Islamabad A story about a larger than life character is sure to be a success and draw readers to events that throw a light on the subject, so it was natural that many members and their guests turned up to hear the author of ‘The Mysterious Mr Jacob: Diamond Merchant, Magician and Spy,’ — John Zubrzycki — speak on his latest book. Organised by the Literature Section of the Asian Study Group (ASG), the event was held at the Serena Hotel. Introducing the author, head of the literature group, Michele Galopin informed that John Zubrzycki is a Sydney-based writer and journalist who has worked for several media outlets; served as a diplomat in New Delhi and Jakarta and taught politics at the Australian National University. His first book ‘The Last Nizam: An Indian Prince in the Australian Outback,’ has been a best-seller in Australia and India. He is currently undertaking a PhD at the University of New South Wales, Sydney, investigating how the sub-continents magic spread to the West. During the next hour, attendees listened with interest as John chose a few titillating glimpses of his book to whet their appetite to know more about the fascinating character of ‘Mr Jacob,’ concluding by narrating the story of how Jacob’s last deal to sell the Nizam of Hyderabad the world’s largest brilliant-cut diamond (at that time) went wrong because of his adversaries conniving to make it fail. This led to his downfall from a wealthy man about town, to penury - a ‘rags to riches’ story gone awry! He died a pauper but remained a mystery to the end, as no one really knew where he had come from or what his origins were - he was a different man to different people and had so many faces it was difficult for anyone to sort fact from fiction. In the Q&A which followed, John said he had come across Jacobs name when he was researching his earlier book, another best seller, ‘The Last Nizam: An Indian Prince in the Australian Outback.’ It intrigued him enough to research the subject, an effort which led him to India and England to go through hundreds of files and registers in search of the truth about the mysterious Mr Jacob. “Google is helpful but for this kind of narrative you must physically sift through files and talk to people,” said the author. “I was not too successful about getting an insight into his character from personal opinions as most of the people who knew him have passed away and there were only ‘hand me down’ details.” Anyway, the book - which was on sale - deserves a read if only to know more about some of the intrigues and foibles of the ruling elite of those days! Later at a dinner hosted in his honour by the Australian high commissioner, Peter Heyward and his wife Susan, introducing him to other Australian diplomats, John confessed that it had been a great experience to attend the Lahore Literature Festival. “The audience was very interactive, full of enthusiasm to learn and absorb - they asked questions and debated the answers,” he said. “I will come back next year as a participant.” Questioned about what the subject of his next book will be, he said “I’m thinking of writing a story about the civil society of Pakistan.” This led to a discussion, but that’s another story! With hopes that the book will focus on the positive aspects of our much maligned country, here’s wishing him good luck!
