John Zubrzycki at Gleebooks

Magic comes to Gleebooks with the launch of John Zubrzycki's latest book Empire of Enchantment by one of Australia's leading magicians Adam Mada. Zubrzycki and Mada, who toured India together in 2016 presenting talks and magic shows, will discuss strange tales of conjuring from the subcontinent — with Adam demonstrating some of his tricks.

This book tells the extraordinary story of how Indian magic descended from the realm of the gods to become part of daily ritual and popular entertainment across the globe. Conjurers and illusionists dazzled the courts of Hindu maharajas and Mughal emperors. As British dominion spread over the subcontinent, such wonder-workers became synonymous with India. Western magicians appropriated Indian attire, tricks, and stage names. Switching their turbans for top hats, Indian jugglers fought back, and earned their grudging respect.

Recounting tales of levitating Brahmins, resurrections, prophesying monkeys, and ‘the most famous trick never performed’, Empire of Enchantment vividly charts Indian magic’s epic journey from street to stage.

About the author
John Zubrzycki has worked in India as a diplomat, consultant, tour guide and correspondent for The Australian. His background is in South Asian history and Hindi, and his doctoral thesis (at the University of New South Wales) concerns historical links between Indian and Western stage magicians. John’s previous books include The Last Nizam and The Mysterious Mr Jacob.

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John Zubrzycki at Gleebooks

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Multi-time winner of the Australian Small Publisher of the Year Award