Dilip Hiro
Encyclopedia
Dilip Hiro is a playwright
, political writer, journalist, historian
and analyst specializing in South Asia
, Central Asia
, the Middle East
and Islam
ic affairs. He was born to Hindu
parents in Larkana
, British India, who migrated to independent India
after partition
in 1947. Hiro received a masters degree from the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
. He currently lives in London
, where he settled in the mid-1960s.
Hiro is the author of 33 titles, the most recent being JIHAD ON TWO FRONTS: South Asia's Unfolding Drama (2011). His 31st book, Inside Central Asia: A Political and Cultural History of Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkey and Iran was listed as one of the best history books of the year by the Financial Times (2009). His 30th book, Blood of the Earth: The Global Battle for Vanishing Oil Resources (2008), was described by Steven Poole in the Guardian as "encyclopaedic yet racily readable account of the economy, science and geopolitics of oil over the past century.". He is editor of the most recent edition of the Babur Nama: Journal of Emperor Babur (2007). He has also written Secrets and Lies: Operation ‘Iraqi Freedom’ and After (2003). It was long-listed for the George Orwell Prize for Political Writing in Britain and listed in the Financial Times’ Best Politics and Religion Books of the Year. He has contributed to 16 more books, including The World According To Tom Dispatch (2008). He is noted for his opposition to the Anglo-American occupation of Iraq, arguing that it will only fuel more fundamentalist terrorism and further destabilize the Middle East.
In After Empire, his survey of the world’s major powers, Hiro shows how the steady decline of America as the sole superpower is leading to the emergence of a multipolar world.
As a journalist he contributes to The Observer
, The New York Times
, The Guardian
, The Washington Post
and is a commentator on the BBC
, Sky News
, CNN
, and various radio stations.
To Anchor a Cloud, his 3-act stage play about Moghul emperor Shah Jahan and his favourite wife Mumtaz Mahal (for whom he built the Taj Mahal) premiered in London in 1970 and had a public reading in Delhi
in 2008. His film, Moving Portraits, directed by Horace Ové and produced by Vijay Amarnani, was screened by Channel 4
in 1987. He is the co-scriptwriter of A Private Enterprise, a British feature film about a young Indian in the Midlands, which won a silver Hugo at the Chicago Film Festival of 1975, and was listed as one of the 10 Best Films of the Year by some of the leading film critics of Britain.
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
, political writer, journalist, historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
and analyst specializing in South Asia
South Asia
South Asia, also known as Southern Asia, is the southern region of the Asian continent, which comprises the sub-Himalayan countries and, for some authorities , also includes the adjoining countries to the west and the east...
, Central Asia
Central Asia
Central Asia is a core region of the Asian continent from the Caspian Sea in the west, China in the east, Afghanistan in the south, and Russia in the north...
, the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
and Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
ic affairs. He was born to Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
parents in Larkana
Larkana
Larkana or Larkano is the fourth largest city in the north-western part of Sindh Province, Pakistan, and is located within Larkana District.The old name of larkano is chandka which was changed in 1901. In August 2000 Larkana celebrated its hundred years of existence...
, British India, who migrated to independent India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
after partition
Partition of India
The Partition of India was the partition of British India on the basis of religious demographics that led to the creation of the sovereign states of the Dominion of Pakistan and the Union of India on 14 and 15...
in 1947. Hiro received a masters degree from the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, popularly known as Virginia Tech , is a public land-grant university with the main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia with other research and educational centers throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States, and internationally.Founded in...
. He currently lives in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, where he settled in the mid-1960s.
Hiro is the author of 33 titles, the most recent being JIHAD ON TWO FRONTS: South Asia's Unfolding Drama (2011). His 31st book, Inside Central Asia: A Political and Cultural History of Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkey and Iran was listed as one of the best history books of the year by the Financial Times (2009). His 30th book, Blood of the Earth: The Global Battle for Vanishing Oil Resources (2008), was described by Steven Poole in the Guardian as "encyclopaedic yet racily readable account of the economy, science and geopolitics of oil over the past century.". He is editor of the most recent edition of the Babur Nama: Journal of Emperor Babur (2007). He has also written Secrets and Lies: Operation ‘Iraqi Freedom’ and After (2003). It was long-listed for the George Orwell Prize for Political Writing in Britain and listed in the Financial Times’ Best Politics and Religion Books of the Year. He has contributed to 16 more books, including The World According To Tom Dispatch (2008). He is noted for his opposition to the Anglo-American occupation of Iraq, arguing that it will only fuel more fundamentalist terrorism and further destabilize the Middle East.
In After Empire, his survey of the world’s major powers, Hiro shows how the steady decline of America as the sole superpower is leading to the emergence of a multipolar world.
As a journalist he contributes to The Observer
The Observer
The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
, The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
and is a commentator on the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
, Sky News
Sky News
Sky News is a 24-hour British and international satellite television news broadcaster with an emphasis on UK and international news stories.The service places emphasis on rolling news, including the latest breaking news. Sky News also hosts localised versions of the channel in Australia and in New...
, CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
, and various radio stations.
To Anchor a Cloud, his 3-act stage play about Moghul emperor Shah Jahan and his favourite wife Mumtaz Mahal (for whom he built the Taj Mahal) premiered in London in 1970 and had a public reading in Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
in 2008. His film, Moving Portraits, directed by Horace Ové and produced by Vijay Amarnani, was screened by Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
in 1987. He is the co-scriptwriter of A Private Enterprise, a British feature film about a young Indian in the Midlands, which won a silver Hugo at the Chicago Film Festival of 1975, and was listed as one of the 10 Best Films of the Year by some of the leading film critics of Britain.
Non-Fiction
- JIHAD ON TWO FRONTS: South Asia's Unfolding Drama (2011)
- After Empire: The Birth of a Multipolar World (2010)
- Inside Central Asia: A Political and Cultural History of Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkey and Iran (2009)/(Financial Times’ Best History Book 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)
External links
- Nations without a cause The Economist's review of Hiro's "Inside Central Asia", Sep 24, 2009
- Blood of the Earth: Dilip Hiro on the Battle for the World’s Vanishing Oil Resources Video, Democracy Now! Jan 31, 2007
- Includes blurb about Hiro