November 20, 2002 Wednesday Ramadan  14, 1423 A.H.

November 12, 2006

In brief

Muntakhab Aalami Afsaney
Translated by Qaisar Saleem
Media Graphics.
Available with Welcome Book Port,
Urdu Baazar, Karachi
510pp. Rs400

This is a collection of 43 short stories from 34 countries translated into Urdu by Qaisar Saleem who has an irresistible urge for writing. The author of nearly 20 books on a variety of themes, he travels in territories which have literary fragrance. He has written short stories, novels, travelogues and thought provoking articles, besides translating representative stories from world literature.

It would have been a horrendous task to glean through the fiction produced by famous as well as little known writers in different parts of the world. The selection itself would have been a tiring job. In such efforts, the responsibilities of the translator are increased manifold. The material is not easily available and much depends on the maturity of the translator and the skill that he might have developed in rendering literary pieces into a different language. Commenting on the book, Dr Jameel Jalibi has briefly pointed out how translations create new possibilities for the enrichment of literature. Not only do they introduce new ideas, they also sharpen the edges of the language in which the translation is made.

To think of browsing through literary pieces from all over the world is by itself a challenging task. But it is to the credit of the translator that he undertook this mission and completed the work. Besides the short stories from the neighbouring countries including India, Bangladesh, Tibet, Nepal and Afghanistan, the book covers tales from distant lands as far away as Israel, Scotland, Australia, the United States, Ireland, England, Poland, Japan, Germany, Spain, Italy, Ireland, Africa, Denmark, Russia, China, Zimbabwe, South Pacific, France, Philippines, Palestine, Congo, Kenya, Lebanon, Morrocco, Egypt, Nigeria and the West Indies.

It can be said without a shadow of doubt that the stories translated and included in the collection are specimens of the literary pieces of the land from which they originate. They have the aroma of the territories which had been their source of inspiration. The characters introduced in the stories have one thing in common — they reflect the tortured hopes and wounded aspirations of a generation that has snapped ties with the past. An uncertain future stares in the face of the present generation. "Diary", for example, is the title of a story written by a Palestinian writer, Mahmood Darvesh. It is an agonising tale of a people who have to suffer torture and humiliation every day at the hands of the Israeli security forces. Nothing is known. Nothing is defined. Their fate depends on the whims of arrogant soldiers. Greed and caprices have blinded nations who could have lived together as peaceful and caring neighbours.

"Messiah apne watan mein" (Messiah in fatherland) is an Israeli story that explains the torment of a man in search of his roots.

It must be admitted here that Qaisar Saleem, in the process of selecting stories for translation, has performed the role of a serious reader. Of course, his most important concern has been to present to present an authentic account of the reading material produced in different parts of the world.

Besides this, his acumen for translating stories written originally in foreign languages is praiseworthy. It appears that he has a talent for translation which is not very common. He uses simple language and conveys the message in an authentic manner. The book will be welcomed by readers of Urdu who cannot easily find access to the original short stories. — Akhtar Payami

September 24, 2003

Thursday, December 04, 2003 -- Shawwal 09, 1424 A.H.

Towards progress

Zarreen Inquilab

By Qaiser Saleem

Published by: Writers Book Foundation, Karachi

Price: Rs200 Pp: 202

Te book "Zarreen Inqilab" is intended for the new generation of Pakistan, with the hope that the unaccomplished task of transforming Pakistan into a modern and prosperous Islamic state might by accomplished by them. The author has prescribed some guidelines, which he thinks could help attain the desired objectives.

In the first chapter "Wahdat-e-Fikr," (One way of thinking) he has drawn the attention of the reader towards the current problems like acts of terrorism, hunger, unemployment, sectarianism, provincialism, linguistic hatreds, and the problems of water and electricity.

In addition to the internal problems, Pakistan is being blamed for any act of terrorism held anywhere in the world. Qaiser Saleem asserts that the propaganda against Muslims and Pakistan is being masterminded by the Jews, and the Muslims can get out of this Jewish sponsored trap if they think and act like one nation.

Qaiser Saleem discusses the role of political parties and criticises the tendencies for floor crossing for materialistic gains have earned the politicians a bad name.

The author advises the new generation to follow the path shown by Allah. Speaking about the holy Qura'an, the author says that as true Muslims we should firmly believe in the holy book and the one who tries to misinterpret it or casts any doubt about its authenticity or content is not a true Muslim. Writing about the holy prophet, he asserts that he was the last prophet of Allah and the Muslims should emulate his actions.

Speaking about Pakistan, the authors has advised the new generation that without going into a debate whether the establishment of Pakistan was justified or not they should try to make it stronger. They must discard all sorts of isms and think of the county as a whole.

Saleem Qaiser is of the opinion that Pakistan should be divided into many small units instead of four provinces.

Likewise the author has touched a number of problems pertaining to our democratic structure, economy, land distribution and agricultural, foreign policy etc. All these topics and problems have been scholarly dealt with by the author and in support of his convictions he has quoted injunctions from the Holy Qur'aan. Undoubtedly the book is an asset for our new generation. --SAH

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