playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays. Etymology The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...

Ludhiana Ludhiana ( ) is the most populous and the largest Cities in India, city in the Indian state of Punjab, India, Punjab. The city has an estimated population of 1,618,879 2011 Indian census, 2011 census and distributed over , making Ludhiana the ...

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 ...

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
''

partition of India The Partition of British India in 1947 was the Partition (politics), change of political borders and the division of other assets that accompanied the dissolution of the British Raj in South Asia and the creation of two independent dominions: ...

, which he opposed, immediately following independence in 1947. Manto was tried for obscenity six times; thrice before 1947 in

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 ...

, and thrice after independence in 1947 in

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

, but was never convicted. He is acknowledged as one of the finest 20th century

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
''

Manto may refer to: People * Mando (singer), Greek singer * Manto Mavrogenous, Greek national heroine * Saadat Hasan Manto, Urdu short story writer known by his pen name Manto * Manto Tshabalala-Msimang (1940–2009), South African politician * Manto ...

'', directed by

Sarmad Khoosat Sarmad Sultan Khoosat (born May 7, 1979) is a Pakistani actor, film/ TV director, producer and screenwriter best known for directing the super-hit TV dramas '' Humsafar'' and ''Shehr-e-Zaat''. He is considered to be one of the best South Asia ...

and the 2018 film ''

Manto may refer to: People * Mando (singer), Greek singer * Manto Mavrogenous, Greek national heroine * Saadat Hasan Manto, Urdu short story writer known by his pen name Manto * Manto Tshabalala-Msimang (1940–2009), South African politician * Manto ...

'', directed by

Nandita Das Nandita Das (born 7 November 1969) is an Indian actress and director. She has acted in over 40 feature films in ten different languages. Das appeared in the films ''Fire'' (1996), ''Earth'' (1998), '' Bawandar'' (2000), '' Kannathil Muthamittal' ...

.

Biography

Early life

Saadat Hassan Manto was born in Paproudi village of

Samrala Samrala is a city and a municipal council in Ludhiana district in the Indian States and territories of India, state of Punjab (India), Punjab. It is about 35 km east of the district headquarters Ludhiana, on the highway to Chandigarh. Samral ...

, in the

Ludhiana Ludhiana ( ) is the most populous and the largest Cities in India, city in the Indian state of Punjab, India, Punjab. The city has an estimated population of 1,618,879 2011 Indian census, 2011 census and distributed over , making Ludhiana the ...

district of the

Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...

, India in a

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

family of barristers on 11 May 1912. He belonged to a Kashmiri trading family that had settled in Amritsar in the early nineteenth century and taken up legal profession. His father, Khwaja Ghulam Hasan, was a session judge of a local court. His mother, Sardar Begum had a Pathan ancestry and was the second wife of his father. Ethnically a Kashmiri he was proud of his roots. In a letter to Pandit Nehru he suggested that being 'beautiful' was the second meaning of being 'Kashmiri'.

Education and early career

He received his early education at a Muslim High School at Amritsar where he twice failed his matriculation examination. In 1931 he got admitted to the Hindu Sabha College but dropped out after first year due to poor results. The big turning point in his life came in 1933, at age 21, when he met Abdul Bari Alig, a scholar and polemic writer who encouraged him to find his true talents and read Russian and French authors. Bari also encouraged Manto to translate

Victor Hugo Victor-Marie Hugo (; 26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French Romantic writer and politician. During a literary career that spanned more than sixty years, he wrote in a variety of genres and forms. He is considered to be one of the great ...

's '' The Last Day of a Condemned Man'' into Urdu which was later published by Urdu Book Stall, Lahore as ''Sarguzasht-e-Aseer'' (A Prisoner's Story). He then translated

Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish poet and playwright. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular playwrights in London in the early 1890s. He is ...

’s '' Vera'' into Urdu in 1934. He published his first original story in Urdu, ''Tamasha'' (Spectacle) under a pseudonym in Abdul Bari Alig’s Urdu newspaper ''Khalq'' (Creation). It was based on 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-independenc ...

. During this period he contributed to the daily newspaper ''Musawat'', (Equality) and ''Ehsan'' (Kindness), both published from Amritsar. He also edited and translated Russian and French stories for the journals ''Alamgir'' and ''Humayun''. On Bari’s encouragement these Russian stories were then published in Lahore under the title, ''Rusi Afsanay'' (Russian Stories). The collection included stories from Tolstoy, Gorky and Chekhov and two of Manto’s original stories, ''Tamasha'' (Spectacle) and ''Mahigir'' (Fisherman). This heightened enthusiasm pushed Manto to pursue graduation at Aligarh Muslim University, which he joined in July 1934, and soon got associated with the literary circle who would later become members of the Indian Progressive Writers' Association (IPWA). It was here that he met writer

Ali Sardar Jafri Ali Sardar Jafri (29 November 1913 – 1 August 2000) was an Indian writer of Urdu language. He was also a poet, critic and film lyricist. Biography Early life and education Ali Sardar Jafri was born in Balrampur, Uttar Pradesh, where he sp ...

and found a new spurt in his writing. His second story, "Inqlaab Pasand", was published in Aligarh magazine in March 1935. His education at Aligarh was cut short when nine months into joining the university he was diagnosed with tuberculosis. He spent the next three months at a sanatorium at

Batote Batote is a town and a notified area committee, near Ramban town in Ramban district of Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir on NH 44 (former name NH 1A) just beyond Ramban, Patnitop while going towards Srinagar. Tourism Batote is l ...

in

Kashmir Kashmir () is the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term "Kashmir" denoted only the Kashmir Valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal Range. Today, the term encompas ...

to regain his health and then returned home to Amritsar. After a brief stay in Amritsar, Manto moved to Lahore in search of employment and joined the newspaper ''Paras'' (Philosopher’s Stone). In 1936, at Lahore, he published his first collection of original short stories ''

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 ...

'' (Nuggets of Fire). In late 1936, he moved to

Bombay Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...

when he received an invitation to edit the weekly ''Mussawir'' (Painter).

Career in Bombay (1937-1941)

In Bombay, Manto started his work as an editor of ''Mussawir'' along with Nazir Ludhianvi and the magazine ''Samaj'' (Society). He also started to write dialogues and scripts for the Hindi film industry, working first for the Imperial Film Company and then for Saroj Movietone. His films during this period include the 1940 film '' Apni Nagariya''. He wrote many radio plays including ''Ao Radio Sunen'' (Come, Let's Listen to Radio) and ''Qalopatrah ki maut'' (Cleopatra's Death). In Bombay, he also came in contact with

Progressive Writers' Association The Progressive Writers' Association or the Progressive Writers' Movement of India or ''Anjuman Tarraqi Pasand Mussanafin-e-Hind'' (( ur, ) or ''Akhil Bhartiya Pragatishil Lekhak Sangh'' (Hindi: अखिल भारतीय प्रगति� ...

and became friendly with progressive writers like

Krishan Chander Krishan Chander (23 November 1914 – 8 March 1977) was an Indian Urdu and Hindi writer of short stories and novels. Some of his works have also been translated in English. He was a prolific writer, penning over 20 novels, 30 collections o ...

,

Rajinder Singh Bedi Rajinder Singh Bedi (1 September 1915 – 1984) was an Indian Urdu writer of the Progressive Writers' Movement, progressive writers' movement and a playwright, who later worked in Hindi cinema as a film director, screenwriter and dialogue writer ...

and

Ahmad Nadeem Qasmi Ahmad Nadeem Qasmi ( ur, ) born Ahmad Shah Awan ( ur, ) (20 November 1916 - 10 July 2006) was an Urdu language Pakistani poet, journalist, literary critic, dramatist and short story author. He wrote 50 books on topics such as poetry, fictio ...

. In 1940 he published his second collection of short stories ''

Manto Ke Afsanay ''Manto Ke Afsanay'' () is a collection of short stories in Urdu by Saadat Hasan Manto . It was first published in 1940. Background Manto Ke Afsanay was first published in 1940 from Lahore. This is the author Manto’s second collection of ori ...

'' (Stories of Manto) from Lahore. In August 1940 he was dismissed from the editorship of ''Musawwir'' and started working for another magazine called ''Karwan'' (Caravan) at a lower salary. Dissatisfied in his work, he applied to Krishan Chander for a job with

All India Radio All or ALL may refer to: Language * All, an indefinite pronoun in English * All, one of the English determiners * Allar language (ISO 639-3 code) * Allative case (abbreviated ALL) Music * All (band), an American punk rock band * ''All'' (All ...

in Delhi. Subsequently he moved to Delhi in January 1941 and accepted the job of writing for Urdu Service of

All India Radio All or ALL may refer to: Language * All, an indefinite pronoun in English * All, one of the English determiners * Allar language (ISO 639-3 code) * Allative case (abbreviated ALL) Music * All (band), an American punk rock band * ''All'' (All ...

.

In Delhi (1941-1942)

Manto joined All India Radio in early 1941 and became acquainted with many writers working there such as

Chiragh Hasan Hasrat Chiragh Hasan Hasrat ( ur, Born 1904, Poonch, Kashmir ) was a Poet and Journalist. He began composing poetry when he was still a student at school. He was born in Kashmir but after matriculation he migrated to Pakistan. Early in his career ...

, Akhtar Hussain Raipuri, Ansar Nasiri, Mahmud Nizami,

Meeraji Mohammad Sanaullah Dar (25 May 1912 – 3 November 1949), better known as Meeraji was an Indian Urdu poet. He lived the life of a bohemian, working only intermittently. Early life Born into a Kashmiri family of Gujranwala and named Moham ...

and

Upendranath Ashk Upendranath Sharma "Ashk", (14 December 1910 – 19 January 1996) was an Indian novelist, short story writer and playwright. He was born in Jalandhar, Punjab. In 1933 he wrote his second short story collection in Urdu called ''Aurat Ki Fitrat'' ...

. This proved to be his most productive period as in the next eighteen months he published over four collections of radio plays, ''Aao'' (Come), ''Manto ke Drame'' (Manto's Dramas), ''Janaze'' (Funerals) and ''Teen Auraten'' (Three women). He continued to write short stories and his next short story collection ''

Dhuan ''Dhuan'' ( hi, Smoke) is a 1981 Hindi-language thriller film, produced by Gautham Guha under the Sri Sai Chitra banner and directed by Dulal Guha. It stars Mithun Chakraborty, Ranjeeta, Raakhee, Amjad Khan and Jeetendra in a guest appearance ...

'' (Smoke) was soon out followed by his first collection of topical essays, ''Manto ke Mazamin''. This period culminated with the publication of his mixed collection ''Afsane aur Dramey'' in 1943. Meanwhile, due to growing differences with his colleagues at All India Radio, he left his job and returned to Bombay in July 1942 and again started working with film industry.

Return to Bombay (1942-1948)

Manto returned to Bombay in July 1942 and rejoined as the editor of ''Musawwir''. During this time, he associated with his Aligarh friend

Shaheed Latif Shaheed Lateef (11 June 1913 – 16 April 1967) was Hindi film director, writer, and producer. He was the maker of films like ''Ziddi (1948 film), Ziddi'' (1948) which launched Dev Anand's career and ''Arzoo (1950 film), Arzoo'' (1950) starring D ...

and his wife

Ismat Chughtai Ismat Chughtai (21 August 1915 – 24 October 1991) was an Indian Urdu novelist, short story writer, liberal humanist and filmmaker. Beginning in the 1930s, she wrote extensively on themes including female sexuality and femininity, middle-class ...

. In 1932, on Latif’s invitation he joined the

Filmistan Filmistan is an Indian film studio based in Goregaon, Mumbai. Spread over five acres, near Patkar College on S.V. Road, the studio has seven shooting floors, and a temple and garden for outdoor locations. Patkar College's reputation has increa ...

studio. Here he also formed friendship with

Ashok Kumar Kumudlal Ganguly (13 October 1911 – 10 December 2001), better known by his stage name Ashok Kumar and also by Dadamoni, was an Indian actor who attained iconic status in Indian cinema and who was a member of the cinematic Ganguly family. He ...

and entered his best phase in screenwriting giving films like ''Aatth Din'', ''

Chal Chal Re Naujawan ''Chal Chal Re Naujawan '' () is a 1944 Indian Bollywood Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi languag ...

'' and ''Mirza Ghalib'', which was finally released in 1954. He also wrote '' Shikari''. Some of his short stories also came from this phase including Kaali Shalwar (1941), Dhuan (1941) and Bu (1945), which was published in Qaumi Jang (Bombay) in February 1945. Another highlight of his second phase in Bombay was the publication of a collection of his stories, Chugad, which also included the story 'Babu Gopinath'. Dissatisfied with the people at Filmistan, he joined the

Bombay Talkies Bombay Talkies was a movie studio founded in 1934. During its period of operation, Bombay Talkies produced 40 movies in Malad, a suburb of the Indian city of Bombay. The studio was established in 1934 by Himanshu Rai and Devika Rani. After R ...

in 1947, after the partition of India.

Migration to Pakistan

As a resident of Bombay, Manto had intended to stay in India after

partition Partition may refer to: Computing Hardware * Disk partitioning, the division of a hard disk drive * Memory partition, a subdivision of a computer's memory, usually for use by a single job Software * Partition (database), the division of a ...

. In 1948, his wife and children went to Lahore to visit their relatives and friends. During this time, as stories of the atrocities of partition riots reached him, in the midst of occasional communal riots in Mumbai itself, he decided to migrate to Pakistan, and left for it by ship. He stayed a few days in Karachi, finally settling at Lahore with his family. Manto and his family thus found themselves as "''muhajirs''" (refugees from India) and were among the millions of Muslims who left present-day India for the new Muslim-majority nation of Pakistan.

Life in Lahore

When Manto arrived in Lahore from Bombay, he associated with several intellectuals at Lahore's

Pak Tea House Pak Tea House is an intellectual tea–café located in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan known for its association with progressive academics and left-leaning South Asian intelligentsia. Traditionally frequented by country's notably artistic, cultural and ...

. According to one commentator: "There was absolutely no external influence and people would share their opinions on any subject without fear even during the military dictators' regimes." In Lahore, Manto lived with his wife and family in an apartment in Lakshmi Building located in Lahore's famous Lakshmi Chowk (where many Film Distributors had offices) at the juncture of McLeod Road and Abbott Road, near today's Butt Karahi fast food restaurant. Lakshmi Building no longer exists as such but only its front or facade has been renovated and still faces McLeod Road. Lakshmi Building was abandoned during the partition riots of 1947-48 in Lahore. The mansion is currently dilapidated and uninhabited, though its façade still exists, renovated and painted. Later on, when Manto's financial situation went from bad to worse, he and his family moved in with his wife Mrs. Safia Manto's extended family. This was Manto's extended family as well including his relatives Film Director Masud Pervaiz and Cricket Commentator Hamid Jalal. Manto, Safia Manto and their three daughters all lived with their extended family in a large apartment in the posh LAKSHMI MANSION, an Apartment Complex situated between Hall Road and Beadon Road which had a circular enclosed green space with a Peepal Tree where the other Apartment residents included Mani Shankar Ayyar and the renowned Lahore jeweller Girdhari Lal. The three storied building was built by

Lala Lajpat Rai Lala Lajpat Rai (28 January 1865 - 17 November 1928) was an Indian author, freedom fighter, and politician. He played a vital role in the Indian Independence movement. He was popularly known as Punjab Kesari. He was one of the three members of ...

's Lakshmi insurance company in 1938, inaugurated by

Sarojini Naidu Sarojini Naidu (''née'' Chattopadhyay; 13 February 1879 – 2 March 1949) was an Indian political activist, feminist and poet. A proponent of civil rights, women's emancipation, and anti-imperialistic ideas, she was an important person in Ind ...

, and was at one time the residence of K.Santhanam, an eminent lawyer. Lakshmi Mansion still exists in Lahore and was never abandoned. Later residents have included a former Speaker of Pakistan's National Assembly and Pakistan Peoples Party stalwart Malik Meraj Khalid.

Death

Manto had suffered public trials for writing obscene literature in the newly created and increasingly Islamized Pakistan. Sessions Judge Munir presided over Manto's last trial in Lahore and he is the infamous judge who later became Justice Munir, Pakistan Supreme Court and who invented the Doctrine of Necessity alias Nazria e Zaroorat in later years to buttress Martial Law in Pakistan. In this trial in Lahore against Manto, Faiz Ahmad Faiz, M.D. Taseer and many Literary Celebrities testified in favor of Manto. Manto's trial ended with a warning from Sessions Judge Munir that he was being let off easy with just a fine but would be sent to jail for many years if he did not stop writing his provocative Short Stories. So, Manto could not write his novel and cutting edge short stories. Manto sank into a depression. He tried to alleviate his depression with alcohol and this started affecting his liver and led to cirrhosis of liver with him vomiting blood. His wife and relatives tried admitting him into Lahore Mental Asylum on Jail Road, Lahore which was the rehab clinic for alcoholics at that time. This treatment did not work. Manto returned to Lakshami Mansions, Beadon Road near Mall Road. Soon he had become increasingly alcoholic, which eventually led to

cirrhosis of the liver Cirrhosis, also known as liver cirrhosis or hepatic cirrhosis, and end-stage liver disease, is the impaired liver function caused by the formation of scar tissue known as fibrosis due to damage caused by liver disease. Damage causes tissue repai ...

. He died on 18 January 1955, at Lakshami Mansions, Lahore. His death was attributed to the effects of

alcoholism Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol (drug), alcohol that results in significant Mental health, mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognize ...

. Manto is buried in Miani Saheb graveyard in Lahore. In 1954 he composed his own epitaph:

Here lies Saadat Hasan Manto. With him lie buried all the arts and mysteries of short story writing . . . Under tons of earth he lies, wondering who of the two is the greater short story writer: God or he.

However, on the insistence of his family it was replaced by an alternative epitaph on his grave, which was also authored by him, inspired by a couplet from

Ghalib ) , birth_date = , birth_place = Kala Mahal, Agra, Maratha Confederacy , death_date = , death_place = Gali Qasim Jaan, Ballimaran, Chandni Chowk, Delhi, British India , occupation = Poet , language ...

:

This is the grave of Saadat Hasan Manto, who still thinks his name was not the repeated word on the tablet of time.”

Personal life

On 26 April 1939, Manto married Safia Begum. Their first child Arif died at a young age in April 1941 in Delhi. Later they had three daughters Nighat Manto, Nuzhat Manto and Nusrat Manto. His daughter Nighat Bashir still lives at Lakshami Mansions, Beadon Road where Manto breathed his last.

Writings

Manto chronicled the chaos that prevailed, during and after the Partition of India in 1947. Manto strongly opposed the partition of India, which he saw as an "overwhelming tragedy" and "maddeningly senseless". He started his literary career translating the works of

Victor Hugo Victor-Marie Hugo (; 26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French Romantic writer and politician. During a literary career that spanned more than sixty years, he wrote in a variety of genres and forms. He is considered to be one of the great ...

,

Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish poet and playwright. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular playwrights in London in the early 1890s. He is ...

and Russian writers such as

Chekhov Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (; 29 January 1860 Old Style date 17 January. – 15 July 1904 Old Style date 2 July.) was a Russian playwright and short-story writer who is considered to be one of the greatest writers of all time. His career ...

and Gorky. His first story was "Tamasha", based on 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-independenc ...

at Amritsar. Though his earlier works, influenced by the progressive writers of his times, showed a marked leftist and socialist leanings, his later work progressively became stark in portraying the darkness of the human psyche, as humanist values progressively declined around the Partition. His final works, which grew from the social climate and his own financial struggles, reflected an innate sense of human impotency towards darkness and contained satire that verged on dark comedy, as seen in his final work, Toba Tek Singh. It not only showed the influence of his own demons, but also that of the collective madness that he saw in the ensuing decade of his life. To add to it, his numerous court cases and societal rebukes deepened his cynical view of society, from which he felt isolated. No part of human existence remained untouched or taboo for him, he sincerely brought out stories of prostitutes and pimps alike, just as he highlighted the subversive sexual slavery of the women of his times. To many contemporary women writers, his language portrayed reality and provided them with the dignity they long deserved. He is still known for his scathing insight into human behaviour as well as revelation of the macabre animalistic nature of the enraged people, that stands out amidst the brevity of his prose. At least one commentator compares Saadat Hasan Manto to

D. H. Lawrence David Herbert Lawrence (11 September 1885 – 2 March 1930) was an English writer, novelist, poet and essayist. His works reflect on modernity, industrialization, sexuality, emotional health, vitality, spontaneity and instinct. His best-k ...

, partly because he wrote about taboos of Indo-Pakistani Society. His concerns on the socio-political issues, from local to global are revealed in his series, Letters to Uncle Sam, and those to Pandit Nehru. On his writing he often commented, "If you find my stories dirty, the society you are living in is dirty. With my stories, I only expose the truth".

Controversies

Conservative critique: charge for obscenity

Manto faced trial for obscenity in his writings, three times in British India before 1947 (‘Dhuan’, ‘Bu’ and ‘Kali Shalwar’) and three times in Pakistan after 1947 (‘Khol Do’, ‘ Thanda Gosht’ and ‘Upar Neeche Darmiyaan’) under section 292 of the ''Indian Penal Code '' (by the British Government) and the ''Pakistan Penal Code ''in Pakistan’s early years. He was fined only in one case. Regarding the charges of obscenity he opined, "I am not a pornographer but a story writer".

Progressive critique: migration to Pakistan

While the conservative or right-wing section of the society criticised him on moral grounds, the

progressives Progressivism holds that it is possible to improve human societies through political action. As a political movement, progressivism seeks to advance the human condition through social reform based on purported advancements in science, techno ...

or Marxists and leftists criticised him for ideological reasons, namely for his migration to Pakistan and embrace of

Pakistani nationalism Pakistani nationalism refers to the political, cultural, linguistic, historical, ommonlyreligious and geographical expression of patriotism by the people of Pakistan, of pride in the history, heritage and identity of Pakistan, and visions for ...

, Manto then being championed by traditional minded literary critics such as Hasan Askari and Mumtaz Shirin.

Legacy

Manto was a writer whose life story became a subject of intense discussion and introspection. During the last two decades, many stage productions were done to present his character in conflict with the harsh socio-economic realities of the post-partition era. Danish Iqbal's stage Play ''Ek Kutte Ki Kahani'' presented Manto in a new perspective on occasion of his birth centenary. On 18 January 2005, the fiftieth anniversary of his death, Manto was commemorated on a Pakistani postage stamp. On 14 August 2012 which is Pakistan's Independence Day, Saadat Hasan Manto was posthumously awarded the Nishan-e-Imtiaz award (Distinguished Service to Pakistan Award) by the

Government of Pakistan The Government of Pakistan ( ur, , translit=hakúmat-e pákistán) abbreviated as GoP, is a federal government established by the Constitution of Pakistan as a constituted governing authority of the Administrative units of Pakistan, four provin ...

. In 2015, Pakistani actor and director

Sarmad Khoosat Sarmad Sultan Khoosat (born May 7, 1979) is a Pakistani actor, film/ TV director, producer and screenwriter best known for directing the super-hit TV dramas '' Humsafar'' and ''Shehr-e-Zaat''. He is considered to be one of the best South Asia ...

made and released a movie, ''

Manto may refer to: People * Mando (singer), Greek singer * Manto Mavrogenous, Greek national heroine * Saadat Hasan Manto, Urdu short story writer known by his pen name Manto * Manto Tshabalala-Msimang (1940–2009), South African politician * Manto ...

'', based on the life of Manto. In 2018, the British Broadcasting Corporation named the work

Toba Tek Singh Toba Tek Singh ( pnb, , ur, ) is a city and capital of Toba Tek Singh District in the Pakistani province of Punjab. It is surrounded by cities of Gojra, Kamalia, Rajana, Pir Mahal and Shorkot. History The city and district is named af ...

among the 100 stories that shaped the world, alongside works by authors like

Homer Homer (; grc, Ὅμηρος , ''Hómēros'') (born ) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the ...

and

Virginia Woolf Adeline Virginia Woolf (; ; 25 January 1882 28 March 1941) was an English writer, considered one of the most important modernist 20th-century authors and a pioneer in the use of stream of consciousness as a narrative device. Woolf was born i ...

. The 2018 film ''

Manto may refer to: People * Mando (singer), Greek singer * Manto Mavrogenous, Greek national heroine * Saadat Hasan Manto, Urdu short story writer known by his pen name Manto * Manto Tshabalala-Msimang (1940–2009), South African politician * Manto ...

'', made by

Nandita Das Nandita Das (born 7 November 1969) is an Indian actress and director. She has acted in over 40 feature films in ten different languages. Das appeared in the films ''Fire'' (1996), ''Earth'' (1998), '' Bawandar'' (2000), '' Kannathil Muthamittal' ...

and starring

Nawazuddin Siddiqui Nawazuddin Siddiqui (; born 19 May 1974) is an Indian actor known for his work in Hindi cinema. He is an alumnus of the National School of Drama. Siddiqui's feature film debut was alongside director Prashant Bhargava in ''Patang'' (2012). He ga ...

, is a

Bollywood Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...

film based on the life of Manto. On 11 May 2020,

Google Google LLC () is an American multinational technology company focusing on search engine technology, online advertising, cloud computing, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, artificial intelligence, and consumer electronics. ...

celebrated his 108th birthday with a

Google Doodle A Google Doodle is a special, temporary alteration of the logo on Google's homepages intended to commemorate holidays, events, achievements, and notable historical figures. The first Google Doodle honored the 1998 edition of the long-running an ...

.

Bibliography

* ''Rusi Afsanay'' (Russian Stories) - translated collection of Russian short stories * ''

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 ...

'' (Nuggets of Fire) – 1936 آتش پارے - short stories collection * ''

Manto Ke Afsanay ''Manto Ke Afsanay'' () is a collection of short stories in Urdu by Saadat Hasan Manto . It was first published in 1940. Background Manto Ke Afsanay was first published in 1940 from Lahore. This is the author Manto’s second collection of ori ...

'' (Stories of Manto) – 1940 منٹو کے افسانے - short stories collection *''Aao'' (Come) - 1940 - radio play collection * ''

Dhuan ''Dhuan'' ( hi, Smoke) is a 1981 Hindi-language thriller film, produced by Gautham Guha under the Sri Sai Chitra banner and directed by Dulal Guha. It stars Mithun Chakraborty, Ranjeeta, Raakhee, Amjad Khan and Jeetendra in a guest appearance ...

'' (Smoke) – 1941 دُھواں - short stories collection * ''Janaze'' (Funerals) - 1942 - radio play collection * ''Teen Auraten'' (Three women) - 1942 - radio play collection * ''Afsane Aur Dramay'' (Fiction and Drama) – 1943 افسانے اور ڈرامے - collection of stories and radio plays * ''Manto ke Drame'' (Manto's Dramas) - radio play collection * ''Chugad'' (Blind Fool)– چُغد - short stories collection * Khol Do (Open It) – 1948 کھول دو * Lazzat-e-Sang – 1948 (The Taste of Rock) لذتِ سنگ * Siyah Hashiye – 1948 (Black Borders) سیاہ حاشیہ * Badshahat Ka Khatimah (The End of Kingship) – 1950 بادشاہت کا خاتمہ * Khali Botlein (Empty Bottles) – 1950 خالی بوتلیں * Loud Speaker (Sketches) لاؤڈ سپیکر * Ganjey Farishtey (Sketches) گنجے فرشتے * Manto ke Mazameen منٹو کے مضا مین * Nimrud Ki Khudai (Nimrod The God) – 1950 نمرود کی خُدائی * Thanda Gosht (Cold Meat) – 1950 ٹھنڈا گوشت * Yazid – 1951 یزید * Pardey Ke Peechhey (Behind The Curtains) – 1953 پردے کے پیچھے * Sarak Ke Kinarey (By the Roadside) – 1953 سڑک کے کنارے * Baghair Unwan Ke (Without a Title) – 1954 بغیر عنوان کے * Baghair Ijazit (Without Permission) – 1955 بغیر اجازت *

Toba Tek Singh Toba Tek Singh ( pnb, , ur, ) is a city and capital of Toba Tek Singh District in the Pakistani province of Punjab. It is surrounded by cities of Gojra, Kamalia, Rajana, Pir Mahal and Shorkot. History The city and district is named af ...

– 1955 ٹوبہ ٹیک سنگھ * Burquey – 1955 بُرقعے * Phunduney (Tassles) – 1955 پھندنے * Sarkandon Ke Peechhey (Behind The Reeds) – 1955 سرکنڈوں کے پیچھے * Shaiytan (Satan) – 1955 شیطان * Shikari Auratein (Hunter Women) – 1955 شکاری عورتیں * Ratti, Masha, Tolah – 1956 رتی ماشہ تولہ * Kaali Shalwar (Black Pants) – 1961 کالی شلوار * Manto Ki Behtareen Kahanian (Best Stories of Manto) – 1963 منٹو کی بہترین کہانیاں * Tahira Se Tahir (From Tahira to Tahir) – 1971 طاہرہ سے طاہر * Mottled Dawn: Fifty Sketches and Stories of Partition - 1997

References

Cited sources

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External links

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Manto and his stories
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Translated by Frances W. Pritchett.
Saadat Hasan Manto , Kavishala Sootradhar
{{DEFAULTSORT:Manto, Saadat Hasan 1912 births 1955 deaths Alcohol-related deaths in Pakistan Deaths from cirrhosis Male dramatists and playwrights Modernist theatre Modernist writers Pakistani dramatists and playwrights Punjabi people Pakistani male short story writers Pakistani progressives People of British India People from Ludhiana district Postmodern writers Progressive Writers' Movement Recipients of Nishan-e-Imtiaz Recipients of Sitara-i-Imtiaz Urdu-language writers Writers from Lahore 20th-century dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Pakistani short story writers 20th-century Pakistani male writers 20th-century translators

Biography

Early life

Education and early career

Career in Bombay (1937-1941)

In Delhi (1941-1942)

Return to Bombay (1942-1948)

Migration to Pakistan

Life in Lahore

Death

Personal life

Writings

Controversies

Conservative critique: charge for obscenity

Progressive critique: migration to Pakistan

Legacy

Bibliography

References

Cited sources

Further reading

External links