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LAHORE: Veteran short story writer, novelist, journalist and poet Intizar Husain passed away at a hospital in Lahore. The 92-year-old was undergoing treatment at a local hospital.
Hussain has several novels translated from Urdu into English including Naya Ghar and Basti. He was also a regular columnist for Dawn.
Hussain was born at Dibai in Bulandshahr district. His date of birth is mired in controversy and may be any of the following December 21, 1922, December 21, 1923 or December 21, 1925. He did his intermediate in 1942, BA in 1944 and MA (Urdu) in 1946 from the Meerut College.
He migrated to Lahore in 1947. Here he served various newspapers, retired from Mashriq daily in 1988 and began working as a freelance journalist and writer.
His books include Gali Koochay, Kankari, Din Aur Dastan, Shehr-i-afsos, Kachhuay, Khaimay Say Door, Khali Pinjra, Morenama and Sheharzad Kay Naam. Despite being read and loved by many, Hussain kept a low-key profile and rarely gave interviews.
Read more: I' m a man only of fiction: Intizar Hussain
In an interview with Dawn.com, he said that he was "a story writer not a reformer."
“I do not care if I'm not contributing to national development in the popular sense.Those writers who think they are reforming society, I wish them good luck in their efforts. I write stories and do not care what impact they will have on the readers," he had said.
He also said that "one shouldn't rewrite one's own works published long, long ago even if they have some flaws. Our writings are like our children. When they become mature, we have no right to modify them. I'm not in favour of translating one's own works."
Intizar Hussain was conferred upon the 'Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters' by the French Ambassador to Pakistan Philppe Thiebaud in September 2014. He was among the 10 finalists for the Man Booker International Prize for fiction in 2013.
Comments (16) Closed
Oh...such a great loss...Innalillah...He was a writer par excellence...!!!
Oh...such a great loss...Innalillah...He was a writer par excellence...!!!
An era came to end. RIP
A great traditionalist yet refreshing style writer whose writing will always feel us enlightened with a sense of simplicity and purity.
He should have been given the Nobel prize, highly regarded author in India.
Everyone who is born dies in the divine law but if someone like him dies then it really shocks and the shock tremors are felt even after decades. What a great loss not for the family alone but for Pakistan as well. I pray for the departed soul. Iqbal Hadi Zaidi / Kuwait / zaidi-former-diplomat@hotmail.com / Cell +965-66229897
We are losing old writers, artists and no replacement from younger generation.
What a loss to Urdu and what a loss to this country.
Rip sad afsos if it would be cricket news in such span of time we see great number of comments but for great intizar Hussain small number of comments its the index of our declining attitude
a great loss ,did great work.
A versatile writer, a literary giant; and a legend in the league of Manto, Ahmed Nadeem Qasmi, and Abdullah Hussain etc. May God bless his soul!
Intezar Hussain sahib was a pillar of Urdu literature whose short stories and novels showed glimpses of his life in the pre partition India.His literary work is very popular in India.He deserved a greater award than what he was given by the Pakistan Government.
His birthplace, Dibai, is a familiar town for me, which we pass every time going to Narora, for official work. Mr. Hussain was a respected name in India.
Even in the English language most of us wish that we could write half as well as him. Rest In Peace Sir, you were one of the greats...
What to say, how to say and why not to say? To my understanding quite a good number of my compatriots be male or female living in Pakistan or overseas like me are educated, if not highly educated, but regretfully so many hours have already passed since his death news was flashed by Dawn and now when the date is changed and it is already 0234 in Pakistan, very much shockingly just 11 persons including myself have commented on his death. No denying the hard fact he was an acclaimed literary figure which in itself demands and commands that our educated people should have condoled his death but who cares. Ironically if he had been a film actor then believe you me 1100 have commented and not just 11 to be honest. I am shocked to see that all those who have been his associates and friends must be more than 10 and hence it was obligatory on their part to pay tributes to the departed soul. Will someone stone me, I doubt? Iqbal Hadi Zaidi / Kuwait / zaidi4merdiplonat@hotmail.com /Cell 66229897
Never heard of this "legend". RIP