These two volumes are a treasure trove for lovers of Urdu literature, especially short stories. Dr Khalid Ashraf has carefully selected this collection of over a hundred precious nuggets of Urdu short stories, from the 1930s to the present age, to give a flavour of the currents in the socio-political climate of the region. What makes the two volumes even more valuable is the preface, published in the first volume of the collection. For students of Urdu literature, the narrative and analysis of the short stories and commentary on the writers in the preface will have a special significance.

The preface is a meticulously narrated history of the emergence of the genre of the Urdu short story and its writers. Dr Ashraf holds that short stories are very well suited to portray the complexities of the modern life. The beginnings of this genre, he says, can be traced to Rashid-ul-Khairi, Sultan Haidar Josh, Prem Chander, Sajjad Haider Yaldarum, Niaz Fatehpuri, Qazi Abdul Ghaffar and Mohammad Ali Rudaulvi.

The editor differentiates between the prose writings of Rashid-ul Khairi and Sir Syed and the art of writing fiction and short stories. He considers Prem Chander as the best short story writer of yester years.

He outlines the Progressive Writers Movement which included greats such as Krishan Chander, Sadat Hasan Manto, Ismat Chughtai, Khawaja Ahmed Abbas, Ahmed Nadeem Qasmi, Hajra Masroor, Khadija Mastoor, Hamid Akhtar, and many others. The PWA writers, as he notes, used themes of oppression and exploitation of poverty-struck labourers and vulnerable women. They also uncovered the hypocritical sugarcoating of norms and customs which lie under sexual and social interactions at different levels of relationships.

Dr Ashraf has also selected from the less well-known works of prominent writers and from writers among the younger generation who have written some brilliant pieces. Such gems include Tashne-Fariyad by Zamiruddin Ahmed, Zaitoon ki Ek Shakh by Zaheda Hina, Koel aur General by Saeeda Gazdar, Khat-e-Mermooz by Fehmida Riaz, and Deemak by Asif Farrukhi.

The short stories selected in these two volumes include significant storywriters from both sides of the border.

Another valuable contribution of these volumes is that they give details of the publications from which the short stories have been taken, providing a wonderful record of resources, very useful for lovers of Urdu literature.

In short, Barresagheer Mein Urdu Afsanaa, is a very welcome addition to the Urdu literary scene of the South Asia.

– Zakia Sarwar