Tales from the life of Bruce Wannell: Adventurer, Linguist, Orientalist

Bruce Wannell was a scholar, linguist, musician, translator, and teacher who lived in Iran, the North West Frontier, and Delhi. He had a curious combination of talents and an international network of friendships with poets, spies, aid-workers, diplomats, artists, and writers. He spoke Iranian and Afghan Persian with a dazzling, poetic fluency, and could lecture fluently in French, Italian, English, or German. He lived for a third of the year in Delhi with William Dalrymple, hunting down unpublished Mughal histories and providing translations of historical documents. Bruce had a number of identities, which gives this collection of original essays from trusted friends and old colleagues a fascinating insight into a remarkable and diverse life.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 256 pages
Publication date: 01 October 2020
Publisher: Eland Publishing Ltd

Bruce Wannell, a remarkable Orientalist traveler of his generation, was a true Paddy Leigh Fermor of the East, akin to a modern-day Kim. He lived in Iran during the 1979 revolution, worked for a decade in the North West Frontier during the Afghan wars, and possessed an extraordinary ability to transcribe complex Arabic calligraphy by sight. Despite his residence in the lands of Islam, Wannell was well-versed in the artistic treasures of Christendom. His exceptional talents as a scholar, linguist, musician, translator, and teacher were complemented by an international network of friendships with poets, spies, aid workers, diplomats, artists, and writers.

Wannell spoke Iranian and Afghan Persian with a mesmerizing poetic fluency, and he was also proficient in Arabic, Pushtu, Urdu, Swahili, and could lecture fluently in French, Italian, English, or German. In the latter fifteen years of his life, he spent a significant portion of each year in Delhi, collaborating with William Dalrymple on the hunt for unpublished Mughal histories. Together, they produced four revisionist south-Asian histories that became international bestsellers. The remaining part of the year was balanced by other travels, including working as a dragoman-guide or pursuing his own esoteric researches, all conducted from the modest confines of a tiny attic in York, adorned with an extensive collection of books. This lifestyle resembled that of a medieval wandering scholar or a barefoot Dervish.

Bruce Wannell possessed a multitude of identities, which adds a captivating diversity to this collection of original essays from trusted friends and old colleagues. These essays provide a fascinating insight into the remarkable and diverse life of this remarkable individual. He was a man who could quote Hafiz from memory, whip up a lethal cocktail, lose himself in Brahms, open any door, organize a concert within days, and effortlessly navigate the complexities of different cultures. Bruce Wannell's legacy as a traveler, scholar, and cultural ambassador continues to inspire and intrigue, reminding us of the power of human connection and the boundless possibilities that arise when individuals embrace their diverse talents and passions.

Weight: 362g
Dimension: 136 x 214 x 32 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781900209250