IT was encouraging to see a huge number of people turn up at the recently held five-day international book fair in Karachi. The success of the event has turned the pessimistic notion on its head that the number of book readers in Pakistan has dwindled over the years. Not only are books being read, they are also being published — although the latter activity faces financial challenges because of, among other factors, the exorbitant price of paper.

This year, perhaps like every year, several books were published in Pakistan representing all sorts of categories: fiction, nonfiction, poetry, literary theses, political analyses, economic surveys, social commentaries, etc; and in a variety of languages. Sadly, not many of them were celebrated the way they merited. Some of them were launched, and therefore discussed, at literature festivals and conferences, and a few were talked about in private literary circles.

In Urdu fiction, Akhtar Raza Saleemi came out with his third novel Lawakh. His second work of fiction Jindar (2018) was a critically acclaimed one. Asghar Nadeem Syed’s novel Jahanabaad ki galiyan garnered quite a bit of attention. A reviewer called it a fusion between ‘myth and history’.

Osama Siddique, who came to prominence in 2017 for his English novel Snuffing Out the Moon, published a novel in Urdu Ghurub-i-shehr ka waqt. He has now established himself as a bilingual writer of high merit.

Saeed Naqvi’s Adhoori kahani and Tahira Iqbal’s Harappa also came under the spotlight for their content and narrative. Makhota by Najiba Arif and Muqaddas gunah by Naina Adil were highly praised at the 16th International Urdu Conference held in the first week of December.

As far as short story collections are concerned, Koi kahakshan nahin hai by Shahnaz Shoro was recognised for the variety of subjects that the stories in it contain.

Poetry is, arguably, the most popular form of expression in Urdu literature. This is why books published by poets often outnumber those penned by prose writers. However, in 2023, not an awful lot of collections saw the light of day. Umair Najmi published his collection titled Aik. Seasoned poet Sabir Zafar’s book Khazana haey gham-i-dahr ke faqeer is another work of poetry worth mentioning. The complete works of Baqi Siddiqui and Sirajuddin Zafar compiled by Fahim Shanas Kazmi were appreciated by the literati, too.

In 2019, poet Inaam Nadeem developed a formidable reputation as a translator by rendering Rabisankar Bal’s novel Dozakhnama into Urdu. In 2023, his translation Qaidi of Omar Shahid Hamid’s English novel The Prisoner featured prominently at literature-related functions and attracted readers at the book fair. That was not his only effort this year. Nadeem’s translation of Muriel Maufroy’s novel Rumi’s Daughter as Dukhtar-i-Rumi earned him accolades from the literati.

Nonfiction books are usually read by those who want to keep themselves abreast of the latest sociopolitical goings-on in society. This year some books were read and fervently deliberated upon by the left and the right of the reading spectrum. The first and foremost example is Ishq nama by Farrukh Yar. With the poetry of Shah Hussain at its centre, the book in detail analyses mysticism, Punjab and poetry. It is a quality work of research.

Nasir Abbas Nayyar is one of the foremost Urdu critics of our times. His book Naey naqqad ke naam khutoot addresses the younger generation of critics in the form of an epistolary piece of criticism.

Another noticeable work with reference to communication is Murasalat, a series of correspondence between eminent short story writer and critic Naiyer Masud and translator M. Umar Memon.

For those who are interested in regional politics, Syed Irfan Ashraf’s The Dark Side of Journalism: The Culture and Global Economy of Global Media in Pakistan and Afghanistan is an important addition to the list of publications on the topic.

Journalist Zahid Hussain’s Face to Face with Benazir was another noteworthy book in that category. It’s a compilation of the journalist’s interviews with the former prime minister of the country, covering decades of interactions between the two of them.

Last but not least, human rights activist and scholar the late I.A. Rehman’s memoir A Lifetime of Dissent was posthumously published. It’s a must-read for those who wish to know about his struggle for freedom of the press and democracy.