Philip Hensher’s epic portrait of Britain in the Thatcher years, which expertly charts the lives of ordinary people against a history on the move
The Mulberry Empire
Written by Philip Hensher
- Longlisted
- The Man Booker Prize 2002
- Published by Flamingo
Buy the book
Philip Hensher’s historical novel about the 1830s British-Afghan conflict focuses on the complex relationship between two of the leading players
The novel recounts an episode in central Asia’s Great Game - the British courtship, betrayal and invasion of Afghanistan in the 1830s, followed by Afghani insurrection and the summary bloody expulsion of the British from Kabul. At the story’s heart is the encounter between West and East, as embodied in the likeable, complex relationship between Alexander Burnes, leader of the initial British expeditionary party, and the wily, cultured Afghani ruler, the Amir Dost Mohammed Khan.
Philip Hensher
Philip Hensher is an author and journalist who was chosen by Granta to appear on their prestigious, once-a-decade list of the twenty best young British novelists
More about Philip Hensher