Fraudulent fame

Fraudulent fame

There may be several reasons why a writer reaches the heights of popularity, but great writing is not necessarily one of Published 25 Dec, 2016 07:18am
Year in review: a critical appraisal

Year in review: a critical appraisal

Pakistan’s publishing industry has done well by authors writing in Urdu, but those working in English appear to lag
Published 25 Dec, 2016 07:18am
Dead on arrival

Dead on arrival

How political correctness is killing literature in America
Updated 19 Dec, 2016 03:05pm
How to read a book

How to read a book

Getting to the heart of any written work involves more than merely absorbing its contents
Published 11 Dec, 2016 08:18am
The posthumous Manto — more of less

The posthumous Manto — more of less

While questions about the enigmatic writer’s life abound, there continues to be very little information on the man
Published 11 Dec, 2016 08:18am
Out of Africa

Out of Africa

One day, one event, seen through five very diverse points of view
Published 11 Dec, 2016 08:18am
We, the women

We, the women

Narratives of Afghan women are presented in a compilation of stories that is reflective of their deeper strength
Updated 03 Jun, 2018 02:48am
What’s in a name?

What’s in a name?

The true authorship of an Azerbaijani masterpiece comes up for debate, and the question of primary and secondary
Published 04 Dec, 2016 07:35am
Discovering Karachi

Discovering Karachi

A treatise on the city that presents its various faces — the historical, cultural, religious and political
Published 04 Dec, 2016 07:35am
One dream at a time

One dream at a time

When thoughts of a life less ordinary are packed up and put away in a house built on choices
Published 20 Nov, 2016 07:16am
Brothers in arms

Brothers in arms

Hazem Kandil’s book offers an analysis of the various facets of the Muslim Brotherhood movement
Published 20 Nov, 2016 07:16am
Mapping a new game plan

Mapping a new game plan

In efforts to craft favourable relationships in the emerging world order, Pakistani policymakers would do well to
Published 20 Nov, 2016 07:16am
The art and craft of translation

The art and craft of translation

Is the dearth of talented translators marginalising Urdu literature works from the global literary landscape?
Published 13 Nov, 2016 06:36am
Encounters that are staged

Encounters that are staged

Kishalay Bhattacharjee is the author of Blood on My Hands: Confessions of Staged Encounters that provides important...
Updated 13 Nov, 2016 10:43am
Keeping an eye on television

Keeping an eye on television

The rise of private transmissions has made it imperative to study the applicability of media laws in Pakistan
Published 06 Nov, 2016 06:47am
Where it all began

Where it all began

The story of how a family ripped apart by violence and war, spanning centuries and across continents, comes together
Published 06 Nov, 2016 06:47am
The story of Pakistan’s talkies

The story of Pakistan’s talkies

A compilation of rare images and journalistic, scholarly and personal writings on our cinema history
Published 06 Nov, 2016 06:47am
The dawn of a new era

The dawn of a new era

The history of the Pakistani Urdu novel is traced from 1947 onwards
Updated 30 Oct, 2016 07:53am
Extraordinary stories

Extraordinary stories

On some of the best short story writers and how their craft is executed
Published 30 Oct, 2016 07:27am
Literary concerns

Literary concerns

Mushtaq Bilal interviews contemporary authors writing in English, probing how their identities as Pakistanis inform the
Published 30 Oct, 2016 07:27am
For the love of good food

For the love of good food

A half-Sicilian, half-Puerto Rican chef from Chicago serves up popular Western foods with a decidedly halal touch
Published 23 Oct, 2016 07:42am
The cultural icon

The cultural icon

This is the first time that a musician has been awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature — raising the question whether
Published 23 Oct, 2016 07:42am
Field of dreams

Field of dreams

It’s all about following your heart … and who would know this better than our women in green
Published 16 Oct, 2016 07:57am
Dreamweaver

Dreamweaver

An anthology that presents some of Intizar Husain’s works translated into English — fiction, essays, and a play
Published 16 Oct, 2016 07:57am
We will write our stories

We will write our stories

The question of cultural appropriation in literature is being raised by today’s young writers
Published 09 Oct, 2016 07:31am
Majestic monuments of Lahore

Majestic monuments of Lahore

The Mughal-era architecture of the city is studied as a manifestation of its culture through the centuries
Published 09 Oct, 2016 07:31am
The way we were

The way we were

Alys Faiz’s collection of essays sheds light a life filled with joy, turmoil, adventure, and of course, words
Published 09 Oct, 2016 07:31am
A man without blinkers

A man without blinkers

Sibte Hassan, whose birth centennial falls this year, viewed the world through the prism of leftist ideology without
Published 02 Oct, 2016 09:34am
Spools of propaganda

Spools of propaganda

A cache of audio recordings of Osama bin Laden is analysed by Flagg Miller
Published 02 Oct, 2016 09:34am
The other literature

The other literature

South Asian writers are rising to the challenge of changing the way populist media views Muslims
Published 02 Oct, 2016 09:34am
To hell and back

To hell and back

One man’s tale of struggle and survival during the Chinese Cultural Revolution
Updated 25 Sep, 2016 07:40am
Fighting for democracy

Fighting for democracy

Raza Rumi is a Pakistani journalist and policy analyst who is currently Visiting International Scholar in Residence...
Updated 25 Sep, 2016 07:35am
The political process

The political process

Raza Rumi’s book charts the significant happenings of five tumultuous years in Pakistan’s politics
Updated 25 Sep, 2016 07:33am
Darker days

Darker days

Chris Cleave’s latest work of fiction centres on London during WWII, with characters that are as gritty as they are
Published 18 Sep, 2016 07:03am
Portrait of an artist

Portrait of an artist

A talented life cut short by mental illness,Vincent van Gogh’s magic endures through the precious works he left behind
Published 18 Sep, 2016 07:03am
Shakers and shapers of Pakistani law

Shakers and shapers of Pakistani law

Hamid Khan’s ambitious volume that chronicles the judicial history of Pakistan is not without its shortcomings, yet
Published 18 Sep, 2016 07:03am
A hundred Anne Franks

A hundred Anne Franks

Collating notes from children’s accounts written during WWII, Children of War is a chilling read
Published 11 Sep, 2016 08:17am
The beauty and starkness of realism

The beauty and starkness of realism

Ali Akbar Natiq’s writings are his attempt to portray life as it is lived, with all its injustice, cruelty,
Updated 08 Jan, 2017 08:33am
The art of their times

The art of their times

A volume that puts together the human story behind the history of painting in the subcontinent by referencing what made
Published 11 Sep, 2016 08:17am
Children of equal gods

Children of equal gods

With works that dwelt on identifying violence in the colonial system, Frantz Fanon did not just theorise but also fought
Published 04 Sep, 2016 07:55am
Preserving the democratic project

Preserving the democratic project

In this collection of essays edited by Christophe Jaffrelot, Pakistan’s myriad historical contradictions and struggles
Published 04 Sep, 2016 07:55am
Books in brief

Books in brief

A book that puts together work by more than 60 photographers, much of the photography encompassed in its pages is
Published 28 Aug, 2016 07:24am
Poets as critics

Poets as critics

John Dryden and Alexander Pope’s expressions of what constituted a great poem set an example that has been followed by
Published 28 Aug, 2016 07:24am
Bewitching as ever

Bewitching as ever

The Harry Potter series is revived with the play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Published 28 Aug, 2016 07:24am
The art of being

The art of being

Sid Mittra teaches how to not buzz around aimlessly, but get to work, in his quirky self-help book
Published 21 Aug, 2016 06:57am
A life of ideals

A life of ideals

An illustrated biography of Gandhi tells much that is not so well known about him
Published 21 Aug, 2016 06:57am
Belonging to yesterday

Belonging to yesterday

A look at traditional occupations in India and their practitioners who are losing relevance as times change
Published 21 Aug, 2016 06:57am
Understanding Pakistan

Understanding Pakistan

Putting Pakistan Right is a book that is somewhat restrained due to its format, yet contains ample content worth
Published 21 Aug, 2016 06:57am
To reimagine reality

To reimagine reality

The timeless works of Philip K. Dick evoke a sense of pure wonder about what it might mean to be human
Published 21 Aug, 2016 06:57am
Books in brief

Books in brief

This book is a corpus of selected articles by Sultan M. Hali, Pakistan Air Force veteran turned journalist, who aims
Published 21 Aug, 2016 06:56am
As simple as possible

As simple as possible

A well-intentioned but poorly executed obsession with simplifying things is what undermines Thing Explainer
Published 14 Aug, 2016 08:10am
The Bards of Facebook

The Bards of Facebook

Their posts are shared by hundreds, followed by thousands and commented on by numerous; Facebook has given rise to a new
Published 14 Aug, 2016 08:10am
Downward Spiral

Downward Spiral

A promising debut novel, providing incisive psychological insight on abuse
Published 14 Aug, 2016 08:10am
The women who do

The women who do

Elena Ferrante’s quartet of novels is a literary sensation because of the depth and complexity in the writer’s craft —
Published 14 Aug, 2016 08:10am
Books in brief

Books in brief

An anthology of Mubashir Ali Zaidi’s work published in Jang, this slim volume emerges as an idiosyncratic genre of
Published 14 Aug, 2016 08:10am
Matters of governance

Matters of governance

The cabinet exercised an important role in economic issues during the years after Partition
Updated 14 Aug, 2016 08:32am
Litbuzz: Kafka’s legacy of battles

Litbuzz: Kafka’s legacy of battles

A lengthy, complicated court battle has finally drawn to a close. This one had, at its centre, a treasure chest of...
Published 14 Aug, 2016 08:10am
Man of letters

Man of letters

Years after his death, Muzaffar Ali Syed is reintroduced to the realm of Urdu literary criticism with a collection of
Published 14 Aug, 2016 08:10am
Broken dreams

Broken dreams

Zaffar Junejo pens down the largely unheard, painful story of a generation in Sindh that fought for its political belief
Published 07 Aug, 2016 06:43am
To find a way out

To find a way out

An in-depth study of the exploitation of bonded labour in domestic situations
Published 07 Aug, 2016 06:43am
Me after before you

Me after before you

Jojo Moyes tells a tale of how, instead of resolving into neat conclusions, life can have jagged endings
Published 07 Aug, 2016 06:43am
The saga continues

The saga continues

Familiar characters return in Archer’s delicious tale of espionage and aristocracy that spans the globe
Published 07 Aug, 2016 06:43am
Timeless Lahore

Timeless Lahore

The novel Madho Lal Hussain: Lahore di Vel represents the best of what contemporary Punjabi literature has to offer
Published 07 Aug, 2016 06:43am
Pathways of light

Pathways of light

Eva de Vitray-Meyerovitch’s translations of works of Rumi and Allama Muhammad Iqbal include the first complete
Published 07 Aug, 2016 06:43am
Litbuzz: Magic on stage

Litbuzz: Magic on stage

As legions of Potterheads raided bookstores to get their hands on a prized copy of Harry Potter and The Cursed ...
Published 07 Aug, 2016 06:43am
Trail of the Indus

Trail of the Indus

In his latest book, Andrew Robinson dissects the evidence in scholarly literature on the Indus Valley Civilisation,
Published 07 Aug, 2016 06:43am
Hope, love and gloom

Hope, love and gloom

Anwar Abro’s stories follow Sindh through the tides of change
Updated 31 Jul, 2016 08:25am
The line of fire

The line of fire

In the second edition of Pakistan: Between Mosque and Military, Husain Haqqani questions Pakistan’s commitment to
Updated 31 Jul, 2016 08:22am
One never really forgets

One never really forgets

Patrick Modiano has his protagonist walk the tortuous lanes of his memories, and the cobbled paths of Paris, to untangle
Updated 31 Jul, 2016 08:15am
Darkness runs deep

Darkness runs deep

Umair Naeem’s characters are brought together against the senseless violence and unflinching hope that define Karachi
Published 31 Jul, 2016 07:52am
Where we are now?

Where we are now?

On how literature engages with the concerns of each era
Published 31 Jul, 2016 07:52am
Imperfectly charming

Imperfectly charming

Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney explores issues of sibling rivalry and long-held grudges in her first novel
Updated 31 Jul, 2016 08:28am
When writing in Urdu

When writing in Urdu

A recent collection of stories highlights the diverse nature of storytelling in Urdu
Published 24 Jul, 2016 07:39am
No country for the poor

No country for the poor

Amartya Sen meditates on the multi-faceted, multi-layered problems facing India, offering simple and home-grown solution
Published 24 Jul, 2016 07:32am
Litbuzz: Enid Blyton for adults

Litbuzz: Enid Blyton for adults

Or as the millennials say, “childhood ruined”. The new books will see the Famous Five grappling with parenthood,...
Published 24 Jul, 2016 07:26am
Books in brief

Books in brief

Spirited and daring, there is not much young Basanti worries she cannot take on. Time and again she deals with the blows
Published 24 Jul, 2016 07:26am
Media and its outreach

Media and its outreach

The book offers a comparative study of media in the world’s most populous countries — China and India
Published 24 Jul, 2016 07:26am
Muslims in the mosaic

Muslims in the mosaic

The Relevance of Islamic Identity in Canada aims to assess the rise in anti-Muslim sentiment in the country,
Updated 17 Jul, 2016 08:46am
Litbuzz

Litbuzz

For years the world has believed in the warped account of the French resistance fed by De Gaulle: while French men
Published 17 Jul, 2016 07:58am
Pearls from the past

Pearls from the past

Two recent books once again underline the poetic creativity of laypersons in the days of yore
Updated 17 Jul, 2016 08:26am
Books in brief

Books in brief

Lockwood dissects a lesser-discussed aspect of the Indian Emergency, 1975 and the much-maligned role of the Communist
Updated 17 Jul, 2016 08:12am
My journey with Ghalib’s divans

My journey with Ghalib’s divans

Farooqi recalls holding a mystery manuscript at the Ghalib Institute in New Delhi which appeared to be the 1816 divan
Updated 17 Jul, 2016 08:42am
Litbuzz

Litbuzz

Significant new evidence has been unearthed to shed light on a much speculated aspect of Shakespeare’s life – his status
Published 10 Jul, 2016 07:46am
A friendship between mystics

A friendship between mystics

How the dervish Shams-i-Tabrizi influenced the life and work of the great Sufi poet Rumi
Updated 10 Jul, 2016 08:57am
The insight of a diplomat

The insight of a diplomat

Jamsheed Marker narrates his memories of 30 years of interaction with Pakistan’s most powerful leaders
Updated 10 Jul, 2016 08:53am
Thoughts that linger

Thoughts that linger

An anthology presents some unfinished pieces of work by Attia Hosain that are no less brilliant than those published in
Updated 10 Jul, 2016 08:50am