Adab Aur Ishq

A king heard tales of a queen's beauty and fell in love with her. He then abandoned his throne and crown, setting off toward that strange land just to catch a glimpse of her. But Prince Jan-e-Alam went a step further; swayed by the words of a parrot,

Intizaar Husain Ka Fun: Mutaharrik Zahan Ka Sayyaal Safar

Intizar Husain is among the most important short story writers of our time. Through his deeply affecting allegorical style, he has introduced the Urdu short story to new artistic and thematic possibilities, seamlessly linking it to the *dastan* (classical

Novel, Haqeeqat Nigaari Aur Ghalib

It is true that Deputy Nazir Ahmad laid the foundation of the Urdu novel, and Munshi Premchand is considered the founding father of the Urdu short story. Even so, I am inclined to say that the history of modern Urdu fiction ought to begin with Ghalib.

Gumshuda Ameer Khusro

In his own time, Amir Khusrau was a single, unified figure. By the time he reached our era, this one man had multiplied into many. The difficulty with comprehensive, holistic personalities is that it is hard to encompass them entirely within our imagination.

Naya Adab Aur Puraani Kahaniyan

In Aligarh, there used to be a banana orchard. It was a tradition among the courtesans to visit this orchard on the eve of Ashura to pluck a banana leaf. One year, riots broke out in the city. The Hindu owner of the orchard stationed Jat guards armed

Alaamaton Ka Zawaal

The renowned English historian Edward Gibbon is said to have claimed that the world has seen only two great warriors: Rustam and Hazrat Ali. I do not know if Gibbon actually ever said this; my source is the *zakir* (reciter) of our town, who would quote

Likhna Aaj Ke Zamaane Mein

Ijtemaai Tahzeeb Aur Afsaana

Collective Civilization and Fiction I remember a day when a milky streak appeared across the sky over Lahore. Upon closer inspection, a round object could be seen moving at a great altitude. The long milky streak was its tail. Rumors quickly spread

Adab Ki Alif, Be, Te

My maternal grandmother had, of course, seen Mughal coins, but in my childhood, I only saw two coins: the Queen's one-anna coin, which had become quite worn out, and George V's bright pice with its raised portrait. Now, both of these coins are out of

Waapas Classiciyat Ki Taraf

Ghalib is generally regarded as the most difficult poet in the Urdu language. The majority of his couplets are considered so obscure and ambiguous that they compel writers and critics to engage in deep analytical study. Most commentaries on Ghalib read

Intizaar Husain Ki: Justujoo Kya Hai?

Sajjad Zaheer Ka Nazariya-e-adab

When writing letters, our elders would generally conclude with this phrase: "Son, consider this brief note as much, and write back with detailed news of your well-being and circumstances." This customary phrase from old letters feels profoundly meaningful

Fasaadaat Ke Afsaanon Ka Propeganda'ee Pahloo

The first and most fundamental question regarding the fiction written about the Partition riots is whether they truly qualify as "riot fiction" at all. While it is true that the subject of these stories is indeed the riots, the problem is that they reduce

Adab, Ghode Se Guftugoo

Dedh Baat Apne Afsaane Par

Rasm-ul-khat Aur Phool

Likhna Aaj Ke Zamane Mein

Intizar Husain: Ek Adhoori Tasveer