Saadat Hasan Manto
Saadat Hasan Manto (; Punjabi, ur, , ; 11 May 1912 – 18 January 1955) was a Pakistani writer, playwright and author born in Ludhiana, who was active in British India and later, after the 1947 partition of India, in Pakistan.
Writing ma ...
. It was first published in 1940.
Background
Manto Ke Afsanay was first published in 1940 from
Lahore
Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city. ...
. This is the author Manto’s second collection of original short stories. His first publication was titled ''
Atish Paray
''Atish Paray'' ( ur, , ) is a collection of short stories by Saadat Hasan Manto.
Background
''Atish Paray'' subtitled “a collection of several thought-provoking stories” was published in 1936 while Manto was living in Amritsar. Two stor ...
''. Included in this second collection are new stories and also some reprints of stories such as ''Tamasha'' (Spectacle), ''Taqat ka imtahan'' and ''Inqilabi'' (Revolutionary). The reprints are necessary as these stories were excluded in the later editions of the first publication.
Content
The stories in this collection include:
* ''Naya Qanun'' (New Law or New Constitution)
* ''Shaghl'' (Amusement)
* ''Khushiya'' (Khushiya)
* ''Banjh'' (Barren)
* ''Na’rah'' (The Slogan)
* ''Shah nasin par'' (On the balcony)
* ''Us ka pati'' (Her Husband)
* ''Tamasha'' (Spectacle)
* ''Taqat ka imtahan'' (Test of Strength)
* ''Inqilabi'' (Revolutionary)
* ''Istudant yubyan kaimp'' (Student union camp)
* ''Sharabi'' (Drunkard)
* ''Shushu'' (Shushu)
* ''Mera aur uska intiqam'' (My revenge and hers)
* ''Mausam ki sharat'' (the playfulness of the season)
* ''Begu'' (Begu)
* ''Phaha'' (Bandage)
* ''Mantar'' (Mantra)
* ''Tehri lakir'' (Crooked line)
* ''Mom batti ke ansu'' (The tears of the wax candle)
* ''Diwali ke diye'' (The diwali lights)
* ''Pahchan'' (Discernment)
* ''Darpok'' (Coward)
* ''Das rupaye'' (Ten Rupees)
* ''Misiz di Kosta'' (Mrs. Dicosta)
* ''Blauz'' (Blouse)
Themes
The themes of Manto’s stories show considerable variation. Stories such as ''Inqilabi'' (Revolutionary), ''Sharabi'' (Drunkard) and ''Istudant yubyan kaimp'' (Student union camp) deal with political issues with characters who identify as revolutionaries or activists. ''Naya Qanun'' (New Law) explores the character of Ustaad Mongu, a tonga-driver and the political atmosphere in India in the backdrop of the commencement of
Government of India Act 1935
The Government of India Act, 1935 was an Act adapted from the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It originally received royal assent in August 1935. It was the longest Act of (British) Parliament ever enacted until the Greater London Authority ...
. ''Tamasha'' (Spectacle), first published in ''Rusi Afsare'' (Russian Stories) and later in ''
Atish Paray
''Atish Paray'' ( ur, , ) is a collection of short stories by Saadat Hasan Manto.
Background
''Atish Paray'' subtitled “a collection of several thought-provoking stories” was published in 1936 while Manto was living in Amritsar. Two stor ...
'' dealt with the
Jallianwala Bagh massacre
The Jallianwala Bagh massacre, also known as the Amritsar massacre, took place on 13 April 1919. A large peaceful crowd had gathered at the Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar, Punjab, to protest against the Rowlatt Act and arrest of pro-independence ...
.
Manto explores the theme of
social realism
Social realism is the term used for work produced by painters, printmakers, photographers, writers and filmmakers that aims to draw attention to the real socio-political conditions of the working class as a means to critique the power structure ...
in stories such as ''Shaghl'' (Amusement), ''Na’rah'' (The Slogan) and ''Das rupaye'' (Ten Rupees). Influenced from
Maxim Gorky
Alexei Maximovich Peshkov (russian: link=no, Алексе́й Макси́мович Пешко́в; – 18 June 1936), popularly known as Maxim Gorky (russian: Макси́м Го́рький, link=no), was a Russian writer and social ...
’s '' Twenty-six Men and a Girl'', ''Shaghl'' deals with the abduction of a girl by some rich men. In ''Das rupaye'' (Ten Rupees), he depicts the life of Sarita, an innocent young girl who works as a part time prostitute.
Manto also depicted romance in some of his stories such as ''Shushu'' (Shushu) and ''Mera aur uska intiqam'' (My revenge and hers), both of which dealt with teenage love.