The black hole of calcutta book

The black hole of calcutta was a tiny prison cell in fort william, in the indian city of calcutta. A total of 146 british prisoners, including two women and several wounded men, and holwell himself, were herded at swordpoint for the night into the forts black hole, a little lockup the british had built for minor offenders. A book that has been read but is in good condition. If you think about it, black hole is the perfect allegorical term to properly describe the prison. Jul 30, 2003 noel barbers book on the infamous black hole of calcutta is a seriously flawed work.

When a raging fire destroyed the opera comique building in paris on may 25, 1887, a new york times correspondent, noting that the seats, boxes, and balcony were gone, described the building as an immense black hole. It shows a clear display of the profit motive of the british east india company and the typical attitude of the british against other ethnic groups. Very minimal damage to the cover including scuff marks, but no holes or tears. Black hole of calcutta sutton history classics by barber, noel 0750933895 the. How the british came to rule india 146 people dying in calcutta response of the british this is a story. When india is mentioned to the citizen of a far country it suggests clive, hastings, the mutiny, kipling, and a number of other great events. Aug 18, 2010 open library is an open, editable library catalog, building towards a web page for every book ever published. Soon black hole of calcutta entered the collective consciousness as a synonym for the most horrific of experiences. And so, when that citizen finds himself in the capital of india he goes first of all to see the black hole of calcuttaand is disappointed. The black hole of calcutta was a small prison in fort william, india, and became the site of a tragedy where many british prisoners supposedly died on the evening of 20 june 1756. Buy the black hole of calcutta by noel barber online at alibris.

Black hole of calcutta was a dungeon in old fort william, calcutta, india. Jan dalley shows how the black hole of calcutta was the result of stupidity rather than cruelty, in her skilful account of sirajuddaulahs attack. Pages can include considerable notesin pen or highlighterbut the notes cannot obscure the text. Write a narrative story account analysing the key events at the black hole of calcutta. Richard cavendish describes how british prisoners were held captive by the army of the nawab of bengal, for one night, in the black hole of fort william in calcutta. The east india company, a relative newcomer to the indian subcontinent, had already established a popular trading base in calcutta but this hegemony was under threat by french interests in the area.

According to john zephaniah holwell of the british east india company, on june 20, 1756, the nawab of bengal imprisoned 146 british captives inside the airless room overnight when the chamber was opened the next morning, only 23 men including holwell were still alive. The black hole of calcutta must have been a fool to it. On the morning of june 20, 1756, 146 british prisoners were forced by the soldiers of the. Myth of empire the story about the black hole of calcutta. A bare, lowceilinged dungeon with two barred airholes. The black hole of calcutta by noel barber abebooks.

Black hole of calcutta, scene of an incident on june 20, 1756, in which a number of europeans were imprisoned in calcutta now kolkata and many died. This is the place where the west first truly encountered the east. According to a disputed account by a survivor, 123 of 146 prisoners died of heat exhaustion in the confined conditions. There is today much dispute about sirajuddaulas culpability and the actual number of victims, which may only have been 43. The black hole of calcutta was a dungeon in fort william, calcutta measuring 4.

The black hole of calcutta was a small dungeon where indian troops held british prisoners of war after the capture of fort william on june 20, 1756. The black hole of calcutta by noel barber, 9780750933896, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. Oct 16, 20 from black diamonds to the black hole of calcutta, the black dragon society, dark matter, men in black, and dark shadows to the dark side of the moon, black dahlia, black mold and more, this book covers a wide variety of topics with interesting facts and photos. He was also one of the first europeans to study indian antiquities. Alexander rose based on the book washingtons spies by, craig silverstein developed by 2 more credits. In the popular imagination, calcutta is a packed and pestilential sprawl, made notorious by the black hole and the works of mother teresa. At the beginning he honestly at least admits that he has imaginatively reconstructed the history of the event and gives a couple of examples of where he has done this. However, a fact that most people are unaware of is that the black hole of calcutta is not an symbolic name given to the event by the outraged public. His army attacked fort william in calcutta, and captured 146 soldiers of the british east india company. Everyone has heard of the black hole of calcutta, but noel barber brings the story of that gehenna vividly to life as it has not been presented for a century. The black hole of calcutta author noel barber formatbinding hardcover book condition used acceptable quantity available 1 binding hardcover isbn 10 08802942 isbn 9780880294218 publisher dorset press place of publication new york, new york, u.

Black hole of calcutta simple english wikipedia, the free. Apart from this warning, one has no idea where the imagination begins and ends. Calcuttas black hole a gripping tale of a gruesome event in history. Dec 15, 2015 unsubscribe from kurzgesagt in a nutshell. Discover the black hole of calcutta in kolkata, india. Facebook is showing information to help you better understand the purpose of a page. In 1756, siraiuddaulah, the nawab of bengal, decided to show off his power by driving the infidel europeans out of indian lands. The story of the black hole of calcutta actually could be one of historys great scams, along with the bombing of the battleship maine in havana harbor, the gulf of tonkin incident, and saddam husseins putative weapons of mass destruction. Calcutta, now known as kolkata, has rarely had a good press.

From black diamonds to the black hole of calcutta, the black dragon society, dark matter, men in black, and dark shadows to the dark side of the moon, black dahlia, black mold and more, this book covers a wide variety of topics with interesting facts and photos. Buy a cheap copy of the black hole of calcutta a collier. Black hole of calcutta definition, a small prison cell in fort william, calcutta, in which, in 1756, indians are said to have imprisoned 146 europeans, only 23 of whom were alive the following morning. Black hole of calcutta definition of black hole of. A discursive coherence to the representations of calcutta as cramped and squalid emanates not only from popularcultural american orientalism, but from a longer history of imperial practices in colonial india, as discussed by partha chatterjee in the black hole of empire. The theory of general relativity predicts that a sufficiently compact mass can deform spacetime to form a black hole. And the british empire was made glorious with the acquisition of india, truly its crown jewel. When one of the culper ring members is captured, arnold seeks to interrogate him with the help of a ruthless colonel simcoe. The black hole of calcutta by noel barber book cover, description, publication history. The siege of calcutta and the night of the black hole together comprise one of the most dramatic episodes of british imperial history, and noel barbers detailed reconstruction is so gripping and wellwritten that i do not hesitate to class his book as history at its compellingly readable best. The story of the black hole, for those unfamiliar with it, is this. Naipaul, gunter grass and louis malle revived its hellish image.

I was told as a child that my bedroom looked like the black hole of calcutta. May 16, 2019 open library is an open, editable library catalog, building towards a web page for every book ever published. The fort was built by the british to defend their trading interests in calcutta. Noel barbers book on the infamous black hole of calcutta is a seriously flawed work. Here in the 21st century, photographing kolkata in monochrome accentuates those contrasts and petrifies the living chaos, revealing an older more timeless calcutta. When i photograph i am observing form but not without a sense of time. John zephaniah holwell, a genuine narrative of the deplorable deaths of the english gentlemen and others who were suffocated in the black hole, londres.

The black hole of calcutta by noel barber hardcover 1990. Open library is an open, editable library catalog, building towards a web page for every book ever published. The black hole of calcutta kolkata, india atlas obscura. Given the enormous discursive circulation of the story in the second half of the nineteenth century, this lack was seen as something of an anomaly. Following the demolition of holwells monument in 1821, there was nothing in the city of calcutta to physically commemorate the black hole event. Thackeray makes a reference to the black hole of calcutta when describing the angloindian district in london, chapter lx. Black hole of calcutta news newspapers books scholar jstor june 2017. The site of an atrocity that would be used to justify britains conquest of india. The black hole of calcutta a reconstruction by barber, noel and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Black hole of calcutta simple english wikipedia, the. The black hole of calcutta by noel barber goodreads. Black hole incident, calcutta, india, 1756, black hole incident, kolkata, india, 1756. Curzon wrote to busteed that he had read the book on his way out to india and through the text he had pictured again. As a preventive measure, the company decided to increase the defences of its main fort in the city, fort william.

Jan dalley shows how the black hole of calcutta was the result of stupidity rather than cruelty, in her skilful account of sirajuddaulahs attack, says geoffrey moorhouse. Kipling called it a city of dreadful night, and a century later v. The horrifying story of the black hole of calcutta starts in early 1756. Some historians consider the black hole of calcutta to be a catalyst for great britains eventual conquest of the indian subcontinent. Black hole of calcutta article about black hole of. In april 1756, the provincial governor of bengal died and the throne was passed to his 23 year old grandson, sirajuddaulah. A black hole is a region of spacetime where gravity is so strong that nothingno particles or even electromagnetic radiation such as lightcan escape from it. What really happened in the black hole of calcutta. As a preventive measure, the company decided to increase the defences of.

I wanted to hop back in time and maim the men in charge at fort william. That night, as he recorded, there occurred a horror which became a legend in the history of the raj. By legend, on 20 june 1756 nawab sirajuddaula, robert clives great enemy, packed 146 englishmen captured at calcutta into a small guardroom. The black hole of calcutta by noel barber, 2000, akadine press edition, in english the black hole of calcutta 2000 edition open library.

The book gives the background to the event known as the black hole of calcutta and tells what happened to those involved afterward. The europeans were the remaining defenders of calcutta following the capture of the city by the nawab ruler siraj aldawlah, of bengal, and the. Black hole of calcutta synonyms, black hole of calcutta pronunciation, black hole of calcutta translation, english dictionary definition of black hole of calcutta. Aug 23, 2019 the black hole of calcutta was a small prison in fort william, india, and became the site of a tragedy where many british prisoners supposedly died on the evening of 20 june 1756. Jun 17, 2017 alexander rose based on the book washingtons spies by, craig silverstein developed by. Richard cavendish published in history today volume 56 issue 6 june 2006. Calcutta s black hole a gripping tale of a gruesome event in history. He was also one of the first europeans to study indian antiquities holwell was a survivor of the black hole of calcutta, june 1756, the incident in which british subjects and others were crammed into a small poorly. John zephaniah holwell frs 17 september 1711 5 november 1798 was a surgeon, an employee of the english east india company, and a temporary governor of bengal 1760. The black hole of calcutta by noel barber fantastic fiction. The black hole of calcutta was a real place where a horrible tragedy occurred, but the account has much exaggerated detail. Jul 15, 2006 jan dalley shows how the black hole of calcutta was the result of stupidity rather than cruelty, in her skilful account of sirajuddaulahs attack, says geoffrey moorhouse. The black hole of calcutta 2000 edition open library.