FICTION: COMING OF AGE

FICTION: COMING OF AGE

A young adult novella set in a fictional college tackles contemporary hot-button issues such as social media bullying, sexual...
Published 16 Jun, 2024 07:04am
NON-FICTION: BREAKING THE CARTELS

NON-FICTION: BREAKING THE CARTELS

Based on her PhD dissertation, a book by a legal scholar surveys competition legislation across South Asia and provides insights
Published 16 Jun, 2024 07:04am
FICTION: A WORTHY SUCCESSOR TO CHRISTIE

FICTION: A WORTHY SUCCESSOR TO CHRISTIE

Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot detective series is being continued by a new author, who seems to have risen handsomely to the
Published 09 Jun, 2024 09:23am
FICTION: STUCK IN A MOMENT

FICTION: STUCK IN A MOMENT

The author of Pearls and Shards, Iftikhar Malik, is an eminent academic. Now Professor Emeritus at Bath Spa University, he taught
Published 09 Jun, 2024 09:05am
NON-FICTION: MOVING PICTURES

NON-FICTION: MOVING PICTURES

Brig (retd) A. R. Siddiqi’s recollections about city life in Delhi and the advent of cinema culture before Partition transport the
Updated 10 Jun, 2024 12:37pm
COLUMN: MEMORIES ARE FOREVER

COLUMN: MEMORIES ARE FOREVER

What an actor, director, broadcaster and conversationalist Talat Hussain was, truly iconic in so many ways. Just the right pauses
Published 09 Jun, 2024 08:57am
FICTION: OTHERED LOVE

FICTION: OTHERED LOVE

A fresh translation of an Urdu novel by the late Altaf Fatima is lucid enough to be read on its own merits
Published 02 Jun, 2024 08:09am
POETRY: SOUNDS OF SILENCE

POETRY: SOUNDS OF SILENCE

Baidar Bakht’s excellent English translations of selected Urdu poems by Parvin Shere will help bring her the recognition she meri
Published 02 Jun, 2024 08:09am
NON-FICTION: THE QUEST FOR ORDER

NON-FICTION: THE QUEST FOR ORDER

A relatively slim but erudite and insightful book provides a guided tour, traversing nature, science, economics and politics, into
Published 02 Jun, 2024 08:09am
NON-FICTION: The crisis of everything

NON-FICTION: The crisis of everything

A collection of essays by experts analyses the multiple, simultaneous crises facing Pakistan in the political, economic,
Published 19 May, 2024 07:38am
FICTION: The invisible writer

FICTION: The invisible writer

A rare and long-awaited collection of fiction from a distinguished man of letters leaves the reader thirsting for more
Published 19 May, 2024 07:38am
COLUMN: ART AND SUFFERING

COLUMN: ART AND SUFFERING

I wish to begin this piece with the lines that Hasan Zaidi quoted to end his essay on Paul Auster in Books and...
Published 19 May, 2024 07:38am
BOOKS IN BRIEF

BOOKS IN BRIEF

he book addresses underdeveloped countries of the world. The author feels that the world at the moment
Published 19 May, 2024 07:38am
PAUL AUSTER AND I

PAUL AUSTER AND I

I first ran into Paul Auster completely by chance at Liberty Books in Karachi’s Clifton area in 2003. This was...
Published 12 May, 2024 10:04am
NON-FICTION: GENDER IN URDU LITERATURE

NON-FICTION: GENDER IN URDU LITERATURE

An academic book providing a comparative look at pre- and post-Partition era writing in Urdu literature is an extremely useful...
Published 12 May, 2024 10:01am
COLUMN: THE ‘ISLAND OF THE LITERATI’

COLUMN: THE ‘ISLAND OF THE LITERATI’

“This tale is steeped in the colours of the East and its connection to the conventions of Urdu literature is so deep,” writes...
Published 12 May, 2024 09:56am
BOOKS IN BRIEF

BOOKS IN BRIEF

The book is a poetic intellectual exploration of Shaikh Ayaz’s selected verses that have been translated from Sindhi into English
Published 12 May, 2024 09:50am
NON-FICTION: FOR THE LOVE OF THE GHAZAL

NON-FICTION: FOR THE LOVE OF THE GHAZAL

Shadab Zeest Hashmi’s Ghazal Cosmopolitan is, in her own words, “part love letter to Urdu… and part manual for the craft of ghazal
Published 05 May, 2024 08:13am
NON-FICTION: WRITING TO THE PROFESSOR

NON-FICTION: WRITING TO THE PROFESSOR

A compilation of Urdu letters written by Japanese academics and students to a Pakistani Urdu scholar is an enriching read for...
Published 05 May, 2024 08:05am
NON-FICTION: BEYOND HAPPY DAYS

NON-FICTION: BEYOND HAPPY DAYS

Actor, producer, director, author and voice-over artist Henry Winkler’s memoir is most poignant when he deals with the curse of
Published 05 May, 2024 07:46am
COLUMN: THINGS FALL APART

COLUMN: THINGS FALL APART

The Bangladeshi-American author Rumaan Alam wrote Leave the World Behind just before the Covid-19 pandemic. The novel was...
Published 05 May, 2024 07:42am
NON-FICTION: REHMAN SAHIB OF HASANPUR

NON-FICTION: REHMAN SAHIB OF HASANPUR

I.A. Rehman’s posthumously published memoirs narrate his early life and the making of one of the greatest human rights activists
Updated 09 May, 2024 03:37pm
FICTION: BOOKS AND SPIES

FICTION: BOOKS AND SPIES

A gripping historical drama centring around a young girl and a London bookshop involved in a Cold War espionage network offers a
Published 28 Apr, 2024 10:29am
POETRY: GLIMMERS OF BEAUTY

POETRY: GLIMMERS OF BEAUTY

A recent collection of poetry and poetic prose presents one with a different interpretive angle and nuance of feeling on each...
Published 28 Apr, 2024 10:04am
THE LIFE OF HEDD WYN

THE LIFE OF HEDD WYN

The names Passchendaele, the Somme and Mametz Wood stand as grim sentinels, forever bound to the unimaginable ...
Published 28 Apr, 2024 09:59am
BOOKS IN BRIEF

BOOKS IN BRIEF

The author of the book is a petroleum engineer by profession, who has worked in Pakistan and the Middle East for more than 36
Published 28 Apr, 2024 09:50am
NON-FICTION: THE POETICS OF DIVINE LOVE

NON-FICTION: THE POETICS OF DIVINE LOVE

Syed Nomanul Haq’s Urdu translation of Mansur al-Hallaj’s Kitab al-Tawasin captures the beauty and elegance of the original...
Published 21 Apr, 2024 10:58am
FICTION: SUBVERTING EXPECTATIONS

FICTION: SUBVERTING EXPECTATIONS

A French journalist pens a novel about Pakistan which, surprisingly for a Western writer, presents a sympathetic view of the...
Published 21 Apr, 2024 10:51am
NON-FICTION: TOWARDS A BLUE ECONOMY

NON-FICTION: TOWARDS A BLUE ECONOMY

A book by a retired Pakistani admiral presents a holistic study of the multifarious challenges of maritime security and offers...
Published 21 Apr, 2024 10:46am
COLUMN: THE ART OF STORYTELLING-I

COLUMN: THE ART OF STORYTELLING-I

In 2015, it was my honour to be invited by the education advocacy campaign Alif Ailaan to teach storytelling to...
Published 21 Apr, 2024 10:39am
NON-FICTION: CLOAKS AND DAGGERS

NON-FICTION: CLOAKS AND DAGGERS

A recent book goes behind the scenes to explain the strange case of a Soviet spy’s arrest in the US and trial in 1957, and his...
Published 14 Apr, 2024 07:35am
COLUMN: RESCUING AKHTAR SHIRANI

COLUMN: RESCUING AKHTAR SHIRANI

“Truth is, without an unconditional acknowledgement of the poetic virtues of Akhtar Shirani, an honest history of Urdu literature
Published 14 Apr, 2024 07:29am
FICTION: WOMEN ON THE VERGE

FICTION: WOMEN ON THE VERGE

An anthology of selected submissions from the first five years of the Zeenat Haroon Rashid Writing Prize for Women indicates that
Published 07 Apr, 2024 08:27am
FICTION: ROOTS AND BRANCHES

FICTION: ROOTS AND BRANCHES

A collection of interconnected stories transports one to a fictional place in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa that bears witness to a changing
Published 07 Apr, 2024 08:22am
NON-FICTION: A WOMAN WITH GUTS

NON-FICTION: A WOMAN WITH GUTS

The autobiography of a pioneering female hospital administrator is an inspirational tale that can help break gender stereotypes
Published 07 Apr, 2024 07:55am
COLUMN: THE MIRROR AND THE MANTLE

COLUMN: THE MIRROR AND THE MANTLE

The British actor, director, playwright and critic Harley Granville-Barker (1877-1946) writes in one of his famous prefaces to...
Published 07 Apr, 2024 07:50am
NON-FICTION: THE ADVENTUROUS ARCHITECT

NON-FICTION: THE ADVENTUROUS ARCHITECT

Architect Mukhar Husain’s autobiography is more than just a recounting of his personal journey. It is the story of a whole...
Published 31 Mar, 2024 09:22am
FICTION: ORDINARY LIVES

FICTION: ORDINARY LIVES

A collection of Urdu short stories lifts the curtain and reveals for us the lives of ordinary people in India, especially its...
Published 31 Mar, 2024 09:08am
COLUMN: LITERARY & SPOKEN LANGUAGE

COLUMN: LITERARY & SPOKEN LANGUAGE

On a recent visit to Iran, I was shocked at how little I could understand of spoken Persian. I could read and...
Published 31 Mar, 2024 08:52am
NON-FICTION: HOW TO READ THE CITY?

NON-FICTION: HOW TO READ THE CITY?

Ahmed Saeed’s posthumously published two volumes build on the classical works on Lahore to write a richly painted cultural...
Published 24 Mar, 2024 08:32am
CHASING UTOPIA

CHASING UTOPIA

A monograph from an academic hopes to have Pakistan rethink the very ethos of its economy and politics but, while well-intentioned
Published 24 Mar, 2024 08:18am
NON-FICTION: A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE

NON-FICTION: A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE

Despite numerous shortcomings in terms of language, a meticulously researched book paints a comprehensive picture of the violence
Published 17 Mar, 2024 08:25am
NON-FICTION: CHINA IN ITS EARLY YEARS

NON-FICTION: CHINA IN ITS EARLY YEARS

A reprint of journalist Ibrahim Jalees’ Urdu travelogue from a trip to China in 1951 offers a fascinating look into Chinese vision
Published 17 Mar, 2024 08:20am
NON-FICTION: FULL HONESTY

NON-FICTION: FULL HONESTY

Full House star John Stamos’s memoir candidly lays bare the ups and downs of his career and his life
Published 17 Mar, 2024 08:03am
COLUMN: FATHERHOOD BEYOND LANGUAGES

COLUMN: FATHERHOOD BEYOND LANGUAGES

In early 2007 in London, there was a sombre evening when Prof Amin Mughal and I met, a few months after my father’s passing in...
Published 17 Mar, 2024 07:56am
NON-FICTION: THE TIMES OF THE BALOCH

NON-FICTION: THE TIMES OF THE BALOCH

An abridged English translation of eight volumes on the history of the Baloch and their land provides exhaustive information
Published 10 Mar, 2024 07:25am
POETRY: HONEST EXCAVATIONS

POETRY: HONEST EXCAVATIONS

Peerzada Salman’s latest collection of poems are often about love and its emotional tribulations and range in tone from dark
Published 10 Mar, 2024 07:25am
NON-FICTION: JOURNEYS OF THE SELF

NON-FICTION: JOURNEYS OF THE SELF

A collection of offbeat Urdu essays on ordinary and not-so-ordinary travel destinations transforms into poetic reflections
Published 10 Mar, 2024 07:25am
NON-FICTION: HOW WE GOT HERE

NON-FICTION: HOW WE GOT HERE

A comparable development story of Pakistan, India and Bangladesh and sectoral data and analysis can be very useful for those who
Published 03 Mar, 2024 08:45am
FICTION: Exile and identity

FICTION: Exile and identity

Pulitzer Prize-winning Hisham Matar’s latest offering is more than just a novel — it is a fine blend of historical fiction,
Published 03 Mar, 2024 08:43am
NON-FICTION: THE WORLD OF ADA

NON-FICTION: THE WORLD OF ADA

Urdu poetess Ada Jafarey’s son posthumously translates his mother’s autobiography into English along with some of her work
Published 03 Mar, 2024 08:42am
FESTIVAL: POLITICS AND LITERATURE

FESTIVAL: POLITICS AND LITERATURE

The 15th Karachi Literature Festival encouraged many thought-provoking sessions on myriad subjects but was often overshadowed by
Published 25 Feb, 2024 09:36am
COLUMN: CONNECTING ACROSS BORDERS

COLUMN: CONNECTING ACROSS BORDERS

Since October 2023, the Israeli bombing in Gaza continues unabated. At the time of writing this piece, the official death toll of
Published 25 Feb, 2024 08:24am
NON-FICTION: HOW WE BECAME POWERLESS

NON-FICTION: HOW WE BECAME POWERLESS

The posthumous publication of a book by a well-respected financial journalist takes stock of Pakistan’s energy politics...
Published 18 Feb, 2024 08:50am
FICTION: A PERSONAL CATHARSIS

FICTION: A PERSONAL CATHARSIS

An English translation of an autobiographical French novel by a Chilean immigrant to Canada grapples with coming of age in exile
Published 18 Feb, 2024 08:44am
NON-FICTION: JOSH’S SWANSONG

NON-FICTION: JOSH’S SWANSONG

Josh Maleehabadi’s last poetic collection has been published 41 years after the poet’s death and contains verses not part of Josh
Published 18 Feb, 2024 08:38am
FICTION: AUTHENTICITY IN TRANSLATION

FICTION: AUTHENTICITY IN TRANSLATION

An Urdu version of Omar Shahid Hamid’s first novel The Prisoner is a model exhibit of how a good translation can delight on its...
Published 11 Feb, 2024 09:31am
COLUMN: ON “UNREAD LEAVES”

COLUMN: ON “UNREAD LEAVES”

It is often forgotten that, in a social setting, we generally live under the tall shadows of constructed realities. But to say...
Published 11 Feb, 2024 09:22am
FICTION: SECRETS AND LIES

FICTION: SECRETS AND LIES

An absorbing new Pakistani novel spans timelines from 1964 to 2019 and follows the lives of four friends, painting remarkably...
Updated 04 Feb, 2024 06:38pm
NON-FICTION: A CHANGING PUNJAB

NON-FICTION: A CHANGING PUNJAB

A recent book analyses how a changing socio-spatial landscape is affecting the nature of political relations in Punjab
Published 04 Feb, 2024 09:22am
COLUMN: TRUTH TO POWER

COLUMN: TRUTH TO POWER

Muhammad Ziauddin was an exceptionally fine man, a courageous journalist and a watchful editor. We had known each other for many
Published 04 Feb, 2024 09:18am
FICTION: BLEEDING AND RESISTING

FICTION: BLEEDING AND RESISTING

A re-release of the English translation of a 1974 Palestinian novel is a stark reminder of the brutality of the Israeli occupation
Published 28 Jan, 2024 09:35am
NON-FICTION: LOST AND FOUND

NON-FICTION: LOST AND FOUND

A forensic search and rescue expert takes readers through his day-to-day work experiences and his life
Published 28 Jan, 2024 09:28am
NON-FICTION: THE RISE OF CHINA

NON-FICTION: THE RISE OF CHINA

A recent book by a Pakistani author delves into China’s culture and history to try and explain its economic model, along with the
Published 28 Jan, 2024 09:22am
COLUMN: THE POETRY OF LOVE

COLUMN: THE POETRY OF LOVE

This past year I designed an undergraduate course that I called ‘The Poetry of Love’. One of the challenges of the course was how
Published 28 Jan, 2024 09:15am
A FORGOTTEN GEM

A FORGOTTEN GEM

A long-lost Urdu novel about the Lahore of the 1950s by one of Pakistan’s top filmmakers has been rediscovered and republished
Published 21 Jan, 2024 09:38am
NON-FICTION: HITTING THE RIGHT NOTES

NON-FICTION: HITTING THE RIGHT NOTES

A relatively slim volume belies the enormous value it contains in terms of documentation about the musical heritage of Pakistan...
Published 21 Jan, 2024 09:32am
COLUMN: THE SCHOLAR REBEL

COLUMN: THE SCHOLAR REBEL

It is difficult to reckon the breadth of scholarship once commonplace in the knowledge centres of pre-colonial India.
Published 21 Jan, 2024 09:21am
NON-FICTION: THE FORGOTTEN DYNASTY

NON-FICTION: THE FORGOTTEN DYNASTY

A book makes a formidable effort to collect information and trace sources on the history of the Hindu Sahi dynasty that ruled a...
Published 14 Jan, 2024 09:04am
NON-FICTION: AN ODE TO A LOST CITY

NON-FICTION: AN ODE TO A LOST CITY

A new book gathers in one place important and interesting information on Karachi’s first planned neighbourhoods — Nazimabad...
Published 14 Jan, 2024 08:59am
NON-FICTION: GROWING UP IN FEAR

NON-FICTION: GROWING UP IN FEAR

A coming-of-age memoir about religious intolerance, discrimination and violence in India echoes patterns of persecution in...
Published 14 Jan, 2024 08:50am
NON-FICTION: UNDOING ELITE CAPTURE

NON-FICTION: UNDOING ELITE CAPTURE

A stimulating book takes on the fallacies and flawed philosophies propounded by Pakistan’s elite in order to retain power over
Published 07 Jan, 2024 07:14am
FICTION: THE GIFTED DAUGHTER

FICTION: THE GIFTED DAUGHTER

An Urdu translation of an English novel about a tempestuous love affair between Shams Tabraiz and Rumi’s adopted daughter
Published 07 Jan, 2024 07:14am
COLUMN: MASTERS OF COLD CLIMES

COLUMN: MASTERS OF COLD CLIMES

I am homesick, I wrote to a friend in Kashmir who hasn’t left his native town in about a year, and is now ...
Published 07 Jan, 2024 07:14am