Modern Urdu Short Stories from Pakistan

Book excerpt: This anthology brings together English translations of twenty-six Urdu short stories by mostly renowned Pakistani writers. All the stories were written between 1947 and the present time. Authors range from the celebrated Saadat Hasan Manto to Dr Shershah Syed and Mehmood Zafar. Not all of these stories are necessarily the most famous works of their authors, and most of them have not been translated into English before. However, their exquisite depiction of diverse experiences and social realities justifies calling them unforgettable gems of Urdu short story writing. Selected and translated by Amina Azfar, these stories will delight the general reader and will also be found useful by students and scholars studying South Asian literature, culture, and history.