Manu S. Pillai is the author of three books of history: The Ivory Throne (2015), Rebel Sultans (2018), and most recently The Courtesan, the Mahatma & the Italian Brahmin (2019). Winner of the 2017 Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar, he was also a columnist with Mint Lounge for three years. His other writings have appeared in The Hindu, Open Magazine, the Times of India, Hindustan Times, The New Statesman, and other publications. He is currently studying for a PhD at King's College London.