{"product_id":"the-hill-of-devi","title":"The Hill of Devi","description":"267 pp. 'An important key to a fuller understanding of Forster's masterpiece, A Passage to India, The Hill of Devi recounts the author's experiences in the court of a brilliant young Maharajah. First invited to the Indian state of Dewas Senior in 1912, Forster returned in 1921 as the Maharajah's private secretary and observed the intrigues, strange ceremonies, muddled attempts at modernization, and bewildering contradictions of Indian culture. As a privileged insider always uncertain as to the exact nature of his official duties, Forster evokes in letters and linking commentary a complex portrait of a true ruler, harassed by a colonial bureacracy, fearful for his life, a wit, a genius, and possibly a saint. Forster leaves India with the next-to-highest honor the state of Dewas could confer, saddened by the political downfall of his patron, and with a deep understanding of the conflicts between cultures that would illuminate his greatest book.'","brand":"Harvest \/ HBJ \/ Harcourt Brace Jovanovich","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":40316662972486,"sku":"2327994","price":5.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1232\/9510\/products\/2327994.jpg?v=1663360040","url":"https:\/\/ym-demo.myshopify.com\/products\/the-hill-of-devi","provider":"Yesterday's Muse","version":"1.0","type":"link"}