Q: What are you currently reading?

A: I am reading short stories by Guy de Maupassant – a French writer and intellectual from the 19th century. He is famous for his short stories and considered the father of short stories. He wrote many short stories, six novels and travel books.

His short story The Necklace is considered a masterpiece. He captures the attention of the reader, so that he or she cannot leave the book without finishing it, and presented people’s emotions and psychology in his stories.

Q: Is there any book or author you read recently that you particularly enjoyed?

A: I recently read No Lakhi Kothi, written by Ali Akbar Natiq. The novel is based on the memories of an Englishman who was part of British bureaucracy and settled in Pakistan after 1947. In this book, the writer also narrates the story of the partition of India and Pakistan and talks about the style of bureaucracy during British Raj.

Mr Natiq presented the problems of the colonial law and justice system and narrated the story so skilfully that the reader understands the situation without any difficulty.

War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy is also a favourite. It is Tolstoy’s finest work. One can find [in it] the history of the era of the French invasion of Russia and tsarist society.

I also enjoyed books on ancient history of the world and civilisations. I also read some books on Mohenjo-daro. The people who were called untouchable in subcontinent are the old residents of the area and they were still not getting the status of respectable citizens in India and Pakistan. I am also planning to write on this subject.

Q: Are there any classics you couldn’t get through?

A: I have read most Urdu and English classics but, unfortunately, I could not go through Aag ka Darya, the most powerful and well known novel of Qurratulain Hyder. She is considered [one of the] best writers and she explained things deeply.

Q: Do you think there is a great Pakistani novel?

A: In my view Ali Akbar Natik is a great writer. I consider Udaas Naslain by Abdullah Hussain to be a great Pakistani novel. It is the story of two generations [that have] gone through the experience of the partition of the subcontinent and its impact on human life.

In poetry, Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Ahmed Faraz, Munir Niazi and Nasir Kazmi are the best. In the present days, Akhter Usman is the best poet and his writing style attracts people.

Q: What are you planning to read next?

A: Next I intend to read Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy as I failed to finish it. It is classical and considered realist fiction. I have got the book and [will] soon finish it.

Published in Dawn, October 11th, 2017