The Mirror of Beauty

The novel follows Wazir Khanam from her early life in Delhi through her relationships with powerful men, including a Nawab and a Mughal prince. Alongside her personal story, Faruqi recreates an entire civilization—its art, music, literature, architecture, crafts and courtly culture. The narrative travels through Rajputana, Kashmir and Delhi, bringing miniature painting, carpet design and musical traditions vividly to life.

Shamsur Rahman Faruqi was a celebrated Urdu writer, critic, editor and scholar. He was the editor and publisher of the influential literary journal Shabkhoon and wrote extensively on Urdu poetry, literature and the great storytelling tradition of Dastan-e-Amir Hamza. He received the Saraswati Samman in 1996. The Mirror of Beauty was his first novel in English translation, based on his acclaimed Urdu novel Kai Chand The Sar-e-Aasman.

Set against the decline of the Mughal Empire, The Mirror of Beauty tells the fascinating story of Wazir Khanam, a woman who refuses to be confined by the expectations of her time. Her relationships, choices and struggles become part of a much larger portrait of nineteenth-century India. Through her journey, Faruqi explores love, desire, power, identity and social change while recreating the cultural richness of Delhi and other parts of the subcontinent. The result is an expansive literary saga that combines historical detail with an intimate human story.