Khamoshi ka Shor — Japani Kahaniyan

Fatima Surayya Bajia

Fatima Surayya Bajia, the brilliant Urdu playwright who reigned over the PTV drama scene for decades, was an aficionado of Japanese literature. In this delightful gem of a compilation, she has translated six Japanese plays into Urdu while still retaining their authentic essence. Each play begins with a short introduction that lays out the backstory to help the reader achieve a greater understanding. An added bonus is the listing of other works by the chosen playwrights which will be immensely helpful to readers interested in exploring further.

Urdu Kay Nadir Safarnamay

Dr Moinuddin Aqeel

It has been two centuries since the first travelogue in Urdu was written, but only one since people started taking any interest in them. Dr Aqeel takes full advantage of the recent surge in the popularity of Urdu travelogues and presents his own collection in which he explores the cobblestone streets of Italy, enjoys the blossoming cherry trees in Japan, meets European tourists in the Deccan, and is captivated by the fjords of Norway. Sprinklings of poetry to illustrate experiences add up to make for an interesting read.

Published in Dawn, Books & Authors, December 4th, 2016