Abbas Khan in Sabaq-e-Urdu
Sunday, 11 May 2025
Labels: Abbas Khan, Books, Fiction, Literature, Urdu
posted by S A J Shirazi @ Sunday, May 11, 2025,
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Judge the Nations by the Way They Look at Their Women
Thursday, 20 February 2025
Societies pride in different strengths: Some give importance to bravery, some to democracy, and some nations think that freedom of expression, development, and or education are the hallmarks of their long-term sustenance. “The nations should be judged on how they look at their women,” writes Abbas Khan, the author of the Urdu novel Mein Aur Umrao Jan Ada, his eleventh.
There is a famous saying that everything in fiction is true except dates. But in the novel written by Abbas Khan, even the dates are true because he has based his novel on the background of five very famous women in history: Helen of Troy, Cleopatra, Qura tul Ain Tahira (Iran), Mughal Princess Noor Jehan and Umrao Jan Ada.
Helen of Troy was the daughter of Zeus and Leda and the wife of Menelaus, considered to be the most beautiful woman in the world. Her abduction by Paris caused the Trojan War and made thousands of ships drown.
Helen of Troy was the daughter of Zeus and Leda and the wife of Menelaus, considered to be the most beautiful woman in the world. Her abduction by Paris caused the Trojan War and made thousands of ships drown.
Labels: Abbas Khan, Books
posted by S A J Shirazi @ Thursday, February 20, 2025,
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Din Mein Charagh
Wednesday, 12 February 2025
Books have been bringing changes in human relationships and making difference in the lives of people. The power of worlds has caused people to loose their existence or to better them. Abbas Khan spends lot of time in reading. He reads philosophy to understand how varying points of view about existence are presented and psychology to know how philosophers come up with those points of view, Greek mythology to learn about their strong love of nature and Roman history to explore what they gave to the world.For this he has explored annals of history, philosophies, biographies, autobiographies, and literature spread over centuries. He has mediated upon what he finds life building and has put them up in his eleventh book entitled Din Main Charagh for readers to benefit. His other published work includes three novels and seven short story books: Zakham Gawah Hain, Tu Aur Tu and Mein Aur Umrao Jan Ada (novels), Dharti Binam Akash, Tensikh-e-Insan, Qalam, Kursi Aur Wardi, U’s Adalat Men, Jism Ka Johar (short story books) and Reza Reza Keenat and Pal Pal (afsancha -- shortest story books).
Labels: Abbas Khan, Writers
posted by S A J Shirazi @ Wednesday, February 12, 2025,
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Celebrating Abbas Khan – a story writer
Tuesday, 7 January 2025
Abbas Khan is one of the moist celebrated story writers of our time. His other published work includes three novels and seven short story books (Zakham Gawah Hain, Tu Aur Tu and Mein Aur Umrao Jan Ada (novels), Dharti Binam Akash, Tensikh-e-Insan, Qalam, Kursi Aur Wardi, Us Adalat Men, Jism Ka Johar (short story books) and Reza Reza Keenat and Pal Pal (afsancha -- shortest story books) and a philosophical compilation Din Mein Charagh.
Though there are many in Pakistan, both in English and Urdu languages, with claims to be masters of the fiction writing, what makes Abbas Khan the standout by a distance is that his is no ordinary story writing. One only calls it such as a matter of convenience, or perhaps for wan of an expression capable of summing up his piece in one work. In effect, what Abbas Khan gives you is substance that goes far beyond a fiction piece, for he just doesn’t write about social issues and society. Each of his story is a free flowing specimen, with most knowledgeable description of dreams, wishes, culture, vision and yes, love woven into the story - and in language that is fluent and crisp, and also at places containing a fair dose of humor and sarcasm. The work that he presents turns most of his work into literary masterpieces.
Read more »Labels: Abbas Khan, Books, Fiction, Literature, Writers
posted by S A J Shirazi @ Tuesday, January 07, 2025,
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How nations look at their women?
Wednesday, 25 December 2024
Societies pride in different strengths: Some give importance to bravery, some to democracy, and some nations think that freedom of expressions, development and or education are the hallmarks for their long-term sustenance. “The nations should be judged on how they look at their women,” writes Abbas Khan, the author of Urdu novel Mein Aur Umrao Jan Ada, his eleventh, that I have had the chance to read.
There is a famous saying that every thing in fiction is true except dates. But in the novel written by Abbas Khan even dates are true because he has based his novel in the back ground of five very famous women in the history: Helen of Troy, Cleopatra, Quratul Ain Tahira (Iran), Mughal Princess Noor Jehan and Umrao Jan Ada.
Helen of Troy was the daughter of Zeus and Leda and wife of Menelaus, considered to be the most beautiful woman in the world. Her abduction by Paris caused the Trojan War and made thousand ships drown.
Cleopatra (actually Cleopatra VII) was the last of the Ptolemies, the Macedonian-descended pharaohs who ruled Egypt beginning in 304 B.C. Cleopatra has come down through history less for her administrative skills than for her beguiling ways, which she used in an attempt to keep Egypt free from Roman domination. Among those whom she charmed was Julius Caesar, with whom she had a son, Caesarion. After Caesar’s death, Cleopatra joined forces with Caesar’s colleague Marc Antony; they became lovers and political allies against Antony’s rival Octavian. Octavian’s forces finally defeated those of Antony and Cleopatra in the naval battle of Actium in 31 B.C. The two lovers fled to Alexandria and, faced with defeat by Octavian, committed suicide. Legend has it that Cleopatra died by the self-inflicted bite of a poisonous snake called an asp, though no firm evidence exists to support that claim.
Read more »Labels: Abbas Khan, Books
posted by S A J Shirazi @ Wednesday, December 25, 2024,
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Matters of hearts – Ram La’l’s love letters to Abbas Khan
Wednesday, 18 December 2024
Ram La’l is to Abbas Khan as Abbas Khan is to me. Only Ram La’l Abbas Khan equation is more visible in recently published book titled Sultnat-e-Dill Say – compilation of letters written by India Urdu writer Ram La’l to Pakistani writer Abbas Khan over a period (1987 -1995) of time. They are all love letters.
People still write letters in this age of fast communication when most have switched over to email, cellular phones and social media channels. In his letters, Ram La’l has documented the contemporary literary history. His letters to Abbas Khan not only show personal relationship, love and affection between the two but also document what was happening and how in different fields of Urdu literature – new books, short stories, translations, literary functions. Most of all, Ram la’l’s silent efforts to urge Abbas Kahn to write more and to write everywhere and to read, read and read everything published not only relating Urdu literature but also of diverse subjects that help understand human behavior.
I suggest everyone who has any love for the written words must read the book that is published by Caravan Books, Sadar Multan Cantt.
Labels: Abbas Khan, Ram La'l, Urdu
posted by S A J Shirazi @ Wednesday, December 18, 2024,
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Helen of Troy, Cleopatra, Qura tul Ain to Umrao Jan Ada
Friday, 6 December 2024
Societies pride in different strengths: Some give importance to bravery, some to democracy, and some nations think that freedom of expressions, development and or education are the hallmarks for their long-term sustenance. “The nations should be judged on how they look at their women,” writes Abbas Khan, the author of Urdu novel Mein Aur Umrao Jan Ada, his eleventh.
There is a famous saying that every thing in fiction is true except dates. But in the novel written by Abbas Khan even dates are true because he has based his novel in the back ground of five very famous women in the history: Helen of Troy, Cleopatra, Qura tul Ain Tahira (Iran), Mughal Princess Noor Jehan and Umrao Jan Ada.
Helen of Troy was the daughter of Zeus and Leda and wife of Menelaus, considered to be the most beautiful woman in the world. Her abduction by Paris caused the Trojan War and made thousand ships drown.
Read more »Labels: Abbas Khan, Books
posted by S A J Shirazi @ Friday, December 06, 2024,
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Let the truth be told
Thursday, 27 June 2024
Philosophy helps us to understand how varying points of view about eternal truths, if there are any, are presented and psychology to know how philosophers come up with those points of view. Widely contradicting philosophies, what one sees happening in life all around and annoying discussions with his friend Mansoor Qureshi put Abbas Khan on a path to discover what is truth? Famous name in Urdu fiction (short story) Abbas Khan has written 13 novels and short story books (Zakham Gawah Hain, Tu Aur Tu and Mein Aur Umrao Jan Ada (novels), Dharti Binam Akash, Tensikh-e-Insan, Qalam, Kursi Aur Wardi, U’s Adalat Men, Jism Ka Johar (short story books) and Reza Reza Keenat and Pal Pal (afsancha -- shortest story books) but this time he presenting his finding not in fiction but in hard truths.
Read more »Labels: Abbas Khan, Books
posted by S A J Shirazi @ Thursday, June 27, 2024,
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At war with myself
Tuesday, 23 April 2024
You seem to be doing odd thing all the time – sitting in sun and avoiding cold water during summers, sitting in shad and having chilled water in winters, keeping awake during nights, eating less and walking the streets despite having the facility of transport. Everyone else goes to gardens whereas you go for wilderness.
I am all right. Only I am at war with myself.
What for?
To conquer myself!
What will you achieve by this?
I will be able to get what I want done by myself – creation of a new world.
Translated from Sitaroon Ki Bastiyan by Abbas Khan
Labels: Abbas Khan, Books, Fiction, Literature, Sitaroon Ki Bastiyan
posted by S A J Shirazi @ Tuesday, April 23, 2024,
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Battle within
Sunday, 7 April 2024
There are no chances of this horrible battle coming to an end.
UN will sure manage to end this.
No, no. I am not talking of war that has been imposed upon us.
Which battle are you talking about?
The one waging within!
Labels: Abbas Khan, Sitaroon Ki Bastiyan
posted by S A J Shirazi @ Sunday, April 07, 2024,
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Tu Aur Tu
Friday, 9 February 2024
Satan comes to this world in the guise of a human and goes around places. Fellow human beings – the best of all creations - do not let him have piece anywhere in this world. Satan is so feed up of the deteriorating conditions in the world that he prays, "Oh God, I am unable to live anymore. Let me die”
This is the central idea of Abbas Khan’s new novel Tu Aur Tu. My recommendation: Buy this book. It is all about what we see in the society today.
Labels: Abbas Khan, Books
posted by S A J Shirazi @ Friday, February 09, 2024,
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