novelist
A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living writing novels and other fiction, while others aspire to ...
and short story writer from
Rawalpindi
Rawalpindi ( or ; Urdu, ) is a city in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is the fourth largest city in Pakistan after Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad, and third largest in Punjab after Lahore and Faisalabad. Rawalpindi is next to Pakistan's ...
.
Personal life
His ancestors migrated from Bannu to Punjab. His father worked as excise inspector and went to be farmer later on. Abdullah was his only and youngest son of three other children. His mother died when Abdullah was only six months old. His father was super protective about him. He preferred Abdullah to be with him in his free times. Reflection of this bond is often seen in his writings as well.
Literary career
Abdullah Hussain shot into fame with his novel ''
Udaas Naslain
''Udaas Naslain'' (translated into English as ''The Weary Generations'') is an Urdu novel by Pakistani writer Abdullah Hussain. His debut novel, it led to his rise to prominence in Urdu literature. It won the Adamjee Literary Award in 1963, the y ...
''اُداس نسلیں. He was awarded the Adamjee Literary Award for this debut novel. ''Udaas Naslain'' اُداس نسلیں is considered as a milestone in
Urdu literature
Urdu literature ( ur, , ) is literature in the Urdu language. While it tends to be dominated by poetry, especially the verse forms of the ''ghazal '' غزل and ''nazm '' نظم, it has expanded into other styles of writing, including that of t ...
. It is a story of a common man who entered into elite class by marriage but is not able to cope with it and eventually returns.
He also wrote ''Baagh'' باگھ in 1982, which focuses on Kashmir liberation. Baagh (A Lion) is a symbol of terror to everyone. His 1989 novel 'Qaid' (prison) is a story of a newborn who was murdered in Karachi. 'Raat' published in 1994 was also his novel of same genre.
Later he wrote ''Nadar Log '' نادارلوگ in 1996 which is based on 1971 war between India and Pakistan. Novel focuses on Sarfraz's story who was appointed in east Pakistan and went on to be a prisoner of war and reveals the causes behind the Dhaka fall. He has also written collections of short stories ''Nashaib'' نشیب and 'faraib' فریب, and a novel in English about Afghan jihad.
Among his works, the novelette "Raat " has been translated into Persian by Samira Gilani.
Death
He had been suffering from blood cancer for several years. He was taken to the National Defence Hospital after his condition deteriorated. Later, he was brought back to his home where he died on 4 July 2015.
Literary works
*
Udaas Naslain
''Udaas Naslain'' (translated into English as ''The Weary Generations'') is an Urdu novel by Pakistani writer Abdullah Hussain. His debut novel, it led to his rise to prominence in Urdu literature. It won the Adamjee Literary Award in 1963, the y ...
(Novel)
* Nadaar Log (Novel)
* Baagh (Novel)
* Qyd (Novella)
* Raat (Novella)
* Wapasi Ka Safar (Novel)
* Nashaib (Collection of Short stories)
* Faraib (collection of short stories)