A twist in the tale
My Interview conducted by Abdullah Khan for Earthen Lamp Journal: ELJ: Tell us something about your journey from being a civil servant to a…
Recollections of Annemarie Schimmel
Rehana Hyder writing for the Friday Times My first recollection of Annemarie Schimmel was as a teenager in Delhi in 1969, in the year…
Urdu Literature
Aligarians – Urdu Poetry Aligarians – Urdu Poetry Bayaaz Best Ghazals Best Ghazals Dabistan-e-Urdu Famous Urdu poets online Ghalib Iqbal Iqbal Medieval and Early…
How young writers get their reading skills back By Ali Akbar Natiq
Ali Akbar Natiq explains how young writers can get back their reading skills. Natiq argues that there are two to three things that can…
10th Tehzeeb Festival celebrates rare talent, revives classical music in Pakistan
Classical music has been deeply bound to religion, mystical traditions, royalty and it’s core culture in the Subcontinent. India has carried forward this legacy…
Writing from the Heart
What a Lovely Review on my book “Delhi by Heart” published in South Asia Magazine! By Tariq Bashir Delhi by Heart is a passionate…
Books, bombs & mangroves (on the fourth Karachi Literature Festival)
In its fourth year, the Karachi literature festival (KLF) has become a public event that brings together the cosmopolitanism and the fissiparous identities of…
Karachi Literature Festival: The great divide
The third Karachi Literature Festival concluded recently. I am posting a short piece of mine which was published by the News on Sunday. Another…
Wandering between two worlds – Karachi Literary festival
Ghazi Salahuddin’s write up for the NEWS makes interesting points about the festival and also mentions me as one lost between the English and…
Karachi Literature Festival: Too many divides to bridge
By Ali Syed KARACHI: ‘Bridging divides’, as the name suggests, was about a certain disparity within the Pakistani society, perhaps religion vs secularism, moderation…
Literature Festival ends with homage to Faiz
By Peerzada Salman KARACHI: A befitting and heartfelt tribute to Faiz Ahmed Faiz ended the 2nd Karachi Literature Festival at a local hotel on…
Karachi Literature Festival 2011 Programme
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE All set for the 2nd Karachi Literature Festival Karachi (31 January 2011): The 2nd Karachi Literature Festival is all set to…
Karachi Literary Festival: Spring in the land of suicide bombers and charlatans
Who says Pakistani literature was a relic of the past? If anything, Pakistani authors have a global audience today, and our writers are now…
Saadat Hasan Manto – part II
After partition of India Saadat Hassan Manto arrived in Lahore sometime in early 1948. In Bombay his friends had tried to stop him from…
Jaipur, Faiz and Ali Sethi
Ali Sethi recently attended the Jaipur literary festival and his extraordinary performance is now accessible to those who were not there. I should thank…
Postcard from Agra
Published in The Friday Times As Indian TV channels broadcast stories on Pakistan’s domestic infighting, and rumours of a new coup d’ etat, my…
Lahore – that was
Intizar Hussain, the eminent writer of Urdu, recently mused on the Lahore of yesteryears and the literary and intellectual atmosphere. I am posting a…
Shaming Literature – ‘Sir’ Salman Rushdie
The current controversy on Rushdie’s knighthood has several dimensions. Amid the knee-jerk reactions alluding to the grand-conspiracy-against-Islam, it brings out various layers and levels…
The second floor – a promising space
This sounds like an exciting initiative. A newly established space – The Second Floor – holds much promise. This is what the website has…
Body Loom – by Pakistan’s notable poet
Body Loom by M. Athar Tahir Published in the Daily Dawn (reviewer- Muneeza Shamsie) There have been so few notable English language poetry collections…