William Dalrymple’s book Return of a King is about the British invasion of Afghanistan in the early nineteenth century. I listened to this book on audio where it was read well by Sagar Arya. This is a work of history told mostly from the British point of view and using documents and diaries of the time to help bring the historical figures to life for the reader.
The author starts with the events that precipitated the British invasion of 1832, moves on to the various battles and skirmishes of the war, and then finishes with an account of the retreat in 1842 (another book about the same events is reviewed here). We are given insights into the motives and decision making of both the British and the Afghani leaders and how these tied into tribal loyalties, previous conflicts and imperial ambitions. The author tries to draw out lessons from the crushing defeat of the British and also to show the reader how these events, of nearly two centuries ago, have influenced European policy and thinking about the region ever since.
This book is well written and obviously well researched. It tries to show the conflict from the point of view of all sides and to make the leaders human and understandable. The author criticises what happens, where warranted, and doesn’t hold back from describing atrocities committed as part of the war by all parties. All through the narrative he makes you aware of how these historical events echo more recent conflict in the area and how little more modern politicians have learned from the past. The book is particularly good at showing us the conditions under which the fighters lived and the horrific ways in which many of them died.
This is a good piece of historical writing which kept my attention even though it’s not an area of the world that I know much about. I would have liked to consult maps occasionally during the course of the story but that was difficult given that I was listening to the audio – it is probably worth familiarising yourself with the geography of the region before you start reading.
Anne Is Reading 