The Miniaturist [Paperback]

Kunal Basu (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2004

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.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

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 © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

“… as sumptuous as the imperial pleasure domes that [Basu] describes…. Nothing short of enthralling.” -- Alistair Cooke, Independent on Sunday

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Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Phoenix (January 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0753817497
• ISBN-13: 978-0753817490
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #592,302 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Art 101, January 30, 2005

By 

Lee Armstrong (Winterville, NC United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Miniaturist (Hardcover)

Kunal Basu's tale is an interesting episodic journey that follows the life of an artist Bihzad from his young days as a boy who loves to draw to his time as an old man. The book is an adventure that takes us through 16th century India to the Mogul Empire. Many of the terms in the book require a bit of getting used to such as the boy's father who is head artist is called the "Khwaja." The "Darogha" is the head of the artists' workshop called the "kitabkhana." Once the unusual nature of the terms become more familiar, we relax into what is a very interesting tale. It makes sense that in an era before the wide use of printing presses and photography that rulers needed legions of artists to produce their images to be presented throughout their empire. I felt like I was learning a bit about the history of art & the status of the artist. Bihzad is a master who falls a bit too much in love with his Emperor and therefore paints the wrong pictures resulting in banishment and a rather endless sojourn in the desert. Many of the characters that flit into the story are sweetly drawn such as the birdwomen and the postal carrier. The scenes in the harem are drawn with an objective eye, almost clinical in detail. Overall, this is a very different tale set in a different culture & time, written by an Indian author. Enjoy!