Set in the court of the Emperor Akbar in 16th-century India, this is a richly detailed and sensuous tale of art, sex, and political intrigue. Bihzad is the son of the emperor's chief artist and as such, he is groomed to follow in his father's footsteps. A child prodigy, Bihzad is shielded from life as he grows up in the stunning fortress town of Agra. But soon word of his his wild, imaginative drawings free from the normal restrictions of court painting spreads. In his spare time he paints a series of richly erotic scenes, but as his fame increases, he begins to make enemies who are jealous of his success and will use his hidden drawings to destroy him. Kunal Basu's first novel, The Opium Clerk, was published to critical acclaim. Born in Calcutta, Basu now lives in Oxford, England.
Pat Murray Collection
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Booklist Review
Set in sixteenth-century India, this peregrinatory novel depicts the world of the Mughal emperor Akbar in its complexity--its wealth and poverty, its cauldron of different peoples and beliefs, and its court filled with plots and courtly scheming. The first third of the story portrays the early life of Bihzad, an artist prodigy destined to head Akbar's itabkhana, or artists' pavilion, which produced the miniatures for which Mughal art is renowned. Enemies of Bihzad and his courtier father use a serious blunder in judgment to force him into exile from the court. The novel starts very slowly--its first third is filled with detail of life at court and discursive dialogue. Once Bihzad's exile begins, suspense about his fate in the chaos and political upheaval of sixteenth-century Asia energizes the plot and provides tension for the remainder of the story. Panoramic in scope, lyrical in approach, and filled with vivid descriptions of the era's violence and sexual practices. --Ellen Loughran Copyright 2004 Booklist