ABOUT THE URBAN SOALCE BOOK LOVERS' CLUB:

The Urban Solace Book Lovers' Club for started in 2010 as a result of a meet-up of writers whose stories were published in the book "Chicken Soup for the Indian Teachers Soul" inspired by the energy of this experience "The Urban Solace Book Lovers' Club was born. From there it has grown from strength to strength hosting its monthly meet on the second Sunday of every month. Over the years the club has hosted over 50 published authors to discuss their writings, and these writers were the best from Bangalore, India and around the world who have sought us out to experience this dynamic of our club.

Today The Urban Solace Book Lovers' Club has a set of loyal supporters and a sterling reputation of being the longest running book club in the city in a cafe setting and is sought after by several writers from Bangalore and across the country to be featured in our experience.

ABOUT THE BOOK: “In Xanadu - A Quest” by William Dalrymle

In Xanadu traces the path taken by Marco Polo from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem to the site of Shangdu, famed as Xanadu in English literature, in Inner Mongolia, China.

The book begins with William Dalrymple taking a vial of holy oil from the burning lamps of the Holy Sepulchre, which he is to transport to Shangdu, the summer seat of the King Kubla Khan. It has been mentioned that Kubla Khan wanted a hundred learned men armed with Christian knowledge to come to his Khanate and spread the knowledge of Christianity. However, that plan was abandoned, and Marco Polo, along with his uncle, set out from Jerusalem on the Silk Route to Shang-du, to deliver a vial of the holy oil, which was rumoured to be inexhaustible, and therefore kept the lamps at the Sepulchre constantly burning. The rest of the journey is outlined with descriptions of most of the ancient sites along the Silk Route, through which Marco Polo was supposed to have passed.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: William Benedict Hamilton

William Benedict Hamilton - Dalrymple born 20 March 1965 is an India-based Scottish historian and art historian, as well as a curator, broadcaster and critic. He is also one of the co-founders and co-directors of the world's largest writers' festival, the annual Jaipur Literature Festival. He is currently a Visiting Fellow at All Souls College, Oxford. 

ABOUT THE CURATOR: Neeraj Sinha

Neeraj is a regular member of Urban Solace Book Lovers' Club. He loves reading but can't claim to be an avid reader. He reads whenever he gets time especially during his official travels. He reads books in almost all genres but his favorite genres are mythology, history, travelogues and thriller. His personal favorites are 'The Mahabharata', 'The Last Mughal', all stories of Arthur Conan Doyle and the Millennium trilogy. Professionally he works in an IT company as a capital market domain expert.