DOC Difference of a Different Kind: Jewish Constructions of Race During the Long Eighteenth Century (Jewish Culture and Contexts) by Iris Idelson-Shein in History

Description

Tall and handsome Abdul Karim; a former assistant clerk at Agra Central Jail; arrives in England at the age of twenty-four to serve at Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee. Becoming a personal attendant to the Empress of India; within a year; he establishes himself as a power to be reckoned with at the English court; instructing the queen in Indian languages and affairs. Their intense and controversial relationship leads to turmoil in the royal household. Victoria and Abdul examines the amazing journey by which a young Indian Muslim came to play a central role in the heart of the great British Empire and his influence over its queen at a time when independence movements in the subcontinent were gaining great momentum. Amidst the political intrigue and conflict that influence this period; the novel tells the story of a tender love between an Indian servant and his elderly queen; a love that survived all attempts to destroy it.