Culture and Identity: Selected English Writings of Faiz

Description

This book is the first compilation of the English writings of Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Pakistan’s premier poet and author. Apart from many volumes of poetry, Faiz wrote literary criticism and articles on culture in both Urdu and English. Some of his articles in this volume spell out the writer’s well-known predilection for the progressive canons of literature. Articles on Amir Khusrau, Ghalib, Tolstoy, Iqbal, and Sadequain figure prominently in the collection as ‘applied criticism’. This volume is not only invaluable for shedding light on the literary proclivities of Faiz but also stands on its own as a very candid and original exposition of Pakistani culture and thought.

He could not conceive of art, literature, and culture without relating to the social, political and cultural tensions of the society they seek to portray. He has emphasized the relationship between super-structure and the scoio-politico-economic structure. One may not agree with him on certain points but the tone and tenor of his arguments reflects the kind of person he was, cool and unflappable.

His article on Iqbal, if translated into Urdu, is perhaps the best article on Iqbal as a poet. One could only wish that he could devote more attention to Urdu criticism. His interviews have discussed in passing certain trends and issues, which required discursive and deep discussions. Anyhow, even the ‘hints’ and cursory allusions to important writers in his articles could become turning points in the writings of those writers who take their cues from these hints and amplify them.