William Dalrymple facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
William Dalrymple
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Dalrymple in 2014
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| Born | 20 March 1965 Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom |
| Occupation | Historian, writer & broadcaster |
| Education | Trinity College, Cambridge (BA) |
| Period | 1989–present |
| Subject | The East India Company in 18th century South Asia and Afghanistan, Eastern Christianity and the Muslim world; Hindu and Buddhist art; late Mughal and Company school painting |
| Spouse | Olivia Fraser |
| Children | 3 |
William Dalrymple, born on March 20, 1965, is a Scottish historian and writer who lives in India. He is also a curator, a broadcaster, and a critic. He helped start and now co-directs the Jaipur Literature Festival, which is one of the biggest book festivals in the world.
Dalrymple's books have won many important awards. These include the Wolfson Prize for History and the Thomas Cook Travel Book Award. He was also named the Sunday Times Young British Writer of the Year. His books have been considered for the Baillie Gifford Prize for non-fiction several times. In 2002, a TV show he wrote and presented, "Shiva's Matted Locks," won the Grierson Award for Best Documentary Series at BAFTA.
He has been a special visiting scholar at famous universities like Princeton University and Brown University. In 2018, he received the President's Medal from the British Academy. This is a very high honor for people who do great work in history and social sciences. In 2023, he was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for his contributions to literature and the arts.
Contents
William Dalrymple's Family Life
William Dalrymple is the son of Sir Hew Hamilton-Dalrymple and Lady Anne-Louise Keppel. He is a distant cousin of Queen Camilla. He is also a great-nephew of the famous writer Virginia Woolf. His brother, Jock, was a professional cricketer. William studied at Ampleforth College and Trinity College, Cambridge, where he focused on history.
He grew up in North Berwick, Scotland, near the sea. He describes his childhood as very happy and old-fashioned. Interestingly, one of his ancestors married a Mughal princess from India.
Dalrymple first visited Delhi, India, in 1984. Since 1989, he has lived in India for most of the year. He spends his summers in London and Edinburgh. His wife, Olivia Fraser, is an artist. Her family also has strong connections to India. They have three children together. Their son, Sam Dalrymple, is also a historian. Sam co-founded a peace project called Project Dastaan.
Exploring History and Art
Dalrymple is very interested in the history and art of places like India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and the Middle East. He also studies different religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and early Eastern Christianity. All ten of his books have won literary awards.
His first three books were travel stories about his journeys. These trips took him through the Middle East, India, and Central Asia. He was inspired by other famous travel writers.
Dalrymple has written many articles for well-known publications. These include The New York Review of Books and The New Yorker. He was also the correspondent for the New Statesman in the Indian Subcontinent for ten years.
Famous Books and Their Stories
Dalrymple has written several award-winning history books. These books often explore the relationship between the East India Company and the people of India and Afghanistan. His books have been translated into over 40 languages.
His 2009 book, Nine Lives: In Search of the Sacred in Modern India, explores different spiritual practices in India. After this book came out, he toured with some of the people featured in it. These included Sufis and Fakirs.
Return of a King: The Battle for Afghanistan was published in 2012-2013. This book tells the story of the First Anglo-Afghan War (1839–42). Dalrymple's own great-great-granduncle fought in this war. After the book was released, Dalrymple was asked to share his historical insights with leaders. He briefed the Afghan President and the White House.
In 2019, he published The Anarchy. This book covers a period in Indian history from 1739 to 1803. It describes the decline of the Mughal Empire and the rise of the East India Company. This book was also nominated for several awards.
His latest book, The Golden Road: How Ancient India Transformed the World, was published in 2024. It looks at how ancient India influenced Asia, China, and Europe.
Dalrymple on TV and Radio
William Dalrymple has written and presented several television series. These include the six-part series Stones of the Raj (1997) for Channel 4. This show explored the history behind British colonial buildings in India.
He also created the three-part series Indian Journeys (2002) for the BBC.
- The first episode, Shiva’s Matted Locks, followed his journey to find the source of the Ganga River in the the Himalayas.
- The second, City of Djinns, was based on his book and explored Delhi's history.
- The third, Doubting Thomas, took him to southern India, where St Thomas is believed to have traveled.
Dalrymple also hosted a six-part history series for BBC Radio 4 called The Long Search. In this series, he explored the spiritual history of the British Isles. He wanted to show that deep spirituality is not just found in the "mystic East."
In 2022, Dalrymple started a podcast called Empire with journalist Anita Anand. The first series focused on the British East India Company and its impact on India. The podcast quickly became very popular, reaching number one in the UK Apple Podcast charts.
Awards and Recognitions
William Dalrymple has received many awards for his writing and broadcasting:
- In Xanadu (1990) won the Yorkshire Post Best First Work Award.
- City of Djinns (1994) won the Thomas Cook Travel Book Award.
- White Mughals (2002) won the 2001 Wolfson Prize for History.
- He received the Mungo Park Medal in 2002 for his travel writing.
- His TV series Indian Journeys won the Grierson Award in 2002.
- His radio series The Long Search won the Sandford St Martin Prize in 2002.
- The Last Mughal (2007) won the Duff Cooper Memorial Prize.
- He has received several Honorary Doctorate degrees from universities. These include the University of St. Andrews and the University of Edinburgh.
- Return of a King (2013) won the Hemingway Prize and the Kapuściński Prize in 2015.
- He was awarded the President's Medal of the British Academy for his writing and for co-founding the Jaipur Literary Festival.
- In 2022, he received the Minerva Medal for his contributions to writing history.
Images for kids
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Dalrymple (left) with Esther Freud (centre) and Hanan Ashrawi at PalFest 2008.
