Source: Times of India
They arrived with their moody, melancholic prose offering remarkable insight into Pakistan. Their novels and short stories went far beyond what daily newspaper reports tell about the strife-torn country. Through characters trapped into making difficult choices, they not only explored what ails Pakistan and why sane individuals turn reluctant fundamentalists but also about its high society, the subtle manipulations of its feudal life.
Writers such as Mohsin Hamid (Moth Smoke, The Reluctant Fundamentalist), Mohammed Hanif (A Case of Exploding Mangoes, Our Lady of Alice Bhatti), Kamila Shamsie (Burnt Shadows), Daniyal Mueenuddin (Other Rooms, Other Wonders), Nadeem Aslam (Maps for Lost Lover) and H M Naqvi (Homeboy ) made the literary world sit up and take notice. But now a fresh crop of writers from the other side of the border is ready with their work. This year saw the release of Sheba Karim’s debut novel Skunk Girl, the story of a teenage Pakistani Muslim girl growing up in the US. Jabeen Akhtar’s Welcome to Americanistan hits the bookstores this month, while US-based medical student Haider Warraich’s debut novel Auras of the Jinn was released in August in India.
Categories: Educational Resources