Udana historia nieudanej interwencji Brytyjczyków w Afganistanie (1839–1842)

Abstract

The article is a polemical presentation of a book by William Dalrymple: Powrot krola. Bitwa o Afganistan 1839–42 (Warszawa 2014; British edition: Return of a King. The Battle for Afghanistan , London 2013). The author of the review praises both the used sources and the way in which the British historian described his findings. The fact that W. Dalrymple turned to Afghan and Persian sources is particularly praiseworthy since they enabled him to significantly expand the examination of British intervention in Afghanistan in 1840–1842. Other indubitable assets of the publication include its construction, narration, and amassed illustrations. The Polish edition retains all those qualities and the translation is splendid. The critical part of the article indicates W. Dalrymple’s incomplete familiarity with Polish and Russian sources and historical writings; hence, certain errors in the description of the activity of Russian participants in the Great Game played in Central Asia.