Amazon.com review of The Baburnama: Memoirs
of Babur, Prince & Emperor Author:
W.M. JR Thackston. Modern Library, 2002
http://biographybooksales.com/0375761373.html
I would compare this extraordinary memoir by an
extraordinary man to The Tale of Genji - both of them are
"firsts" in their culture. The descendants of Tamerlane were
both ruthlessly crafty Central Asian kings and warriors, and ultra
refined connoisseurs of art and architecture, poetry, food, gardens, and
(alas for them) wine. The Baburnama has it all. To encounter the
private thoughts of a great conquerer is a unique experience. The Baburnama
is well written and well translated. It is one of the great treasures of
literature, and will give the reader a much better idea why Afghanistan
and Central Asia are the way they are.
Babur, a descendant of both Timur and Genghis
Khan, was a truly remarkable man: a soldier and a poet, an inspirational
leader with a deep appreciation for the beauties of nature - and a
sensitivity that seems striking to us in a warrior of his undoubted
stature. His memoirs are a detailed, entertaining, and highly personal
view of a changing world. In leading his followers into northern India,
he laid the groundwork for the Mughal Empire, one of the great Islamic
powers of the early modern period - and it is this achievement that
history primarily remembers him for. Yet the Baburnama shows that
there is considerably more to the story than its conclusion. With unstinting
and engaging honesty, Babur talks of his early struggles, his constant
setbacks, and his lifelong desire to hold Samarkand, glorious seat of his
ancestor Timur (Tamerlane). For Babur, India is only the consolation
prize after his failure to reconquer the lands of his birthright; India
is rich, yes, astoundingly so, but it is far removed from his fond
reminiscences of home. Along the way, reports of skirmishes with his
enemies, and the constant betrayals of his allies, share the page with
descriptions of local flora and fauna, and fascinating observations on
everyday life in the cities and towns that he spends time at - and it is
here that the work's true enjoyment lies. Bear with the initially
confusing internecine squabbles of the Central Asian nomads, and you'll
be richly rewarded. A comprehensive and compelling insight into both
Central Asia at the turn of the sixteenth century, and the day-to-day
pressures inherent in the leadership of an empire based on conquest.
Babur was a king in the true sense of the word.
His autobiography outlines his fierceness as a warrior as well as his
compassion toward the people in his court. Although he lived in a time
where one would think there would be little time for introspection, this
is exactly what his narrative is: and introspective look at his own life,
his shortcomings, his downfalls, his triumphs and tragedies. One is
touched by Babur's humbleness, his sensitivity towards some of the most
simple of things, and at his sense of awe and appreciation of beauty in
the world around him. Although in some ways I preferred the AS Beveridge
translation, this is also a wonderful translation with beautiful pictures
and notes in the margins to help explain things. Even if you are not
normally interested in this type of book, Babur leads you into his world
and you are compelled to read on!
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