YOUR editorial ‘A literary dilemma’ (March 12) is thought-provoking. It has the potential of generating a debate leading to further analysis on the decline of the reading culture and pedantic curriculum and shoddy methods of teaching. It is sad to see that instead of availing this opportunity for the introspection which your editorial calls for, a new kind of attitude holds contemporary literature to be at fault and considers it nothing worth writing home.
I wonder what made a letter-writer draw the conclusion that “Ürdu literature hasn’t managed to produce any masterpiece in terms of fiction or poetry, especially in the last couple of decades,” (March 28).
While one may differ as to what constitutes a masterpiece, I find it strange that, on the one hand, we decry the lack of good and significant books and, on the other hand, fail to recognise and read the good books that have appeared in the last few years.
In fiction, Shamsur Rahman Faruqi’s monumental ‘Kayee Chand Thay Sar-i-Asaman’ has attracted the attention of readers and critics, being hailed as an epoch-making novel drawing upon history and tradition. (I have read that book and its worth reading)
Mirza Athar Baig’s two novels, contemplative in nature and contemporary in their choice of themes and subject matter, should not be ignored in any such discussion. (Mirza Athar Baig had written some beautiful serials for PTV including Hisaar, Daldal and Nashaib based on Abdullah Hussain’s novel)
Khalida Hussain’s ‘Kaghazi Ghaat’ which juxtaposes the personal and the political selves, Nikhat Hassan’s acutely observed ‘Jogging Park’, Khalid Toor’s ‘Kani Nikah’, Hameed Shahid’s ‘Mitti Adam Khati Hai’ and Mohammed Asim Butt’s ‘Daira’, a compact story set in the old city of Lahore, are significant novels which have all been published in the last few years. (Interesting. I’ll search for these books)
During the same time span, major short story writer Hassan Manzar has come out with three important novels: ‘Al-Asfa’, ‘Dhani Bux Kay Baitay’ and ‘Waba’, but these novels have not had the kind of appreciation they deserve. (I recently bought Dhani Bux ke bete, and will shortly start reading it)
If a novel like ‘Al-Asfa’ had been published in a Central European or Hispanic language, we would have all been eagerly struggling to obtain
badly-translated versions.
Good or bad work, masterpieces or not, a major issue with Urdu books is that they fail to reach out to wider audiences either due to poor marketing or poor publication opportunities.
**Many authors have no recourse but to self-publish. The so-called learned bodies and governmental institutions, including the Academy of Letters, serve as hand-maidens to whoever happens to be calling the shots, and the media thinks of writers and poets when they have nothing better to do.
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Academia has shied away from any meaningful engagement with contemporary literature and students are not encouraged to even read these writers.
In spite of manifold problems, Urdu literature is alive. It would augur well if we read some books rather than be prophets of doom.
LKK poetry to aap ko pasand nahin, lekin ye bataye aap books padhte hain?
aap ne kabhi bhi poetry forum pe post nahin kia.
yahan py kisi ny kuch share ni kia
log apna talent appreciate ni krty pta ni kun koi bewakoof to ni itni mehnat sy novel likhy or kisi or ko dy dy, i think she is 23 or 24 now and she claims that in pakistan no onw has written such novel before. me ny us ka preface share kia tha kisi or thread me.