 First edition | |
| Author | Larry Collins andDominique Lapierre |
|---|---|
| Audio read by | Frederick Davidson (1993) |
| Language | English |
| Subjects | British India,partition,colonialism,Mahatma Gandhi |
| Genre | Non-fiction, history |
| Published | 1975 |
| Publisher | William Collins (UK) Simon & Schuster (US) |
| ISBN | 9780706904062 |
| OCLC | 813178801 |
Freedom at Midnight (1975) is a book byLarry Collins andDominique Lapierre about the events surrounding theIndian independence movement andpartition. It details the last year of theBritish Raj, from 1947 to 1948, beginning with the appointment ofLord Mountbatten of Burma as the lastviceroy of British India, and ending withthe death and funeral ofMahatma Gandhi.
The book provides a detailed account of the last year of theBritish Raj; the reactions ofprincely states towards independence, including descriptions of the colourful and extravagant lifestyles of the Indian princes; thepartition of British India (intoIndia andPakistan) on religious grounds; and the bloodshed that followed.[1]
There is a description ofShimla, the Britishsummertime capital in theHimalayas, and how supplies were carried up steep mountains by porters each year. Also covered in detail are the events leading to theassassination of Mahatma Gandhi, as well as the life and motives ofJawaharlal Nehru andMuhammad Ali Jinnah.
Regarding partition, the book—providing maps ofPunjab,Bengal, andKashmir—relates that the crucial maps setting theboundary separating India and Pakistan were drawn that year byCyril Radcliffe, who had not visited India before being appointed as the chairman of theBoundary Commission. The book depicts the fury of bothHindus andMuslims, misled by their communal leaders, during the partition; and the biggestmass slaughter in the history of India, as millions of people were uprooted by the partition and tried to migrate bytrain, oxcart, and on foot to new places designated for their particular religious group. Many migrants fell victim to bandits and religious extremists of both dominant religions. One incident quoted describes a canal inLahore that ran with blood and floating bodies.
The book is told casually, similar to the authors' previous works,Is Paris Burning? andO Jerusalem!.
The authors interviewed some people related to the events, including a focus onLord Mountbatten of Burma.[2] They subsequently wrote a book based on their research on the British officer, titledMountbatten and the Partition of India, containing interviews with Mountbatten and a selection of papers in his possession.[3]
Freedom at Midnight aroused controversy for portraying the Britishexpatriates, the native rulers of India, and members of India's first cabinet.[2][4]James Cameron described it as the result of deep research into events often neglected by other historians.[5]
The book was criticised as "misleading," "biased," and "yellow journalism."[6][7] Earl Drake found the book's illustration ofHuseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy "totally biased."[8] Journalist Shyam Ratna Gupta remarked, "One might ask, did the authors intend to provide us with fictional documentation, politico-historical gossip, or pop journalism on events and personalities of that time?"[9]
Gopal Godse demanded a ban on the book for claiming thatVinayak Damodar Savarkar andNathuram Godse had a homosexual relationship. Gopal Godse had challenged Collins and Lapierre to "produce any evidence" to substantiate their version.[10]
This book was one of the inspirations for the 2017 filmViceroy's House.[11]Freedom at Midnight, the 2024 Hindi-language historical dramaweb series directed byNikkhil Advani and produced bySonyLIV, is adapted from the book.[12]
Freedom at Midnight " . It is no doubt a biased one - sided book