Crimson Papers: Reflections on Struggle, Suffering, and Creativity in Pakistan

Description

The book provides insights into the society, polity, and literary ethos of Pakistan within the broader South Asian context.

An attempt has been made to place the issues faced by Pakistan and South Asian Muslim societies in the current global human condition which is increasingly defined by terrorism, invasions, absolutism, and inequality. Although the essays encompass a broad canvas, they also possess a definite focus capturing Pakistans social and political history from the beginning to the present times, including how people are impacted by major political upheavals and social events, and how some individuals contribute in shaping both events and narratives. Within the broader narrative is woven an analysis of religious extremism, sectarianism, persecution of minorities, ethnic strife, provincial separatism, and shrinking of cultural and intellectual space.

Reviews

“Harris Khalique’s erudition and breadth of vision, indeed, are breathtaking. Such a book—so readable and yet so learned—was long overdue as an antidote to the textbooks we teach and the sound bites which pass for wisdom in our media. Crimson Papers should be compulsory reading for all Pakistanis and those interested in Pakistan. It is a landmark in our intellectual life as a nation.”

– Dr Tariq Rahman
Distinguished National Professor Emeritus, Language Historian, and Author

“In Crimson Papers, Harris Khalique maps Pakistan’s changing cultural, political, and religious landscapes with the eye of a poet and the wisdom of a seer. His is a voice of sanity in the conflict with absolutism—a vital corrective to the rants of those who cannot tolerate different points of view. And his sympathetic intelligence makes him a companionable guide to one of the most complicated countries in the world.”

– Christopher Merrill
Poet and Essayist, Author of The Tree of the Doves: Ceremony, Expedition, War

“The personal, we have been told, is the political. This collection of evocatively written essays—culled from a rich lode of history, literature, memory, and politics—shows us exactly how, and why.”

– Dr Rakhshanda Jalil
Writer, Critic, and Literary Historian

Author Biography

Harris Khalique is a leading Urdu and English language poet from Pakistan. He is also an essayist and columnist. During the 1980s and 1990s, some of his poems faced censorship in Pakistan.  His works have been translated into several languages. He is a University of Iowa Honorary Fellow in Writing and has spoken widely on themes straddling culture, politics, human rights, and international development.