Intizar Hussain
Native name
انتظار حسین
Born21 December 1925,
Dibai, Bulandshahr district, British India
Died2 February 2016(2016-02-02) (aged 90)
Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan
OccupationWriter, novelist
LanguageUrdu
NationalityPakistani
Alma materMeerut College
Years active1940s – 2016
Notable awardsSitara-i-Imtiaz
Pride of Performance Award by the President of Pakistan in 1986
Adamjee Literary Award
Kamal-i-Fun (Lifetime Achievement) award
Sahitya Akademi Fellowship (National Academy of Letters) of India awarded in 2007
Anjuman Farogh-i-Adab Doha's award[1]

Intizar Hussain or Intezar Hussain (Urdu: انتظار حسین; 21 December 1925 – 2 February 2016) was a Pakistani writer of Urdu novels, short stories, poetry and nonfiction. He is widely recognised as a leading literary figure of Pakistan.[2][3][4][5]

He was among the finalists of the Man Booker Prize in 2013.[6]

Early life

Intizar Hussain was born on 21 December 1925 in Bulandshahr district, Uttar Pradesh, British India.[5] He received a degree in Urdu literature in Meerut.[7] As someone born in the Indian subcontinent who later migrated to Pakistan during 1947 Partition, a perennial theme in Hussain's works deals with the nostalgia linked with his life in pre-partition era.[8] Intizar Husain was often described as possibly the greatest living Urdu writer.[9]

He lived in the old Anarkali Bazaar of Lahore, where he associated and socialized with the likes of Nasir Kazmi, Muhammad Hasan Askari and together they frequented Lahore's teahouses – Pak Tea House, Nagina Bakery, Coffee House, Lords and Arab Hotel.[5]

Lahore's literary scene was divided between two groups, Anjuman-e-Tarraqi-Pasand-Mussanafeen (Progressive Writers Movement) (a leftwing group) and the rightwing Halqa-e Arbab-e Zauq in the 1950s. Intizar Hussain decided not to be closely associated with either group and managed to stay neutral and focus on his writing career.[5]

Literary work

He wrote short stories, novels and poetry in Urdu, and also literary columns for newspapers such as Dawn and Daily Express.[2][3][4] The Seventh Door, Leaves and Basti are among his books that have been translated into English.

Among the five novels he wrote – Chaand Gahan (1952), Din Aur Daastaan (1959), Basti (1980), Tazkira (1987), Aage Samandar Hai (1995) – Basti received global praise.[2]

His other writings include Hindustan Se Aakhri Khat, Aagay Sumandar Hai,[2] Shehr-e-Afsos, Jataka Tales, Janam Kahanian and Wo Jo Kho Gaye. Aagay Sumandar Hai (Sea is facing you in the front) contrasts the spiraling urban violence of contemporary Karachi with a vision of the lost Islamic realm of al-Andalus in modern Spain.[2][10][4][11]

His novel Basti is based on Pakistani history.[3]

Among his books, "Basti" and "Khali Pinjra" have been translated into Persian by Samira Gilani.

Death

On 2 February 2016, he died at National Hospital, Defence Housing Authority at Lahore after contracting pneumonia.[10][7][5] The Indian Express newspaper termed him the "best-known Pakistani writer in the world" after Manto.[12]

His wife, Aliya Begum, had died in 2004 and they had no children.[13]

Influences

Hussain believed that two forces had risen in contemporary Pakistan: women and the mullahs. He also acknowledged his study and the influence of Buddhist texts and the Mahabharata.[14]

Legacy

In 2016, Pakistan Academy of Letters (PAL) announced the ‘Intizar Hussain Award’ which would be given to a literary figure every year.[15]

Awards and international recognition

Bibliography

  • A Chronicle of the Peacocks: Stories of Partition, Exile and Lost Memories[20]
  • The Death of Sheherzad[21]
  • Basti (1979) (Town)[7][22][2][5]
  • Aagay Samandar Hai (Beyond is the Sea) (1995)[5]
  • Chiraghon Ka Dhuvan (Lamp Smoke) (memoir) (1999)[2][5]
  • Chaand Gahan (2002)[23][2]
  • Ajmal-I Azam (2003)[24]
  • Surakh Tamgha (2007)[25]
  • Qissa Kahanian (2011)[26]
  • Justujoo Kya Hai (autobiography) (2012)[2]
  • Apni Danist Mein (2014)[27]

References

  1. ↑ "I'm a man only of fiction" Intizar Hussain Dawn newspaper, Published 23 April 2009, Retrieved 18 November 2023
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Rumi, Raza (4 February 2016). "In memoriam: Writers like Intizar Husain never die, they live on in their words and ideas". Dawn newspaper. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 "Legendary writer Intizar Hussain passes away". Dawn newspaper. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
  4. 1 2 3 "Intizar Hussain, leading Urdu writer, dies aged 92". The Guardian newspaper. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Ahmed, Khaled (6 October 2014). "Silent Type". Newsweek Pakistan. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
  6. ↑ "The ageless Intizar Hussain". Man Booker Prize. Archived from the original on 8 May 2019. Retrieved 8 May 2019.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 "Intizar Hussain: Mourning an Urdu literary icon". BBC News. 3 February 2016. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
  8. ↑ Memon, Muhammad Umar (29 April 2021). "Partition Literature: A Study of Intizar Husain". Modern Asian Studies. 14 (3): 377–410. doi:10.1017/S0026749X00006879. JSTOR 312138 – via JSTOR.
  9. ↑ Raghavan, T. C. A. (20 May 2016). "Narrating the life of muhajirs in today's Pakistan". Herald Magazine (Dawn Media Group) website. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
  10. 1 2 Intizar Hussain, Pakistan's 'greatest fiction writer', dies at 92 The Telegraph newspaper, Published 2 February 2016. Retrieved 18 November 2023
  11. ↑ Raj, Ali (2 February 2016). "Intizar Hussain – the seller of dreams". The Daily Tribune. Retrieved 3 February 2016.
  12. ↑ Ahmed, Khaled (31 October 2014). "An escape from ideology". The Indian Express. Retrieved 3 February 2016.
  13. ↑ Pakistan's 'Greatest Fiction Writer' Dies at 92 Newsweek Pakistan website, Published 3 February 2016, Retrieved 18 November 2023
  14. ↑ Imtiaz, Huma (13 February 2011). "FESTIVAL: The best of Urdu & other Pakistani languages". Dawn newspaper. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
  15. ↑ "'Intizar Hussain Award' announced". Dawn newspaper. 10 February 2016. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
  16. ↑ "List of Awardees". Pakistan Academy of Letters, Government of Pakistan website. Archived from the original on 31 August 2014. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  17. 1 2 Sahitya Akademi Fellowship awarded to Intizar Hussain in 2007 (scroll down to Premchand Fellowship) Sahitya Akademi (National Academy of Letters), Government of India website, Retrieved 18 November 2023
  18. ↑ "Pakistani novelist among finalists for Man Booker International Prize". The Express Tribune. 24 January 2013. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
  19. ↑ "Hommage de Fleur Pellerin, ministre de la Culture et de la Communication, à Intizar Hussain" (in French). Ministry of Culture. Retrieved 3 February 2016.
  20. ↑ A Chronicle of the Peacocks: Stories of Partition, Exile and Lost Memories. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0195671742. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
  21. ↑ The Death of Sheherzad. HarperCollins India. 15 July 2014. ISBN 978-9351362876.
  22. ↑ Basti. The New York Review of Books. 2012. ISBN 9781590175828. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
  23. ↑ Hussain, Intizar. Chaand Gahan. Sang-e-meel. ISBN 978-9693506174. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
  24. ↑ Hussain, Intizar (2003). Ajmal-I Azam. Sang-e-meel. ISBN 978-9693509915. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
  25. ↑ Hussain, Intizar. Surakh Tamgha. ISBN 978-9694265308.
  26. ↑ Hussain, Intizar (2013). Qissa Kahanian. ISBN 978-9695811788.
  27. ↑ Hussain, Intizar (2014). Apni Danist Mein. Sanjh Publications. ISBN 9789693527339. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
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