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A word about letters
By Kazy Javed English fiction by Pakistani writers The South Asian Journal, which is published from Lahore under the editorship of Imtiaz Alam, has many distinctions. It's the first scholarly quarterly devoted to analytical study of various cultural, economic and political issues related to our corner of the globe which is inhabited by more than one-fifth of humanity. The journal is the organ of the South Asian Free Media Association (SAFMA), an organisation of prominent media persons across the South Asia region working for the promotion of peace and cooperation in our God-forsaken region. The South Asian Journal has completed six years of its regular publication which, in the backdrop of conflict-riddin South Asia, is no mean achievement. It has successfully provided an intellectual platform to journalists and scholars to share their contributions and play a role in developing regional consciousness. The current 24th issue of the journal carries an article of special interest to the literati. Written by writer and critic Muneeza Shamsie, it is on the subject of English language fiction penned by Pakistan's female writers. In her aforementioned article Muneeza Shamsie writes that English is the language that Pakistanis have acquired because of colonial encounter, and women's writing in English forges a unique voice between the largely patriarchal structures of English literature and the mainstream literature of Pakistan, Bapsi Sidhwa, she says, is the first Pakistani fictionist. She is also the first resident Pakistani, regardless of gender, who received international recognition as an English language novelist. Her first novel was published under the title The Crow Eaters in 1979. Her fifth book Water hit the bookstands in 2005. The other Pakistani women writing English language fiction and discussed in Muneeza Shamsie's article are Rukhsana Ahmad, Sara Suleri, Kamila Shamsie, Uzma Aslam Khan, Feryal Ali Gauhar, Sarayya Khan, Moni Mohsin, Shahbano Bilgrami and Shandana Minhas. Muneeza Shamsie believes that Pakistani female writing, as a genre, stands on the brink of an exciting future and has come a long, long way since 1947. A report on Pakistani fictionists writing in English was also published in The Guardian a few weeks ago. It said that these writers had long been overshadowed by literary giants from neighbouring India, but now they are winning attention and acclaim in the outside world as their country is sinking into violence and chaos. Daniyal Mueenuddin, the novelist who received a lot of attention at a recent literary festival held in the Indian city of Jaipur, has an explanation. He has been quoted in the report as saying: "Pakistani writers look sexy now because of their country being so much in the news. When I hear of the hottest new Lithuanian writer, my heart doesn't leap. That's prejudice but it's also true that there is a resurgence of writing in Pakistan." The News :24 May ,2009 |
