Kunal Basu was born in Calcutta and has travelled widely. He teaches at Oxford University and is married with one daughter. Author of three acclaimed novels - The Opium Clerk, The Miniaturist, and Racists - he has acted in films and on stage, written poetry and screenplays. The Japanese Wife has been made into a film by India's celebrated director Aparna Sen. For more information, log on to www.kunalbasu.com
In the sumptuous court of the emperor Akbar, in 16th century India, a group of artists begins the painstaking task of chronicling the emperor's life. Bihzad is the son of the chief artist and as such, he is groomed to follow in his father's footsteps. A child prodigy, Bihzad is shielded from life as he grows up in the stunning fortress town of Agra. But as word of his talent spreads, rumours about the wild, passionate nature of his secret drawings bring his enemies out into the open. When the young artist breaches the rules of the court, they will use his art to destroy him.
