The Life and Times of Nazir Akbarabadi

Description

Nazir Akbarabadi (1735-1830) was a remarkable Urdu poet of the sub-continent, who stands out as being distinct from the romantic or mystic mainstream of medieval Urdu poetry. He was a private tutor by profession but despite tempting offers never made poetry a trade. Nazir’s poetry is at once objective and large-hearted. Absorbed in the zest for life, its joys and sorrows are for him only passing shadows on the stage. It is this down-to-earth realism that makes him so relevant to society today. He adopted a new idiom which was firmly rooted in the soil and had direct links with the masses. This is the first time any Pakistani has attempted to shed light for the English reader on Nazir and his many moods.

Author Biography

For Syed Mohammad Abbas, the author, translating Nazir’s works and researching his life and times has been a labour of love. Mr Abbas is a scholar and poet in his own rights and is currently working on several projects of translating Urdu poetry and prose into English.