A co-founder and co-director of the annual Jaipur Literary Festival in India, William Dalrymple has an eye for history and an ability to make it come alive.

The British historian, writer and curator’s latest book, The Return of a King, The Battle for Afghanistan (2012) is testament to his talent for artfully recounting tales from humanity’s collective past with Barnaby Rogerson of The Independent newspaper describing the book thus:

“William Dalrymple is a master storyteller, who breathes such passion, vivacity and animation into the historical characters of the First Anglo-Afghan war of 1839-42 that at the end of this 567-page book you feel you have marched, fought, dined and plotted with them all …”

In our interview with Dalrymple we asked him about where his love of history originated, how he makes the dry old pages of history spring to life, and his advice for aspiring writers.

Interview by Danielle Williams, course manager of Australian Writers' Centre, at the 2013 Sydney Writers Festival.

www.WritersCentre.com.au

<p>A co-founder and co-director of the annual Jaipur Literary Festival in India, William Dalrymple has an eye for history and an ability to make it come alive.</p>
<p>The British historian, writer and curator’s latest book, <em>The Return of a King, The Battle for Afghanistan</em> (2012) is testament to his talent for artfully recounting tales from humanity’s collective past with Barnaby Rogerson of <em>The Independent</em> newspaper describing the book thus:</p>
<p>“William Dalrymple is a master storyteller, who breathes such passion, vivacity and animation into the historical characters of the First Anglo-Afghan war of 1839-42 that at the end of this 567-page book you feel you have marched, fought, dined and plotted with them all …”</p>
<p>In our interview with Dalrymple we asked him about where his love of history originated, how he makes the dry old pages of history spring to life, and his advice for aspiring writers.</p>
<p>Interview by Danielle Williams, course manager of Australian Writers' Centre, at the 2013 Sydney Writers Festival.</p>
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A podcast on writers and writing features interviews with best-selling and acclaimed writers in a wide range of genres including literary fiction, fantasy, children's books, non-fiction, business and much more. Valerie Khoo interviews successful writers on how they approach the writing process and what goes into creating a remarkable piece of work. www.writerscentre.com.au

<p>A podcast on writers and writing features interviews with best-selling and acclaimed writers in a wide range of genres including literary fiction, fantasy, children's books, non-fiction, business and much more. Valerie Khoo interviews successful writers on how they approach the writing process and what goes into creating a remarkable piece of work. www.writerscentre.com.au</p>

Best-selling authors share their stories of success.

Australian Writers' Centre Podcast

A co-founder and co-director of the annual Jaipur Literary Festival in India, William Dalrymple has an eye for history and an ability to make it come alive.
The British historian, writer and curator’s latest book, The Return of a King, The...

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