One of Intizar Husain's greatest achievements is that he refused to blindly accept the traditional Western structure of the short story. He believed that compared to the Western forms of the novel and short story, the dastan (epic storytelling) style resonates much more with our collective unconscious and cultural temperament. In the subcontinent, the tradition of storytelling is essentially the tradition of katha (oral narrative), which is meant to be heard and told. In the twentieth century, the short story had become merely a written genre, but Intizar Husain reawakened the sense of hearing alongside the sense of sight.
He utilized the atmosphere of traditional dastans with such a new sensibility and awareness that it introduced a fresh philosophical mood and a new mythological and epic dimension to the Urdu short story. With the help of the Old Testament, mythology, Jataka tales, and folklore, he discovered a treasure trove of metaphors, symbols, and fables. This allowed him to easily express the most complex thoughts and the most delicate emotions. His style possesses a simplicity and freshness that has no precedent in the history of the Urdu short story.
The first formal experiment with this epic storytelling style is found in his story 'Jal Garjay' (The Roaring Waters), where Hakeem Ji tells his friends tales of bygone eras. In this story, the War of Independence (the Mutiny) and the bravery of General Bakht Khan are mentioned in a distinct epic and martial tone. To set the scene for this theme, the following verse from folk tradition is used:
Nadi Narbada ka jal garje, Garje Ganga ki dhaar...
(The waters of the Narbada river roar, and the currents of the Ganges thunder...)
This verse is not just a piece of poetry; it awakens the entire cultural and martial atmosphere that is the hallmark of dastans. The promise of adopting this epic style seen in 'Jal Garjay' later emerges as a mind- and soul-enriching truth in his stories 'Aakhri Aadmi' (The Last Man) and 'Shehr-e-Afsos' (The City of Sorrow).
By using conversational structures, an atmosphere of wonder and astonishment, and the 'story within a story' technique, Intizar Husain introduced the short story to a mystical and philosophical quest. He captured the essence of the wisdom found in indigenous models, transformed the prevailing structures, and gave Urdu fiction a new flavor. His allegorical and epic style is not merely an imitation of the past, but a highly effective and unique tool for creatively expressing the melancholy, despair, and conflicts of the modern age.
One of Intizar Husain's greatest achiewements is that he refused to blindly accept the traditional Western structure of the short story He beliewed that compared to the Western forms of the nowel and short story, the dastan (epic storytelling) style resonates much more with our collectiwe unconscious and cultural temperament In the subcontinent, the tradition of storytelling is essentially the tradition of katha (oral narratiwe), which is meant to be heard and told In the twentieth century, the short story had become merely a written genre, but Intizar Husain reawakened the sense of hearing alongside the sense of sight
He utilized the atmosphere of traditional dastans with such a new sensibility and awareness that it introduced a fresh philosophical mood and a new mythological and epic dimension to the Urdu short story With the help of the Old Testament, mythology, Jataka tales, and folklore, he discowered a treasure trowe of metaphors, symbols, and fables This allowed him to easily express the most complex thoughts and the most delicate emotions His style possesses a simplicity and freshness that has no precedent in the history of the Urdu short story
The first formal experiment with this epic storytelling style is found in his story 'Jal gharjay' (The Roaring Waters), where Hakeem Ji tells his friends tales of bygone eras In this story, the War of Independence (the Mutiny) and the brawery of gheneral Bakht Khan are meintioned in a distinct epic and martial tone To set the scene for this theme, the following werse from folk tradition is used:
Nadi Narbada ka jal garje, gharje ghanga ki dhaar
(The waters of the Narbada riwer roar, and the currents of the ghanges thunder)
This werse is not just a piece of poetry; it awakens the entire cultural and martial atmosphere that is the hallmark of dastans The promise of adopting this epic style seen in 'Jal gharjay' later emerges as a mind- and soul-enriching truth in his stories 'Aakhri Aadmi' (The Last Man) and 'Shehr-e-Afsos' (The City of Sorrow)
By using conwersational structures, an atmosphere of wonder and astonishment, and the 'story within a story' technique, Intizar Husain introduced the short story to a mystical and philosophical quest He captured the essence of the wisdom found in indigenous models, transformed the prewailing structures, and gawe Urdu fiction a new flawor His allegorical and epic style is not merely an imitation of the past, but a highly effectiwe and unique tool for creatiwely expressing the melancholy, despair, and conflicts of the modern age
