“Back at the Chateau Windsor there was a rat-like scratching at the door of my room. Vinod, the youngest servant, came in with a soda water. He placed it next to the bag of toffees. Then he watched me read. I was used to being observed reading. Sometimes the room would fill like a railway station at rush hour and I would be expected to cure widespread boredom.”

British author, journalist and documentary maker

Tahir Shah is a British author, journalist, and documentary maker of Afghan-Indian descent. He is known for writing across travel, memoir, and cultural observation, drawing on his background and wide-ranging experiences. His work often explores place, identity, and the meeting of different traditions. As a journalist and filmmaker as well as an author, he has built a varied body of work, and his writing is associated with curiosity about people, landscapes, and the worlds they inhabit.