Dilip Hiro

Born in the Indian sub-continent, Dilip Hiro was educated in India, Britain and America, where he received a master's degree at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. He then settled in London in the mid-1960s, and became a full-time writer, journalist and commentator. He has published 35 books (available in 88 editions at Amazon.com: Dilip Hiro^[1]) and contributed to another 18. Three of his earlier books were re-issued by the publisher in 2013. He is the editor of Babur Nama: Journal of Emperor Babur, a world classic, preserved since 1530. He has also written scripts for theatre, television drama and cinema.

Author

Non-Fiction

• The Longest August: The Unflinching Rivalry Between India and Pakistan (2015).
• A Comprehensive Dictionary of the Middle East (2013)
• Apocalyptic Realm: Jihadists in South Asia (2012)
• After Empire: The Birth of a Multipolar World (2010) (shortlisted for the Mirabaud Prize of the Forum International Médias Nord-Sud)
• Inside Central Asia: A Political and Cultural History of Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkey and Iran (2009) (on The Financial Times’s List of Best History Books of the Year)
• Blood of the Earth: The Battle for the World’s Vanishing Oil Resources (2007)
• The Timeline History of India (2006)
• The Iranian Labyrinth: Journeys through Theocratic Iran and Its Furies (2005)
• Secrets and Lies: Operation 'Iraqi Freedom' and After (2004)/ (Financial Times’ Best Politics and Religion Book of the Year) / (Long-listed for the George Orwell Prize for Political Writing)
• The Essential Middle East: A Comprehensive Guide (2003)
• Iraq: In The Eye Of The Storm (2003)
• War Without End: The Rise of Islamist Terrorism and Global Response (2002)
• The Rough Guide History of India (2002)
• Neighbors, Not Friends: Iraq and Iran after the Gulf Wars (2001)
• Sharing the Promised Land: A Tale of Israelis and Palestinians (1998)
• Dictionary of the Middle East (1996)
• The Middle East (1996)
• Between Marx and Muhammad: The Changing Face of Central Asia (1995)
• Lebanon, Fire and Embers: A History of the Lebanese Civil War (1993)
• Desert Shield to Desert Storm: The Second Gulf War (1992)
• Black British, White British: A History of Race Relations in Britain (1991)
• The Longest War: The Iran-Iraq Military Conflict (1991)
• Holy Wars: The Rise of Islamic Fundamentalism (1989)
• Iran: The Revolution Within (1988)
• Iran under the Ayatollahs (1985)
• Inside the Middle East (1982)
• Inside India Today (1977)
• The Untouchables of India (1975)
• Black British, White British (1973)
• The Indian Family in Britain (1969)

Fiction

• Three Plays (1985)
• Interior, Exchange, Exterior (Poems, 1980)
• Apply, Apply, No Reply & A Clean Break (Two Plays, 1978)
• To Anchor a Cloud (Play, 1972)
• A Triangular View (Novel, 1969)

Editor

• Babur Nama: Journal of Emperor Babur (2006)

Contributor

• A World Connected: Globalization In The 21st Century (ed.) Nayan Chanda (2013)
• Encyclopedia Of Global Studies (eds.) Helmut Anheier & Mark Juergensmeyer (2012)
• The World According To Tomdispatch: America In The New Age Of Empire (ed.) Tom Englehardt (2008)
• New Makers Of Modern Culture, Vol. 2, (ed.) Justin Wintle (2007)
• New Makers Of Modern Culture, Vol. 1 (ed.) Justin Wintle (2007)
• The Iraq War Reader (eds) Micah Sifri & Christopher Serf (2003)
• A Concise History Of India (a new chapter), (2002)
• A Just Response: The Nation On Terrorism, Democracy And 11 September 2001 (ed.) Katrina vanden Heuvel (2002)
• What's it like? Life And Culture In Britain Today (eds) Joanne Collie & Alex Martin (2000)
• Iran And The Arab World (ed.) Hooshang Amirahmadi (1993)
• The Gulf War Reader (eds) Micah Sifri & Christopher Serf (1991)
• Makers Of Nineteenth Century Culture (ed.) Justin Wintle (1984)
• Pieces Of Hate (ed.) Brian Redhead & Kenneth McLeish (1982)
• Makers Of Modern Culture (ed.) Justin Wintle (1982)
• World Minorities, Vol II (ed.) Georgina Ashworth (1977)
• World Minorities, Vol I (ed.) Georgina Ashworth (1977)
• Colour, Culture And Consciousness (ed.) Bhikhu Parekh (1974)
• One For Sorrow, Two For Joy (ed.) Paul Barker (1972)

Journalist

In Britain, France and Belgium his articles have appeared in many leading publications, including the Sunday Times, Observer, Sunday Telegraph, Guardian, Guardian Unlimited, Daily Telegraph Magazine, The Times, Independent, Independent on Sunday, International Herald Tribune, Wall Street Journal Europe, Times Literary Supplement, Economist, New Statesman, and Spectator. In North America he has published articles in inter alia the New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Wall Street Journal, Boston Globe, Toronto Star, Nation, Washington Spectator, Merip Middle East Report, Atlantic Community Quarterly, Global Agenda, and Journal of the World Economic Forum. He was the chief analyst on the Middle Eastern, Central Asian, South Asian and Islamic affairs, and Terrorism for the Rome-based Inter Press Service International Features Agency (1992–99), and the London-based Gemini News Service features agency (1999–2002). He is a frequent contributor to the following online magazines: the Guardian’s Commentisfree;^[2] Yale University’s Yale Global;^[3] and the New York-based Nation Institute’s website Tom Dispatch.^[4]

Stage, Television & Film Writing

In India, Dilip Hiro has produced a Urdu-Hindi play Tale of the Taj (Shah Jahan-o-Mumtaz) and was performed in Delhi and Gurgaon.

Commentator

He is a frequent commentator on the Middle Eastern, Central Asian and Islamic affairs on various radio and television channels based in America, Australia, Austria, Britain, Canada, France, Ireland and the Vatican. These include ABC (of Australia), ABC Network (USA), Al Jazeera (English) TV, American Public Radio, BBC Radio and Television, BBC News 24, BBC World Service Radio, BBC World (satellite), Brazilian TV, CBC (Canada), CBS Network (USA), Channel 4 (UK), Channel 5 (UK), CNN (satellite), CNN-Turk, C-SPAN TV (USA), Democracy Now TV (USA), Fox News Channel (USA), GMTV, MSNBC TV (USA), National Public Radio (USA), NBC TV (USA), ORF (Austria), Pacifica Radio Network (USA), Press TV, Radio France International (France), RTÉ (Ireland), Sky TV (satellite), and the Vatican Radio.

Reviews

The Longest August: The Unflinching Rivalry Between India and Pakistan (2015)

"Brisk and clear history of partition and its effects... Mr Hiro has written a highly readable account of a complicated history... A dispassionate chronological narrative, it is an excellent introduction to a bitterly contested topic." - The Economist ^[5]

"In Hiro's retelling, Nehru, Mahatma Gandhi and Jinnah are alive with all their egos and foibles resplendent... The Longest August is a brave first attempt to magnify relations between India and Pakistan." - The Independent (UK) ^[6]

"Hiro's book is a fluidly written narration tracing the prehistory of the conflict to Hindu assertion and Muslim anxiety as the independence struggle gathered pace... This is an eminently readable history that outlines the evolution of a complicated conflict." - India Today ^[7]

"The book supplies enough detail to leave the reader in no doubt about the upshot of India’s partition: a nuclear-armed quasi-theocracy imploding under the weight of its own radicalism. This should inspire dread in the most stolid of hearts — not only in India but across the world." - Washington Post ^[8]

"Deeply researched book about partition and its consequences...The adversarial relationship between the homespun Mahatma [Gandhi] and the Anglicized barrister [Jinnah] is recounted in novelistic detail... This is a reliable, insightful and, for so partisan a subject, admirably evenhanded examination." - Wall Street Journal ^[9]

"A history that spans a century of antagonism, skullduggery and war...It is a tale of broken bloodlines, fatal miscalculations and mutual paranoia that has placed a bitter parting at the center of the destiny of a subcontinent. And it is timely... Hiro also offers fascinating accounts of the espionage wars between the two countries." - New York Times Book Review ^[10]

A Comprehensive Dictionary of the Middle East (2013)

"Clearly written entries cover politics, religions, international relations, politicians, groups, natural resources, literature and art, and myriad other topics, with ample cross referencing.. Hiro displays an admirable even-handedness when covering contentious areas. He gives equal time to both sides of a conflict or disagreement without passing judgment or editorializing, making this an excellent reference source for readers and students interested in solid, fair explanations of the history of, and frequently contentious issues at play in, the Middle East. ...Highly recommended for both the specialist and the general reader interested in the region." – Library Journal (New York)^[11]

"A thoroughly researched dictionary... Hiro has created a must-have reference for all those interested in this fascinating region. The dictionary is easy to use, comprehensive and clearly written, providing information on a wide variety of Middle Eastern topics ranging from culture and history, politics and religion to language and literature." – Banipal (London): Magazine of Modern Arab Literature ^[12]

Apocalyptic Realm: Jihadists in South Asia (2012)

"The virtue of Hiro's new book is that he forces the readers to see the whole imbroglio solely through the eyes of the local actors... [We are] obliged to look again at such a depressingly familiar subject in such an unfamiliar and rewarding way." – Richard Cockett, Literary Review (London)

"First complete history of Islamist terrorism in South Asia...to be commended for attempting to bring a regional lens to a subject too often written about in narrower terms." – Sadanand Dhume, Wall Street Journal (New York and London)^[13]

"Hiro’s central premise – of bringing India into the equation of the wars in South Asia – is valid and important." – Salil Tripathi, The Independent (London)^[14]

"Hiro’s references are immense and he has drawn on recently released U.S. and Kremlin archives and documents. This book is a complete and authoritative study of South Asian jihadism; in fact the first major work on the subject." – Reginald Massey, Confluence: South Asian Perspectives (London)^[15]

"A timely and necessary read for academics and policymakers interested in seeing the broader history of jihadist groups in the region." – Kenneth Martin, London School of Economics & Politics, Review of Books^[16]

References

External links

• Nations without a cause The Economist's review of Hiro's "Inside Central Asia", 24 September 2009
• Blood of the Earth: Dilip Hiro on the Battle for the World’s Vanishing Oil Resources Video, Democracy Now! 31 January 2007
• Includes blurb about Hiro