Midnight’s Descendants

The first modern history of all South Asia’s peoples.

If British India had not been partitioned in 1947, its population would today be the world’s largest. At c1.5 billion, Midnight’s Descendants (the offspring of those affected by ‘the midnight hour’ Partition) already outnumber Europeans and Chinese; and they are growing faster than either. They comprise all the peoples of what is now called ‘South Asia’ (the preferred term for the partitioned subcontinent of modern India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, plus Nepal and Sri Lanka).

‘Midnight’s Descendants’ is the first history of the region as a whole. Correlating and contrasting the fortunes of all the constituent nations over the last six decades affords unique insights into what is hailed as one of the world’s most dynamic regions.

John Keay is an expert on the region and the book will be the first account to incorporate the rich story of South Asia’s transnational, or ‘diasporic’, peoples – from the overlooked narratives of the subcontinent to the rise of India as a global force, ‘Midnight’s Descendants’ will be expansive and tumultuous in the great tradition of India’s narrative epics.

Reviews

‘Keay’s excellent new book on the modern history of South Asia plunges the reader head first into some wildly swirling currents … His work is descriptive, panoramic, a large-scale survey of titanic struggles and the extraordinary survival of democracies’ Spectator

‘This absorbing, important history of South Asia over the six decades since British India was partitioned is the first time a book has been written on the history of this region as a whole’ Independent

‘A manifest triumph’ Literary Review

From the reviews of ‘India: A History’

‘It is hard to imagine anyone succeeding more gracefully in producing a balanced overview than John Keay has done in “India”… a book that is as fluent and readable as it is up-to-date and impartial. Hardly a page passes without some fascinating nugget or surprising fact’ William Dalrymple, Guardian

‘Certainly the most balanced and lucid history… his passion for India shines through and illuminates every page… puts Keay in the front rank of Indian historiographers.’ Charles Allen, Spectator

‘Keay’s astute commentary on the development of Indian history is a delight… one of the best general studies of the subcontinent.’ Andrew Lycett, Sunday Times

About the author

John Keay was formerly a special correspondent for the Economist, and a documentary-maker for the BBC. He is the author of several books on the Indian subcontinent, including the bestselling ‘India: A History’. He lives in Argyll, Scotland.