Award-winning British author and historian Patrick French, best known his biography of VS Naipaul and India: A Portrait, died in London on Thursday, 16 March, at the age of 57 after a four-year battle with cancer.
French was the inaugural dean of the School of Arts and Sciences at Ahmedabad University in 2017 and a visiting professor at Ashoka University.
His mother-in-law Namita Gokhale told news agency PTI, "It was so sudden. We all are so heartbroken. The death took place in London. He had been suffering from cancer for the past four years."
The author is survived by his wife Meru Gokhale, former publisher at Penguin Press Group, and their four children.
Gokhale said that her late husband was "an exceptional father, friend, husband, teacher and mentor to many."
"At 8.10 am this morning my beloved husband Patrick French passed away in London after a brave battle with cancer. His kindness and love will stay with us forever. He went in peace, without suffering."Meru Gokhale
The historian did his PhD in South Asian Studies and an MA in English and American Literature from the University of Edinburgh, which was focused on the political and social understanding of India in the years before independence.
His work also centred around the period following economic liberalisation in the 1990s.
His popular books include Younghusband: The Last Great Imperial Adventurer, Liberty or Death: India's Journey to Independence and Division, and Tibet, Tibet: A Personal History of a Lost Land.
Tributes Pour In
Several people paid tribute to the late author, including Congress MP and author Shashi Tharoor, Rahul Gandhi, Jairam Ramesh, and authors William Dalrymple and Ramachandra Guha.
Dalrymple said that he was heartbroken at the loss of his friend and the best man at his wedding, describing French as the "greatest biographer of our generation."
"He was funny & clever & charming, always full of enthusiasm & energy. He was also the greatest biographer of our generation," Dalrymple said on Twitter.
Guha said that he was "deeply saddened" to hear of French's passing, adding that he was a "wonderful writer, whose books on Francis Younghusband and VS Naipaul are classics of modern biographical writing."
"He was also a very fine human being, unfailingly generous to friends and strangers alike," he added.
Meanwhile, Tharoor took to Twitter to say, "Have just spoken with his mother-in-law @NamitaGokhale_ to express my condolences. My heart goes out to @MeruGokhale and their 4 year old son Krishna. We have lost an outstanding writer & fine human being. RIP."
Gandhi called French's death a "tremendous loss to the literary community."
"Saddened to learn about the demise of Patrick French - noted writer, historian, and above all, a wonderful human being," he said on Facebook.
Author Aatish Taseer called French a "wonderful biographer, historian, essayist and teacher" and said that his biography of Naipul is a "classic."
(With inputs from PTI.)
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