PESHAWAR: Speakers in a Pashto Academy event on Friday discussed literary movements and trends, and praised Pashto fiction writers for touching upon modernism and postmodernism in novels, novelettes and short stories.

The event was organised under the auspices of the University of Peshawar’s Pashto Academy at the newly-built Conference Library Hall here.

The speakers highlighted various aspects of literary trends, their significance and requirements in literary expressions.

They said young research scholars should try to dig out new ideas while utilising modern technology where the entire world had already shrunk into a global village and knowledge could be shared without any obstacle.

Pashto Academy director Prof Nasrullah Wazir chaired the event, where Prof Yar Mohammad Maghmoom, Prof Hanif Khalil and Prof Mohib Wazir were the guests of honour.

Poets, writers, intellectuals and research scholars attended the function.

Mr Wazir said Pashto Academy had always encouraged research students to come up with new ideas and creative proposals.

The keynote speaker, Anwar Orakzai, presented the brief of his thesis titled ‘modernism, postmodernism in Pashto fiction’ and highlighted its beginning, evolution and application.

He regretted a lack of research on Pashto literature.

“Pashto fiction is much more pregnant with modern and postmodernism terminologies and trends than other genres,” he said.

“This is a new topic that I wanted to introduce in Pashto literature so that our budding literati may know of its significance in the rapidly emerging literary world. We need to discover new literary trends and should carry out quality research along scientific lines,” he said.

Mr Orakzai said fiction writers Qalandar Momand, Zaitoon Bano, Ashraaf Hussain, Ameer Hamza Khan Shinwari, Syed Mehdi Shah Bacha and several others had touched upon modernism and postmodernism in their work.

He said he didn’t include drama in the field of ‘fiction’ as most critics both of Urdu and English had mentioned drama and fiction separately.

“I have enumerated around 250 terms related to modern and postmodernism, and many more might be there and it should be brought out for the rethinking of new trends according to the needs and requirements of literary expressions in literature. My thesis will definitely enrich Pashto literature once published in book form,” he said.

Prof Yar Mohammad Maghmoom Khattak on the occasion said the research doctorate thesis on ‘modern and postmodernism would pave way for the upcoming research students to understand literary currents and undercurrents.

“Research scholars like Anwar Orakzai would prove a precious asset for Pashto and other young research students should learn how to do substantive research worthy of being read,” he said.

The keynote speaker responded to the question of participants about the topic.

The other speakers included Prof Izharullah Izhar, Prof Danish Betani, Prof Ruhullah and Karan Khan.

Published in Dawn, August 29th, 2020