'Descent Into Paradise': Book to tell 'untold' political history of Maldives

From imperialists and sultans to a modern-day dictatorship finally overturned by a precarious democracy, new book, ''Descent Into Paradise'', is touted to be a personal account of 'untold' Maldives in the grips of gruesome political turmoil, internal strife and climate change.

Written over a decade that spans the Maldives' tumultuous history, the book, a travel memoir and a political history by journalist-author Daniel Bosley, will hit the stands on September 19.

It is published by PanMacmillan India.

In the autumn of 2011, the postman-turned-journalist Bosley embarked on an unexpected adventure which started as an internship in London's Maldives High Commission – the diplomatic mission of the Indian Ocean tourism hotspot.

Little did Bosley know that he would soon set off on an odyssey through an imperilled island nation undergoing one of the most tumultuous periods in its history.

''While dissenters and intrepid reporters faced abduction, imprisonment, and even death, the climate crisis and Islamist zealots posed ever greater threats to the country's vulnerable environment and its ancient culture,'' writes Bosley in the book.

According to the publisher, ''richly observed and infused with empathy and essential humour'', ''Descent into Paradise'' thoroughly alters our understanding of the Maldives, ''a place where magical waters and surreal skies hide unthinkable dangers even as the struggle for justice risks submersion''.

''It is a deep insight into the island nation that will be of interest to journalists, historians, and those interested in geopolitics and travel writing,'' they added.

The general elections in Maldives are slated to be held on September 9.