The Last Nizam

By John Zubrzycki

The last Nizam is the story of an extraordinary dynasty, the Nizams of Hyderabad, and how the heir to India’s richest princely state gave up a kingdom and retired to the dusty paddocks of outback Australia. With vivid detail and anecdote John Zubrzycki charts the rise of the Nizams to fabulous Wealth and prominence under the Mughal emperors of India, giving a rich and vibrant portrait of a realm soaked in blood and intrigue. Above all he describes the strange – sometimes comic. Sometimes tragic – life of Mukarram Jah, his exalted Highness, the Rustam of the Age, the Aristotle of the Times, Wal Mamaluk, Asaf Jah III, the conqueror of Dominions, the Regulator of the Realm, Nawab Mir Barakat Ali Bahadur, The Victor in Battles, the diamonds of Golconda and the palaces of the Hyderabad to drive Bull-dozers in the Australian bush.
A Delicate and detailed work, The Last Nizam adds a crucial chapter to the history of India, capturing the very scent of wine, women and wealth whose appetites kept the Nizam in news ad scandal while simultaneously deepening their legend.

Book review from Liberty Books