birth name
A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth r ...
was Mirza Dilawer Ali, but he came to be known in the literary world as Mirza Adeeb. (
Mirza
Mirza may refer to:
* Mirza, Kamrup, town in Assam, India
* Mirza (name), historical royal title & noble
* ''Mirza'', the genus of giant mouse lemur
* "Mirza", song by Nino Ferrer
* ''Mirza – The Untold Story'', Punjabi action romance film wri ...
denotes the rank of a high
nobleman
Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. The characteristi ...
or Prince,The derivation of which word is from Emir ('—) and —. and ''Adeeb'' means 'Litterateur'.)
Early life
He was born in 1914, in
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. ...
,
British India
The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...
to Mirza Basheer Ali. He attended Government Islamia High School,
Bhati Gate
Bhati Gate ( ur, , ''Bhati Darwaza'') is one of the historic thirteen gates of the Walled City of Lahore in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. Bhati Gate also serves as a union council located in the Ravi Zone.
The gate is located near Data Darbar a ...
,
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. ...
. He got his
Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...
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. ...
. He initially focused on
poetry
Poetry (derived from the Greek ''poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings i ...
, then devoted himself to playwriting.
Career
Plays
At first, being influenced from the , (—), he wrote romantic prose.
Later, he switched to writing plays about everyday events and incidents taking place in the society; focusing more on social problems and quotidian issues. His later works were pragmatist and verisimilitudinous. He used simple and everyday language in his plays, which enabled them to get a greater audience. Moreover, he had begun writing one-act dramas, which made them easier to broadcast over radio and television. When he affiliated himself with
Radio Pakistan
Radio Pakistan serves as the national public broadcaster for radio in Pakistan. Although some local stations predate Radio Pakistan's founding, it is the oldest existing broadcasting network in Pakistan. The network was established on 14 August ...
, many of his plays were
broadcast
Broadcasting is the distribution of audio or video content to a dispersed audience via any electronic mass communications medium, but typically one using the electromagnetic spectrum ( radio waves), in a one-to-many model. Broadcasting began ...
and they gained popularity among the masses. He is listed as a prominent Urdu playwright of the
Modern Era
The term modern period or modern era (sometimes also called modern history or modern times) is the period of history that succeeds the Middle Ages (which ended approximately 1500 AD). This terminology is a historical periodization that is applie ...
.
Other works
His main works, other than dramas, include stories and biographies. He also wrote critical essays and commentaries on books, besides writing columns in newspapers. He was also influenced by the (—). He was also the editor of magazines, of which the most notable is , (—). He also translated some American stories to
Following are the main features of Mirza Adeeb's style of writing:
*Objectivity: His plays had a strong sense of
objectivity
Objectivity can refer to:
* Objectivity (philosophy), the property of being independent from perception
** Objectivity (science), the goal of eliminating personal biases in the practice of science
** Journalistic objectivity, encompassing fairne ...
in them.
*Riveting dialogues: The dialogues he chose were grounded, yet captivating. Each character spoke according to his/her social status and his dramas did not contain artificial, literary dialogues. His dialogues also contained witty repartees and striking replies.
*Versatility: His story lines include a variety of topics, taken from the prosaic lives on common people.
*Pragmatism: Rather than focusing on
characterisation
Characterization or characterisation is the representation of persons (or other beings or creatures) in narrative and dramatic works. The term character development is sometimes used as a synonym. This representation may include direct methods ...
, as did many of his contemporaries, he focused more on events.
*Humanitarianism: His plays and stories have a humanitarian and philanthropic outlook.
Works
*His selective drama-collections are:
*' (, ),
*' (, ),
*' (, ),
*'' (, ),
*'' (, ),
*''m (, , 1967),
*'' (, ) and
*' (, ).
*His selective short-story collections are:
*' (, ),
*' (, ),
*' (, ),
*' (, ),
*''Sharfoo Ki Kahani'' (, ),
*''Wo Larki Kon Thi'' (, ).
*His collection of personal biographies is '' (, ).
*' (, ) is his autobiography.
Awards
*Presidential Award for playwriting, 1969
*
Pride of Performance
The Pride of Performance ( ur, ), officially known as Presidential Pride of Performance, is an award bestowed by the Islamic Republic of Pakistan to recognize people with "notable achievements in the field of art, science, literature, sports, an ...
Adamjee Literary Award Adamjee Literary Award, also known as Adamjee Prize, is a literary award bestowed by the government of Pakistan. It is presented by the president. The award seeks to recognize those people who have made "meritorious contribution" to the literature ...