Reading is an excellent way to get an insight into the country you're travelling to. Here are our recommendations for the five best books to read before travelling to India
1
MAGIC AND MYSTERY IN TIBET
Alexandra David-Neel, pocket book
With all the lightness of a storyteller, this seasoned traveller invites you to question the most serious topics of life, death and the sacred.
2
SIDDHARTHA
Herman Hesse, pocket book
This is a novel about Siddartha's discovery of Buddha. Herman Hesse traces a path of personal emancipation, bridges cultures, and seeks a point of convergence between humans while condemning the materialistic world and praising the life of meditation.
3
THE CITY OF JOY
Dominique Lapierre, R. Laffont
Dominique Lapierre spent two years chronicling Calcutta from its slums. It's a bestseller that opened many Westerners' eyes to a reality they had no idea about.
4
DICTIONARY OF INDIA
Christophe Jaffrelot, Denis Matringue, Catherine Clementin-Ojha, Jacques Pouchepadass, Larousse
A comprehensive dictionary to understand the world's second most populous country, addressing all social, economic and religious issues.
5
EATING WOMEN, TELLING TALES
Bulbul Sharma, Picquier, pocket book
A group of women are preparing a meal to honour a man who's passed away. Between cutting vegetables and cooking rice, they tell each other their family stories, from arranged marriages to the tragedy of having no children. It tells us a story about the whole of India.
Cover photo : Marion Osmont