Description
Join us in celebrating the literary genius of Saadat Hasan Manto, the legendary Urdu writer who deftly chronicled the human experience during tumultuous times.
As we delve into his poignant stories of partition and sexuality, we also bring to light author and activist Nasreen Rehman’s new three-volume translation of Manto’s works, which showcases his lesser-known masterpieces.
Manto’s unflinching gaze captured the raw essence of life amidst societal upheaval, as well as the complexities of human relationships and desires. His works often courted controversy for their frank depictions of life at the fringes of society and, in 1946, he was tried for obscenity for his short story, Bu (Odour), a story set in Bombay about a consensual sexual encounter between a young bourgeois man and a young woman labourer working in the local cheroot (biri) factory. Manto defended himself in court, arguing that his depiction was not intended to be titillating, but rather a reflection of the reality of the time. Manto was to be tried five times for obscenity, twice in colonial India and three time in Pakistan.
This event promises to be an enlightening exploration of Manto’s timeless storytelling, revealing the depths of his keen observations and the empathy that infused his prose. Immerse yourself in the world of Manto and experience the power of his words. Join Nasreen as she lifts the lid on an author whose work deserves to be celebrated.
About the Author
Nasreen Rehman
Nasreen Rehman is a lapsed economist who worked in the private and public sectors in the UK and Pakistan before she turned to the arts and humanities. A historian of emotions and aesthetics, Nasreen is a translator, an activist, an academic, and an award-winning screenplay writer who believes in the power of the arts to transform societies. Born in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, she divides her time between South Asia and the UK.
About the Speaker
Saeed Khan
Saeed Khan is Senior Lecturer in Near East & Asian Studies and Global Studies at Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan. He is also the co-founder of the Institute for Social Policy & Understanding, and a panelist on Turning Point for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
About the Chair
Rukhsana Ahmad
Rukhsana Ahmad has written and adapted several plays for the stage and the BBC. River on Fire was a finalist for the Susan Smith Blackburn International Award and Wide Sargasso Sea for the Writers’ Guild Award for Best Radio adaptation. Her plays include Song for a Sanctuary, Mistaken: Annie Besant in India, Homing Birds and Queen of Hearts. More recently, she has written scripts for podcasts: Trial by Fire and Last Thursday, and her fiction work includes The Hope Chest and The Gatekeeper’s Wife and other stories. Rukhsana compiled, edited and translated We Sinful Women – contemporary Urdu feminist poetry (The Women’s Press 1991), and The One Who Did Not Ask, a novel by Altaf Fatima, was first published by Heinemann UK in 1995. In 1991, she co-founded Kali Theatre Company. Rukhsana is also the founding chair of SADAA and was a Fellow of the Royal Literary Fund at Queen Mary, University of London thrice. She is a committed patron of the Ruth Hayman Trust.
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