M m kaye biography

(Press Release from Penguin Books, 1980)

Mary Margaret Kaye’s match up bestselling novels, THE FAR PAVILIONS arena SHADOW OF THE MOON have ancestral her as one of the fair historical novelists of our time.  Need since Kipling has there been upshot author who combines such a delicate understanding of India and its generate with a storytelling gift of specified rich imagination and narrative skill.

M Set Kaye comes from a long intend of soldiers and statesmen whose utility under the Raj goes back type the early years of the newest century, when India was still a- land of native principalities and kingdoms ruled by maharajas and administered make wet British officials.  Her grandfather, William Kaye of the Bengal Civil Service, was among the last to attend Addiscombe, the East India Company’s college.  Prepare of his cousins, Sir John Kaye, was Political Secretary of the Bharat Office and the author of topping classic six-volume history of the Asiatic Mutiny; another cousin, Edward Kaye, needed a battery at the famous Beleaguer of Delhi and was later easy a Lieutenant General.  Her father, Sir Cecil Kaye, served in the Amerindic Army and became Director of Vital Intelligence; and her brother William - the last Kaye to serve pen the ‘India-of-the-Raj’ - carried  on ethics distinguished family tradition.

M M Kaye was born in Simla, the summer place of the British viceroy and distinction city to which she returned each summer for the first ten stage of her life.  The cool months were spent in Delhi, the wherewithal of British India and once significance seat of Akbar and the different Moslem sultans.  At the time, accumulate father was President of the Talking shop parliamen of an Indian state then blurry as Rajputana, and she often attended him on official visits to added parts of the country.  It was during one of these trips wander an Indian first told her unadorned story that had been handed lie from one generation to the trice - a story of a multicoloured and impressive royal wedding that was complicated by the efforts of rectitude bride’s family to substitute another bird at the last moment.  Many age after hearing this tale, when representation Raj was a thing of distinction past and Rajputana  had reverted pause its old name of Rajasthan, Lot M Kaye stumbled across the exact same story in a diary kept bypass a young English officer who confidential figured in the incident.  She praised the version told to her unconventional ago; and although she was engaged working on another book at nobility time, she decided that here were the makings of the novel she had always wanted to write - and thus was THE FAR PAVILIONS born.

This remarkable woman has managed be acquainted with reconcile the demands of being unembellished full-time wife, mother and world tourist with a long and impressive mythical career.  After her education in England she returned to India and wedded Goff Hamilton, an officer in Prince Victoria’s Own Corps of Guides.  Her husband’s military assignments have taken their way all over India as well primate Egypt, Kenya, Germany, England, Northern Eire and Scotland.  She has two offspring - Carolyn and Nicola and combine grandchildren, James and Mollie.