Dalrymple, William

Return of a King: The Battle for Afghanistan

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ISBN 13:: 9781408831595
author:: Dalrymple, William
format:: Paperback
publisher:: Bloomsbury Paperbacks
language:: English
Publication Year:: 2014
Pages:: 608
Dimensions:: 19.2 x 12.8 x 4 cm
Genre:: History, Countries & Regions, Asia,
Condition:: New
Availability:: Item usually sent within 5 working days

£13.20

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Description

Description

The Battle for Afghanistan: A Masterful Retelling of Imperial Disaster William Dalrymple's gripping narrative of the First Anglo-Afghan War is a masterful retelling of one of the West's greatest imperial disasters in the East. Drawing on newly discovered primary sources, including Afghan epic poems and biographies, Dalrymple sheds light on the spectacular invasion of Afghanistan in 1839 and its catastrophic consequences. Led by British troops in scarlet cloaks and plumed helmets, the invasion seemed a straightforward affair, but the Afghans rose in rebellion, and the country erupted into chaos. The British army, once the most powerful in the world, was ambushed and destroyed in the snowbound mountain passes by Afghan tribesmen. Only one British man survived. Dalrymple's insightful account illuminates the uncanny similarities between this disastrous entanglement and the situation today. With a nuanced and balanced perspective, Dalrymple explores the complexities of neocolonial ambition, folly, and hubris, offering a compelling and thought-provoking analysis of a pivotal moment in modern history.

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