It’s been exactly 43 years since Muhammad Hasan Askari, one of Urdu’s most formidable critics, died.

Ever since his death on January 18, 1978, Askari has been growing in stature, though he was already one of the larger-than-life characters on literary scene in his hay days. Askari’s single-handedly forming a new school of thought in Urdu criticism, namely Traditionalist School, is not a feat that can be overlooked. Though later on many critics and writers joined in --- such as Saleem Ahmed, Jamal Panipati and some others --- it was Askari alone in the beginning, trying to find and create connection between culture, tradition and Pakistani literature.

Aside from those who joined hands with Askari in his lifetime, there are many writers and intellectuals who were influenced, directly or indirectly, by Askari’s critical theories, albeit formally not being a part of his school of thought. And this goes on even today, as we see a continuous flow of books and articles on Askari, debating and quibbling about his works and his views.

Hasan Askari was born on November 5, 1919. To coincide with his centenary celebrations in 2019, publication of some books and magazines was planned but some of them were delayed and could appear only at the tail end of 2020. So in recent months two such publications have appeared, reminding us yet again that Askari’s influence on Urdu criticism and literature can never be overestimated.

The first one is a book, a collection of critical essays on Hasan Askari by Dr Sarvar-ul-Huda. Titled ‘Gum Shuda Ma’ani Ki Talaash’, subtitled ‘Muhammad Hasan Askari Ka Tanqeedi Mutal’a’ and published by Sareer Publications, Lahore, the book carries a longish preface by the author that discusses the intellectual and critical background of Askari’s writings, analysing critical views on Askari’s critical thoughts as expressed by some well-known critics, such as Shamsur Rahman Farooqi, Shameem Hanafi, Abul Kalam Qasmi, Saleem Ahmed, Nazeer Sidddiqi, Kaleemuddin Ahmed, Saleem Akhter, Vazeer Agha, Hamidi Kashmiri, Nasir Abbas Nayyar and some others. As suggested by the title, Huda’s essays not only try to understand Askari’s writings but also to find his real intent. As put by himself, the question that to what extent this book covers Askari is not so important for him as important is the question how and to what extent has he been able “to find Askari”. Some of the essays included in the book aim at understanding and rediscovering Askari’s thought process. Sarvar-ul- Huda is a critic and researcher and teaches Urdu at Delhi’s Jami’a Millia Islamia.

The other publication on Askari that has recently appeared is a special issue of literary magazine ‘Istea’ara’. Dr Amjad Tufail and Riaz Ahmed edit and publish it from Lahore. The current issue is a special one and is named ‘Hasan Askari Number’. It is intended “to pay tribute to this great writer on his centennial”, say editors in the editorial. “Hasan Askari has been a disputed figure due to his critical ideas, but controversies accentuated his importance. ... Askari has impressed and influenced many towering figures of coming generations and these include Saleem Ahmed, Shameem Ahmed, Jamal Panipati, Jazib Qureshi, Sajjad Baqar Rizvi, Fateh Muhammad Malik, Suhail Ahmed Khan, Siraj-e-Muneer, Tehseen Firaqi, Aziz Ibn-ul-Hasan, Mubeen Mirza in Pakistan and Shamsur Rahman Farooqi, Shameem Hanafi and Abul Kalam Qasmi in India” add the editors.

A notable feature of the special issue is that except for a few articles, all the write- ups are new and have especially been written for the issue. These include some articles by today’s well-known scholars, such as Fateh Muhammad Malik, Shameem Hanafi, Sarver-ul-Huda and some others.

Hasan Askari had rendered a part of ‘Tazkirat-ul-Aulia’ into English. Hitherto unpublished, the special issue has carried this translation. The reproduced material includes some very important pieces, such as Shamsur Rahman Farooqi’s interview, Hasan Askari’s long interview published in parts in magazine ‘Jami’a’. Some already published but outstanding essays by prominent critics such as Dr Aftab Ahmed, Tehseen Firaqi and Siraj-e-Muneer, have also made it to this issue.

The continuous flow of books and articles on Hasan Askari shows that his critical views and theories --- despite being questionable to many --- are still reverberating through literary circles and are very much relevant even today.

Those who have read Askari would vouch for a feeling one gets while going through any of Askari’s writing: Askari’s inquisitiveness, his constant quest for drawing inferences from literary works, his calling in question the settled issues and norms and finding cultural meanings in aesthetics----all these keep the readers on edge, wondering where he is headed and where will it all end.

Well, it ended quite gloriously: first Askari declared that Urdu literature had become stale and static and then, alas, he pronounced “the sad demise” of Urdu literature. How the critics reacted to such shocking statements is yet another tale, as magical as any of the other controversies surrounding Askari. drraufparekh@yahoo.com

Published in Dawn, January 18th, 2021