7 /10 1 Votes
Country United Kingdom Publisher The Viking Press Pages 304 Originally published 1930 Page count 304 | 3.5/5 Goodreads Language English Publication date 1930 ISBN 978-141-791-294-0 Genre Autobiography | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Adaptations The Lives of a Bengal Lancer (1935) Awards James Tait Black Memorial Prize - Biography Similar Martial India, Caught by the Turks, European jungle, Pageant of India | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Lives of a Bengal Lancer is a 1930 autobiography of British cavalry officer Francis Yeats-Brown published by The Viking Press. The autobiography's release was met with highly positive reviews and Yeats-Brown was awarded the James Tait Black Memorial Prize of 1930.
In 1935, the book was made into a Hollywood blockbuster by the same name starring Gary Cooper, Franchot Tone, Richard Cromwell. The film was nominated for seven Academy Awards including Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Picture.
Plot
In 1905, Francis Yeats-Brown, then a young cavalryman, arrives in Bengal to serve in the 17th Bengal Lancers. He quickly discovers that life in the presence of his fellow soldiers is anything but boring. When not on active duty, he spends his time riding horses around the countryside, hunting wild pigs and boars, and smoking tobacco.
In addition to all this, Yeats-Brown begins to write about his exploits in India and the life of a Bengal lancer. In the middle of all this, he falls in love with "Masheen", a local woman with a talent for dancing, with whom he begins an affair. Their love becomes known as "his forbidden love affair" within his regiment.