A Conversation With Abdullah Hussein (Part One)

Looking forward to part 2!!!

The jerk goes to interview the author of Udaas Naslien without reading Udaas Naslien! What an insult.

I wonder why Abdullah Hussein didnt kick his convent-educated-English-Medium arse across the british channel.

sincerely

ali1,

tum angrazi mein gaaalian kyoon deh rahay ho agar itna bara masla hai..namak haram, baigharat insaan..sharam nahin aati..nahhhhhhhiiiin.......maaaaann....oye you shaddup (thwack!)..mein yeh nahin honay doon ga...oye mundayaaaa...etc etc.

Thanks for this informative piece.

If anyone`s interested in buying this book, here you go:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/8172233582/qid=977896466/sr=1-2/104-5995572-5335947

NO I don`t work for Amazon. :)

ali1 #2,

jealous?

thanday paani say nahao...aur nahatay raho jab tak tabiyat theek nahi ho jati

Mr. Ansari

You have an uncanny ability to irk people. First you show your contempt for local (read Desi) literature and declare it readable only if it is Angelicised first, then you claim to be a court historian for Lahore.

Pehlwan HoraaN da koi deen eemaan we haiga eh kay naeeN?

I hope you`ve understood what I just said in the last sentence. And no, I am not gonna tell ya what language was that.

Mr. Abdullah Hussain

Good luck with your translation.

I have an idea for the title of your next novel:

Badhawas NaslaiN

just wondering, and it may come out in part 2...but why did the gentleman take 35 years or so to translate this. What kept him waiting?

No wonder the age of the great novel is long gone. It took Abdullah Hussain 5 years to pen down his masterpiece. No wonder most of the crap comes out these days is so rare.

later

-sac

RE # 3

So this is how you English-medium-Karachi-Grammar-educated snobs make fun of us desi folks.

You forgot ``Raabert``; is that not considered hilarious in your circle anymore?

Anyways here is an approxmite translation:

``Yeh ullu ka pattha bina `udaas naslien` parhay he uskay novel nigar say milnay chala gaya. Khuda janay Abudllah Hussein nay iskay English-medium chutuRRooN par latain maar maar kar isko rudbaar-e-inglistaan kyon paar nahi kara di.``

khush?

RE: Reply #: 10 ali1

So what the hell is wrong with a Grammar School education?

Ras

Udaas Naslain is indeed a masterpiece in Urdu literature, and I encourage other chowkwallas to read this beautiful piece of work. It chronicles all the major political events of Subcontinent before 1947, like Muslim feudalism arising in return of service for the British Raj in 1857, Punjab regiment serving in first world war, aristocratic politics of Muslim League vs socialist politics of Congress and Gandhi, and in the end tragic events of partition. The hero of the novel becomes a rebel socialist, worker of Congress party and then a bureacrat. He observes the incidents or meets characters in events like Jallianwalla Bagh, Qissakhani bazar massacre, quit India movement. He is an idealist socialist but in the end sees all his dreams crumble under Hindu Muslim hatred and partition. The theme of the novel is utter grief, although there is a message of hope in the end in new born Pakistan.

oh i got to read this novel ..

thanks chowkwallas to let us know about it ..

``R: What about writers writing in English?

AH: Tolstoy and Dostievsky, Chekhov and Maupaussant.``

Did these guys write in English? You must be joking! I`m astonished.

By the way, the correct spelling of the author of ``The Idiot`` is Dostoyevsky!

I read `Udas Naslain` in my mid-twenties. Besides

being a tremendously sophisticated novel, it shattered my belief in Urdu being a unexpressive

language

Correction:

The people who poured cow urine on Gandhi`s memorial are the SAME ONEES who poured 3 bullets in his gentle heart.