Zahiru’d-din Muhamad Babur, a poet-prince from Central Asia, was the author of one of the most remarkable autobiographies in world literature.
Babur ascended the throne of Fergana, in what is now Uzbekistan, when he was twelve years old. He eventually invaded India and founded the Mughal dynasty, which would dazzle the world for three centuries.
Babur left behind a detailed and colourful record of his life, written in simple and unpretentious prose, that has fascinated readers for hundreds of years. But his self-portrait goes beyond the events of a dramatic life; on the page, his restless energy and ambition are balanced by modesty, regret for his failures, and frankness about his experiences with depression and grief in response to tragedy. The Baburnama is both a lively chronicle of extraordinary historical events and a deeply personal memoir whose unusual honesty and sensitivity has given it enduring appeal.
If you only read one autobiography from a sensitive 16th-century warlord this year, make it this one. The New York Times
Both a Caesar and a Cervantes
The greatest memoirist you’ve never heard of? Quite possibly. The most enchanting read you least expected? Most definitely. Those readers who have yet to discover Babur and his Baburnama, the...
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