The preface declares the injecting of a lot of seminal fluid into the book - guaranteeing you the dirty old man (his sobriquet) experience, so what's not to like? Through it you witness the 600 years of history that has shaped this city - covering Mughals, War of 1857, 1984 Sikh pogrom, Untouchables, Timurids, Hazrat Nizamuddin and more, some squalid, some divine. His candid, sentimental and unapologetic outpourings reach orgasmic heights in the chapters devoted to the uncouth, rude, pock-marked [...]

I was annoyed from the first to the last page. The premise was very interesting: Delhi's history from the Mughal Empire (1526) to the murder of Indira Gandhi (1984). Chapters alternate from present time (in which we read above all about useless sex scenes among the main character and a hijra prostitute) to ancient time where the past revives thanks to the first-person narration of different characters.I couldn't understand which was the fictional part and which were real historical events, it wa [...]

This book kept me up for several nights. I never fell asleep while reading the book but the exhaustion I felt after reading about the bloody massacres that have dotted the pages of Indian history was tremendous. This is an extremely powerful book. From the invasion of Taimur to the Anti-Sikh riots, to the personal accounts of the journey of the narrator which is interspersed in the book to provide respite from the heavy heat one feels after reading about the mostly bloody and accursed history of [...]

a lot of sex (a lot of it) and a lot of death (even more death than sex). after a while, the massacres began to bleed into each other, just one slaughter followed by another. i'm not faulting Singh for this (at least, not yet because i haven't done enough historical readings on Delhi to be able to contextualise his fiction), because it does seem as though he's just plotting out the city's bloody history. so if it seems like it's an excessively macabre novel, it's because that's what the city was [...]

This was so horrendously bad that I had forgotten all about having read this book. I guess my brain was trying to subconsciously suppress the memory of it. However, my brain, being the way it is, just as well randomly popped this book up at me on a Monday evening, because that is the sort of thing my brain likes to do. 'Hey, remember that one time you wasted four precious days reading this book which posed itself as a 'historical fiction' novel and turned out to be really nothing more than some [...]

Delhi is a wonderful book. It tells the history of Delhi beautifully. The narrative voice right at the start tells us that Delhi is vulgar, loud, dangerous and a damaged city, but once it is known intimately it reveals its charms, its seductions. Every stone of this city tells a story; digging of this city is an archeologist's delight. Delhi has repeatedly been destroyed and rebuilt throughout its recorded history.In this book, the body of Delhi is compared with the body of a 'Hijra' (transgende [...]

Delhi: History in the Garb of Erotica.History in the garb of Erotica (or is it the other way round?): Would be an apt epithet for Delhi: A Novel by Khushwant Singh.Synopsis: A lecherous historian-cum-writer is in a bad phase of his career that he takes a part-time job as a tourist guide in Delhi. As a guide he ensures a perennial supply of foreign memsahibs for himself with whom he has innumerable flings. He takes these tourists and his hijda mistress around Delhi for sightseeing thus visiting v [...]

'The world is the body and Delhi its life', said Asadullah Khan Ghalib. Delhi is still as intriguing as ever, so old and yet so new, holding within its folds history, politics, love, violence, religion, destruction and countless other emotions and stories. 'The city of dginns', by William Dalrimple helped stimulate my interest in this 'life of the world' and Khushwant Singh's ' Delhi' seemed to be an apt choice.I guess I was holding the wrong book for the wrong reasons. It is only a birds- eye v [...]

If one can tolerate the excessively elaborate accounts of the protagonist's sexual encounters, the novel is a good read to understand Indian history in a different perspective. Even if one is not familiar with the Indian History, the novel still appeals due to its accurate detailing of the location and structure of the monuments of Delhi. (No, the novel doesn't end at Red Fort and Qutub Minar). The way KS describes the by lanes of Chandni Chowk during the reign of shah jahan, or Paharganj when A [...]

Some day I will write a similar book about my beloved city. I promise. Don't ask which city. But I will ;)

When I wanted to read a book on Indian History, someone had recommended this book. But I am sure there are better books on the subject than this. Because, of history, I am not sure. But Sex and Death you will get in plenty in Khushwant Singh’s ‘Delhi: A Novel’. In fact, you get a much better account of what transpired in Delhi and transformed it to its current condition, in William Dalrymple’s ‘Kohinoor’.The Plot:Delhi and Bhagmati; the transsexual whore, form the core of this book. [...]

It's an intriguing read. It's a controversial read. Two ppl can't read it and be left with the same set of emotions for it.So, here is what i understand from this novel. Through this book, the author has tried to express his own feelings, his own thoughts about various incidents that took place in Delhi, going back by at least 500 years or more. This entire novel is written in the form of small autobiographies narrated by diff ppl involved with the history of Delhi like Aurangazeb, Nadir Shah et [...]

After I finished TRAIN TO PAKISTAN I never thought that I would read any other book by khushwant Singh( not that i did not like it it was fine but i lost my interest in the writer somehow). I am glad that i picked this one up. A good read after all and the way the writer traces the history with emperors, poets and soldiers narrating their tales from their own perspective. People usually say that histories are written by rulers and the vanquished are always presented in a demeaning light, but he [...]

Anyone fascinated by history of Delhi should read this. It took time for me to adapt to Khushwant Singh's raw descriptions of emotions, but his style grows on you. I recommend this book for the way it is structured - we see Delhi moving through time from perspectives of people living that history. You feel the bias of Aurangazeb in justifying his actions, understand the envy towards Khusrao, feel the pain of plundered population, the courage of independence fighters and the entitlement of Bahadu [...]

Caution: only those who love Kushwant and history will appreciate this novel. This book is definitely one of the best among the books penned by K'singh. He's has put several hundred years history of Delhi by way of short stories in this book with a little pinch of sex (in fact a lot) and you cant help but feel that the narrator is none other than K'singh himself. Its been more than a year since i read this novel but still I cherish those days i spent reading this book. My all time favourite of K [...]

What a wonderful read! Loved it.

“The world is the body and Delhi its life.” With these words of Mirza Ghalib as its epigraph begins this colossal work on the city of Delhi spanning nearly six centuries from the reign of Ghiyas Ud Din Balban to the assassination of Indira Gandhi and the anti Sikh riots of 1984. Khushwant Singh brings the story of Delhi to life by alternating between autobiographical accounts of several characters from different eras of the history of the city and his accounts of his relationship between his [...]

I picked this book as it is one of the recommended books of historical fiction. It is the simultaneous narration of present and past stories. It is good that KS described the places in such away that you won't feel the place as unknown. Almost 600 years of Delhi history about Ghiasuddin Balban, Nizamuddin ahuliya, Timur, Nadir shah, Aurangzeb, Meer Taqi Meer, Sikh revolts and many turning events are mentioned in this book. It is quite enjoyable if you already have an idea about Mughal Empire.Thi [...]

I asked my soul: What Is Delhi?” She replied: “The world is the body and Delhi is its life - Ghalib “Delhi” by Khushwant Singh was the first book that I read by the dirty old man of Indian literature. The book is a fictional account of the charming and historic city of Delhi through his eyes. He compares Delhi to his mistress the uncouth foul-mouthed, pockmarked Hijra (eunuch) ‘Bhagmati’ who is as dirty as Delhi but is what he cannot get enough of. The author covers various chapters [...]

Delhi is quintessentially Khushwant Singh, The grand-old man of India. Delhi is a novel that quite surprised and delighted me, particularly the narration. The story of Delhi, from Sultanate days to 1984 Anti-Sikh riots has been told from the viewpoints of the important characters involved. The narration is its best part that is so exquisite that one almost feels the events taking place in front of his eyes. I specially liked the Chapters of Mussadi Lal,The Untouchables ,Aurangzeb AlamgirandMeer [...]

Khushwant Singh seems obsessed with sex.d fart. After a point it got extremely boring. Almost every character in the book (and that included a lot of historical characters) appeared to have a fetish for sex. The only way to insult somebody was to make rude gestures or show your private parts.Initially I wanted to give it 2 stars but added another star when I realized that I learned a few things about the Indian history from it. Bhagmati is an allegory for Delhi. She is a hijda(transgender) prost [...]

My discovery of Khushwant Singh started because of a Ghazal made famous by Mehdi Hassan - "Yeh Dhuansa Kahaan se Uthata hain". I fell in love with the ghazal and keenly started looking for its origins. That took me to the name "Mir Taqi Mir", the Urdu Ghazal Maestro from Delhi, whom even Ghalib had appreciated through one of his sher: "Rekhta ke tum hi ustaad nahiN ho GHalibkahte haiN agle zamane meN koi Meer bhi tha"So google gave me some results with excerpts from Mr. Khushwant Singh's book - [...]

"News of the present that is censured and archived to build perceptions of the future generations about the past, is documented history. More often than not, these are stories and events which are highlighted by those in power with vested interests and documented by their cronies to build a perception that may not include that of the common man.""Delhi - a novel" is history through tales of the common man. This was my first Kushwant Singh book. Having always been an ardent fan of the centenarian [...]

Daring, intriguing, exemplary, poetic, didactic, historic and quintessentially Khushwant-esque, this book is anything but just another book on Delhi. The pukka sardar is at his best when he is describing about the wonderful and exuberant past of the city of Djinns, called Dilli or Delhi. Khushwant Singh proves why he is adored as a home-grown writer in English and proves that Literary critics will rarely promote him as a serious author. But nonetheless, his works are far more exciting than many [...]

How to narrate History interestingly? By using autobiographical narration style, and by injecting alternate chapters of weirdness! I started loathing this book till around 4 chapters. After each historical episode(total 10), the time shifts to modern era with the protagonist detailing his relationship with Bhagmati, an eunuch transvestite prostitute! And in between a dedicated chapter on different types of farts! Ugggh!!But then I Was mesmerised by the alternate epic story telling of Mughals, Su [...]

Got this book from a friend and he said just read it slowly and be receptive!KS has really done a great job by depicting a different side of the great city. It is not something which many writers have seen/shown to us. I think Delhi is one of the best books about the city, precisely because it didn't try to mask it's repugnant ugliness beneath a mask. This book was published more than twenty years ago but it still holds a lot of relevance to the city today. You have to read between the lines, an [...]

Brilliant!!! was slightly put off when I started the book.z of the vulgar language in the initial chapters. But what a bookought provoking, goes through history of disturbing times an amazing way. Makes me want to visit a number of places & read more about history. The book gives a glimpse of what all Delhi has gone through; so vividly described that one can actually picture the events unfolding. Mundane places suddenly have so many tales behind themme centuries old.

This book i may not tell it is a axcellent one, But it stands out with its different kind of narration. How the present delhi is how the past was. I was always fascinated about the indian history especially about the mughal empire and sort of. He narrates the story from each persons perspective. We will get a good knowledge about indian history and it is really interesting to read because of khushwanth singhs narrational style. There were some part which described how he seduced womens and thing [...]

I found the historical accounts in the book to be really interesting; the accounts of POV characters like Timur, Aurangzeb, Bahadur Shah Zafar and other fictional citizens from various periods between 13th century and 20th century presents different views on the historical events.It presents the history of Delhi in a different light. The accounts are interlaced with couplets and poems.The narrative by the author is a bit drab. Be warned about superfluous description of sex in almost every chapte [...]

A bloody history of Delhi. I wish I had read a general Indian history book before this because a lot of it went over my head and so it took me a while to get through it. It was funny in parts, horrific in others. The end was so sudden. It almost felt like an entirely different book about halfway through, and not one I was particularly blown away by. But good, concise writing, with main characters I didn't exactly love but who came off the page anyway. Might come back to certain chapters when my [...]