovative take on home decor while inspiring myriad designers across the globe. Renowned for publishing the very best of interior design, the editors of French Architectural Digest have thoughtfully curated a collection of interiors by twelve of the new guard's top names. The New Chic showcases diverse residential interiors projects spanning the past five years. Inviting, charming, and irresistibly cool, this beautifully illustrated book celebrates the voices of modern Parisian interiors and is a must for every library of design.

A long-ago accident-and a visitor from out of the blue. . . Stephanie and Patrick are adjusting to life with their colicky twin girls. The babies are a handful, but even as Stephanie struggles with the disorientation of sleep deprivation, there's one thing she's sure of: she has all she ever wanted. Then Erica, a woman from Patrick's past, appears and makes a disturbing accusation. Patrick had always said his first wife's death was an accident, but now Erica claims it was murder. Patrick insists he's innocent, that this is nothing but a blackmail attempt. Still, Erica knows things about Patrick--things that make Stephanie begin to question her husband. Stephanie isn't sure what, or who, to believe. As Stephanie's trust in Patrick begins to falter, Patrick stands to lose everything. Is Patrick telling the truth--is Erica the persuasive liar Patrick says she is? Or has Stephanie made a terrible mistake? How will it end?

Through an important episode in the life of Ludwig van Beethoven, Regis Penet paints the portrait of a humanist genius who refused to submit to the powerful. "Tell the French that there is still one man in Austria who is not subject to them, and that he does not bear any title!" 1806, Beethoven was 36 years old and resided in the palace of Prince Alois von Lichnowsky, his friend and patron, where he would form a friendship with the young son of the prince, Eduard. It was the time of the great Napoleonic conquests and Austria was now occupied by French troops. In order to show the French officers that he was receiving at dinner, "what remains of a prince of Austria", von Lichnowsky made it a point of honor to have the composer play in front of his guests. But Beethoven refused to show his talent. By insubordination, not only towards the victors, these "servants of tyranny" but also towards his protector who wanted to show him off. He is and will remain a free man! Through the account of this particular day, Regis Penet makes a biographical work and draws a striking portrait of the "bear of the salons": a genius sure of his talent, indomitable and fond of freedom. Instructive, moving... simply magnificent!

Frances Price is in dire straits. Scandals swirl around the recently widowed New York socialite, and her adult-aged, toddler-brained son Malcolm is no help. Cutting their losses, they grab their cat, Small Frank, and head for the exit. Paris becomes the backdrop for a giddy drive to self-destruction, helped along by a cast of singularly curious characters. Brimming with pathos, warmth and wit, French Exit is a riotous send-up of high society and a moving story of mothers and sons.

Tusker and Lily Smalley stayed on in India. Given the chance to return 'home' when Tusker, once a Colonel in the British Army, retired, they chose instead to remain in the small hill town of Pangkot, with its eccentric inhabitants and archaic rituals left over from the days of the Empire. Only the tyranny of their landlady, the imposing Mrs Bhoolabhoy, threatens to upset the quiet rhythm of their days. Both funny and deeply moving, Staying On is a unique, engrossing portrait of the end of an empire and of a forty-year love affair.

SHORTLISTED FOR THE FT & MCKINSEY BUSINESS BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD 2018.A Financial Times Book of the Year and an Amazon Top 100 Book of the Year.India s explosive rise has driven inequality to new extremes, with millions trapped in slums as billionaires spend lavishly and dodge taxes. Controversial prime minister Narendra Modi promised to break the grip of the Bollygarchs, but many tycoons continue to thrive amidst the scandals, exerting huge influence over business and politics.But who are these titans of politics and industry shaping India through this period of breakneck change? And what kind of superpower are they creating?A vivid portrait of a deeply divided nation, The Billionaire Raj makes clear that India s destiny prosperous democratic giant or corrupt authoritarian regime is something that should concern us all. .