 | |
| Author | Shrabani Basu |
|---|---|
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Subject | History |
| Published | 2010 |
| Publisher | The History Press |
Publication date | 1st 2010, 2nd 2011, 3rd 2017 |
| Pages | 334 |
| ISBN | 978-0-7509-8258-0 |
Victoria & Abdul: The True Story of the Queen's Closest Confidant is a book about Queen Victoria and her Munshi Abdul Karim, researched and written by Shrabani Basu, published by The History Press in 2010, and adapted to produce the feature film Victoria & Abdul in 2017.
In the introduction, Basu explains how a visit to the restored Durbar room at Osborne House in 2001, in her research of the Queen's taste for curry, drew her attention to a painting of Karim on the wall of the Indian corridor, and how "he looked more like a nawab than a servant". [1] [2] [3]
The historical context of when and where Karim was born is followed by an account of the Colonial and Indian Exhibition of 1886 and how he was subsequently recruited by the superintendent of Agra Central Jail, John W. Tyler, to wait on the Queen in England during her Golden Jubilee. The display of Indian maharajahs is detailed before the story of how Karim came to be in Queen Victoria's regular presence, giving her daily lessons in Urdu.
In addition to Queen Victoria and Karim, the main personages featuring in the book include some members of the Royal family, the Royal Household, viceroys and secretaries of state for India, British prime ministers and several Indians.
Sources cited by the book include the Royal collections at St James's Palace, Royal Archives at Windsor Castle, Osborne House, material from the British Library, the diaries and scrapbooks of Sir James Reid and the unpublished personal memoirs of Abdul Karim, kept in Karachi. [4] [5]
Sources in the book include the Royal collections at St James's Palace, Royal Archives at Windsor Castle, Osborne House, material from the British Library, the diaries and scrapbooks of Sir James Reid, the unpublished personal memoirs of Abdul Karim, kept in Karachi, India office records, journals written by Queen Victoria in Urdu, and several newspapers. Secondary sources include Michaela Reid's Ask Sir James (1987). [5]
Victoria & Abdul was first published in 2010, then in 2011 and 2017, by The History Press, based in Gloucester. The book has 334 pages, beginning with a contents page, author's note, acknowledgements, a forward, a diagram of Queen Victoria's family tree, a mid-19th century map of British India territories, a map of the United Kingdom showing the locations of the Queen's palaces, and a dramatis personae, followed by an introduction, 15 chapters, an epilogue, notes and sources, a bibliography and an index. Between pages 224 and 225, are 16 pages of photographs. [6]
In addition to Queen Victoria and Karim, the main characters featuring in the book include some members of the Royal family, the Royal Household, viceroys and secretaries of state for India, British prime ministers and several Indians. [7]
Reviews of the book appeared in The Washington Post , The Washington Times , BBC History Magazine , Dawn , The New York Times , Vanity Fair and the Times of India .
The Washington Times described the author as having "done solid homework". [8] The BBC History Magazine stated that the book told a "charming tale which should have been told before", and in Dawn , the book was described as "a mélange of history, drama and fantasy". [9] The Times of India said that its power lay in it being "fact rather than fiction". [9]
The review in The Washington Post ended with "it's good that the story of the queen and her munshi has been brought to light, but the bright shine of Victoria & Abdul means there's no room for history's more shadowy parts". [10] A review in The New York Times was titled "When the Empress of India Met Her Muslim Teacher". [11] Vanity Fair questioned why their relationship was so controversial. Basu had examined Queen Victoria's Hindustani journals and Karim's personal diaries, unlike previous biographers of the Queen. [12]
The book was adapted to make the film Victoria & Abdul (2017), which features Dame Judi Dench and Ali Fazal. [10] [11]
Victoria was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days, which was longer than any of her predecessors, is known as the Victorian era. It was a period of industrial, political, scientific, and military change within the United Kingdom, and was marked by a great expansion of the British Empire. In 1876, the British Parliament voted to grant her the additional title of Empress of India.
John Brown was a Scottish personal attendant and favourite of Queen Victoria for many years after working as a ghillie for Prince Albert. He was appreciated by many for his competence and companionship, and resented by others for his influence and informal manner. The exact nature of his relationship with Victoria was the subject of great speculation by contemporaries.
Elizabeth Stuart was Electress of the Palatinate and briefly Queen of Bohemia as the wife of Frederick V of the Palatinate. The couple's selection for the crown by the nobles of Bohemia was part of the political and religious turmoil setting off the Thirty Years' War. Since her husband's reign in Bohemia lasted over one winter, she is called "the Winter Queen".
Princess Alice of Battenberg was the mother of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, mother-in-law of Queen Elizabeth II, and paternal grandmother of King Charles III. After marrying Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark in 1903, she adopted the style of her husband, becoming Princess Andrew of Greece and Denmark.
Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll, was the sixth child and fourth daughter of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.
Frogmore is an estate within the Home Park, adjoining Windsor Castle, in Berkshire, England. It comprises 33 acres (130,000 m2), of primarily private gardens managed by the Crown Estate. It is the location of Frogmore House, a royal retreat, and Frogmore Cottage. The name derives from the preponderance of frogs which have always lived in this low-lying and marshy area near the River Thames. This area is part of the local flood plain. Its large landscaped gardens are Grade I listed on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens.
Major Roland Edward Elcock VC MM was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.
Jamila Gavin is a British writer who is known mainly for children's books, including several with Indian contexts.
General Charles George James Arbuthnot, DL was a British general.
Princess Caroline Elizabeth of Great Britain was the fourth child and third daughter of King George II of Great Britain and his wife Caroline of Ansbach.
Ruth Sylvia Roche, Baroness Fermoy, was a friend and confidante of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and the maternal grandmother of Diana, Princess of Wales. She was one of the Queen Mother's ladies-in-waiting.
The Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria was celebrated on 20 and 21 June 1887 to mark the 50th anniversary of Queen Victoria's accession on 20 June 1837. It was celebrated with a Thanksgiving Service at Westminster Abbey, and a banquet to which 50 European kings and princes were invited.
Mohammed Abdul Karim, also known as "the Munshi", was an Indian attendant of Queen Victoria. He served her during the final fourteen years of her reign, gaining her maternal affection over that time.
Sir James Reid, 1st Baronet, was a British doctor who served as physician-in-ordinary to three British monarchs, Queen Victoria, King Edward VII and King George V.
Chandra Nandini is an Indian Hindi-language Historical fictional drama television series which aired on Star Plus from 10 October 2016 until 10 November 2017. It was produced by Ekta Kapoor under her banner Balaji Telefilms and is directed by Ranjan Kumar Singh. Starring Rajat Tokas as Chandragupta Maurya and Shweta Basu Prasad as a princess Nandni, the story-line is loosely based on the life of Chandragupta Maurya.
Victoria & Abdul is a 2017 British biographical historical drama film directed by Stephen Frears and written by Lee Hall. The film is based on the book Victoria & Abdul: The True Story of the Queen's Closest Confidant by Shrabani Basu, about the real-life relationship between Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and her Indian Muslim servant Abdul Karim. It stars Judi Dench, Ali Fazal, Michael Gambon, Eddie Izzard, Tim Pigott-Smith, and Adeel Akhtar. The film had its world premiere at the 74th Venice Film Festival and was theatrically released on 15 September 2017 in the United Kingdom. It has grossed over $65 million worldwide.
The Indian Kiosk is located at Frogmore, in the Home Park of Windsor Castle, in Berkshire, England. The kiosk comes from India and was originally designed for the Qaisar Bagh, a palace complex in the city of Lucknow. The palace was looted by British soldiers following the suppression of the Indian Rebellion of 1857 and the kiosk was brought to England by Charles Canning, Governor-General of India, and presented to Queen Victoria. The Queen sited it in her private gardens at Frogmore, near the mausoleum to her mother. It is a Grade II listed structure.
Sir John William Tyler FRCS (Edin.) CIE was a British surgeon and superintendent of the central prison in Agra, India, a position he held for 14 years. While superintendent he developed the prison as an important manufacturing centre for high-quality carpets. In 1886, he escorted 34 Indians, mostly prisoners, to the Colonial and Indian Exhibition of 1886 in London, where their craftsmanship in weaving carpets was displayed. At Queen Victoria's request, he recruited the servant Abdul Karim, later known as "the Munshi", who served her for the last 14 years of her life.
Shrabani Basu is an Indian journalist and historian, and the author of several books including Victoria & Abdul: The True Story of the Queen's Closest Confidant (2010), which was based on the friendship between Queen Victoria and Abdul Karim. It was subsequently adapted into the film Victoria & Abdul (2017). Earlier she authored Spy Princess: The life of Noor Inayat Khan (2006), following which she founded the Noor Inayat Khan Memorial Trust and campaigned for a memorial to Khan, which resulted in the erection of a bust in Gordon Square, London. In 2020, she unveiled a Blue Plaque outside Khan's London home on Taviton Street.
Spy Princess: The Life of Noor Inayat Khan is a book that traces the life of children's story writer and decorated British secret agent of the Second World War, Noor Inayat Khan. It was researched and written by Shrabani Basu, and first published in the United Kingdom in 2006 by Sutton Publishing. The book has a foreword by M. R. D. Foot and contains information from her formerly secret personal Special Operations Executive (SOE) files, released in 2003.