Mirror of Beauty - Tapa blanda

It is the sunset of the Mughal Empire. The splendour of imperial Delhi flares one last time. The young daughter of a local craftsman elopes with an officer working in the East India Company...

At the heart of this novel is the story of Wazir Khanam, a dazzlingly beautiful and fiercely independent woman who has a series of lovers, including a Navab and a Mughal prince. For future generations, Wazir will be known as the mother of the famous poet Dagh, but this isn't a novel about just one life. Rather, it captures, in gorgeous detail, an entire civilisation.

Beginning with the story of gifted painter in a village near Kishangarh, The Mirror of Beauty sweeps through the arid deserts of Rajputana, winds down the valleys of Kashmir and, finally, brings the glorious metropolis of Delhi to life. Studded with traditional crafts, scintillating musical performances and recurring portraits of mysterious and alluring women, this is a sumptuous novel of extraordinary ambition. In beguiling language, the author takes readers to the very heart of a profoundly beautiful, lost culture.