Empress: The Astonishing Reign of Nur Jahan
By piecing together fragments from different sources, Lal traces the history of Nur Jahan, an immigrant from Persia who becomes an empress of India. Throughout the task of telling the story, Lal wisely includes alternate versions by famed historical writers of the past. Some of these included accounts are by writers who did not believe in a female ruler, and others are by poets who felt her rule of India was destined. In this way she successfully shows how the epic story of Nur Jahan is both controversial and legendary. In between this story of political struggles and family infighting, is beautiful imagery that blends the rich culture of the time with the savage attempts for power.
The most iconic image that sticks out for me is the ‘Camp of Good Fortune’, essentially a moving elaborate city where the Empress Jahangir and Emperor Nur Jahan lived. It housed approximately 300,000 people, all with numerous job titles and positions, and even included livestock, horses and elephants. It is described with enough detail to bring this fairy tale idea into reality.