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For many people, Urdu is indelibly associated with a bygone era: the cultural renaissance of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries in the face of colonial oppression, heady mushairas and romantic poetry. For others, it brings to mind the gritty prose of the Progressive Writers portraying the grim social realities of the mid-twentieth century. In this luminous collection of Urdu poetry and prose, Ralph Russell expands our world of Urdu letters to include folk and oral narratives, besides prose and poetry. By situating each form historically, he gives us a refreshing perspective on the diverse literary cultures and histories of India. Besides canonical short stories by the likes of Manto and Premchand, there is Ismat Chughtai's a little-known autobiographical essay about her relationship with her brother, the writer Azim Beg Chughtai. There are creation tales from the Quran, popular stories of Akbar and Birbal, along with the legendary exploits of Sikandar (Alexander the Great). Selections from the sublime poetry of Mir, Ghalib and others are supplemented by astute commentary and roman transcriptions of the original Urdu. Farhatullah Beg's brilliantly imagined account of the 'last Delhi mushaira' captures a moment in time never seen again, with the horrors of 1857 just around the corner. An accessible introduction for unfamiliar readers, and a pleasurable companion for those familiar with Urdu literature, this volume is a treasure trove of stories, poetry and history. Originally published as Hidden in the Lute(1995), this revised edition has been edited by Russell's student and friendfor several years, the novelist Marion Molteno.
The two Muslim poets featured in Scott Kugle's comparative study lived separate lives during the eighteenth and early-nineteenth centuries in the Deccan region of southern India. Here, they meet in the realm of literary imagination, illuminating the complexity of gender, sexuality, and religious practice in South Asian Islamic culture. Shah Siraj Awrangabadi (1715-1763), known as "Sun," was a Sunni who, after a youthful homosexual love affair, gave up sexual relationships to follow a path of personal holiness. Mah Laqa Bai Chanda (1768-1820), known as "Moon," was a Shi'i and courtesan dancer who transferred her seduction of men to the pursuit of mystical love. Both were poets in the Urdu language of the ghazal, or love lyric, often fusing a spiritual quest with erotic imagery. Kugle argues that Sun and Moon expressed through their poetry exceptions to the general rules of heteronormativity and gender inequality common in their patriarchal societies. Their art provides a lens for a more subtle understanding of both the reach and the limitations of gender roles in Islamic and South Asian culture and underscores how the arts of poetry, music, and dance are integral to Islamic religious life. Integrated throughout are Kugle's translations of Urdu and Persian poetry previously unavailable in English.
Urdu was born, Russell writes, out of the need of Muslim invaders of India from the 10th century onwards to create a literature in which they could communicate with their Indian subjects. Slow to gather literary momentum, it is now one of the great literatures of the area. This collection, selected and translated by Russell, includes the work by Ghalib, Saadat Hasan Manto, Ismat Chugtai, Prem Chand, Krishan Chander and many others. There are sections on popular literature, love poetry, the novel, new and traditional names. Notes on writers and further reading are included, as well as extracts from the letters of Ghalib.
First published in 1932, this slim volume of short stories created a firestorm of public outrage for its bold attack on the hypocrisy of conservative Islam and British colonialism. Inspired by British modernists like Woolf and Joyce as well as the Indian independence movement, the four young trailblazers who penned this collection were eager to revolutionize Urdu literature. Instead, they invited the wrath of the establishment: the book was burned in protest and then banned by the British authorities. Nevertheless, Angaaray spawned a new generation of Urdu writers and gave birth to the Progressive Writers' Association, whose members included, among others, stalwarts like Chughtai, Manto, Premchand and Faiz. This edition also provides a compelling account of the furore surrounding this explosive collection.
This book, aptly titled ‘Tabiyat’ which translates to ‘health’, ‘nature’, ‘temperament’ or ‘disposition’, is a collection of nine masterly and thought-provoking essays which explore some important discoveries, dwelling on their relevance in our daily lives. Including essays on War and Medicine, Medical Ethics, Music and Medicine, Nursing and Death, the book encompasses various fields of human endeavour and aspects of life and living which influence and impact medicine.
First published in 1972, Ghalib presents aspects of Ghalib, the last great literary figured produced by Mughal India before the empire was swept away by the British after the Revolt of 1857, as he appears though the eyes of well-known British and other European scholars. The book gives a picture of Ghalib’s own personality as it emerges in passages from his own Persian and Urdu letters and prose writings. Percival Spear, who lived in Delhi for many years, describes the Delhi scene of Ghalib’s day. P. Hardy writes of his relations with the British, and finally, two essays, by A. Bausani and Ralph Russell respectively, give an account of his Persian and Urdu poetry. His book will be of interest to students of literature, poetry, South Asian studies and history.
Winner of the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association Award and the Washington State Book Award in Biography/Memoir Named One of the Best Books by Asian American Writers by Oprah Daily Longlisted for the PEN Open Book Award The Magical Language of Others is a powerful and aching love story in letters, from mother to daughter. After living in America for over a decade, Eun Ji Koh’s parents return to South Korea for work, leaving fifteen-year-old Eun Ji and her brother behind in California. Overnight, Eun Ji finds herself abandoned and adrift in a world made strange by her mother’s absence. Her mother writes letters in Korean over the years seeking forgiveness and love—letters Eun Ji cannot fully understand until she finds them years later hidden in a box. As Eun Ji translates the letters, she looks to history—her grandmother Jun’s years as a lovesick wife in Daejeon, the loss and destruction her grandmother Kumiko witnessed during the Jeju Island Massacre—and to poetry, as well as her own lived experience to answer questions inside all of us. Where do the stories of our mothers and grandmothers end and ours begin? How do we find words—in Korean, Japanese, English, or any language—to articulate the profound ways that distance can shape love? The Magical Language of Others weaves a profound tale of hard-won selfhood and our deep bonds to family, place, and language, introducing—in Eun Ji Koh—a singular, incandescent voice.
History of commercial publishing in nineteenth century North India.
Cultural History Of Medieval India Is A Part Of The Series, Readings In History. The Books In This Series Have Been Edited And Put Together By Eminent Historians For Their Students. This Anthology Of Readings Seeks To Explore Indian Culture In The Medieval Period Through Five Themes: Kingship Traditions, Social Processes Of Religious Devotion, Inter-Cultural Perception, Forms Of Identities, And Aesthetics. Written By Well-Known Scholars, The Eleven Essays In This Book Present Sub-Cultures In Diverse Regional Settings Of The Subcontinent. The Articles Suggest That Culture Does Not Exist As Fragments Of The Great And Little , Or Classic And Folk In Any Given Tradition. In Fact, Variants Within A Given Tradition Interact With One Another And Assimilate New Characteristics Over Time. These Interactions Also Take Place Across Boundaries Of Different Religious And Cultural Spheres, And In The Process, Give Meaning To The Notions Of The 'Self' And The 'Other'. In An Attempt To Define The 'Other' One Discovers The 'Self'. These Readings Introduce A New Way Of Understanding Medieval Indian History By Engaging With Interdisciplinary Methods Of Research On Issues That Are Significant To Everyday Existence In A Plural Society Like That Of India. This Book Will Be Of Great Value To Students Of History, As Well As To Other Readers Interested In The Culture Of The Medieval Period In India.