A History Of Urdu Literature

This text traces the development of Urdu literature from the earliest time to the 21st century. It contains biographical sketches of writers and critical appreciations of their work. An effort has been made to illustrate the relationships between the writers and their different movements.

This work has successfully managed to order a vast and amorphous body of literary activity into one volume. The book marked a stage in the development of literary consciousness even more deeply than preceding works by Abdul Latif and Ram Babu Saxena. Taking a historical view, the study regards the formative Deccan period as most creditable both for the natural bent of the language and the natural inclination of the poets. The author regards the pure, indigenous Urdubetter than the Persianised Urdu. The literary history ends with a notice on Mohammad Iqbal. The Progressive Writers Movement was yet to be launched, and the author was standing at a cusp. From this vantage, he provided us with a useful summary of the past, and gave a context to unfolding trends inliterature.

The Book Seeks To Present A Compact Survey Of The Rich And Varied Contribution Of Urdu To The Indian Literary Mainstream Through Centuries Of Shared Creative Endeavour And Inspiration. Designed To Serve As A Reliable Guide For Interested Readers From Sister Languages, It Brings Into Focus The Currents And Cross Currents That Have Shaped Its History And Produced Personalities Of Distinction And Prestige Whose Works Have Stood The Test Of Time. The Lucid And Balanced Treatment Of Numerous Forms Of Poetry And Prose Has Both Range And Depth And Reveals A Broad Understanding Of The Historical Forces Behind Deviations From Convention And Transformations In Styles That Have Given Us Perennial Sources Of Joy And Intellectual Fulfilment.

This Book Containes Two Kinds Of Essays: Reflections On Urdu Literature And The People And Organizations Which Have Been Concerned With Promoting It, And What Might Be Called Ethnographic Pieces On Islam In South Asia, With Comments On Trends In Islam.