Long Reads

Last week I got to pick my favourite piece of long form journalism for LongReads‘ weekly newsletter, and went with Caravan’s in-depth profile of Narendra Modi – The Emperor Uncrowned

It’s a compelling, well-researched portrait of Narendra Modi, an Indian politician and the chief minister of Gujarat. During his watch, Mr. Modi presided over a horrific anti-Muslim pogrom that claimed more than 1,000 lives—the first instance of ‘communal violence’ that played itself out on live television. Despite the atrocities, and allegations that Mr. Modi did nothing to stop them, he appears to have reinvented himself over the past decade, and his name is often bandied about as a potential future prime minister. This whopping profile (18,000 words long) is deeply researched and makes for compelling reading, for those looking to understand the man, as well as the forces at play in contemporary Indian politics. I’d also recommend it to any aspiring longform writer—you learn by reading the best, and this is one of the best examples of political profiles I’ve read in recent times.

Get the full list of this week’s Longreads recommendations here

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