Over the past couple of decades, a whole generation of Pakistani-English fiction writers has emerged on the literary scene. Their works have been appreciated and critically acclaimed in the west, giving Pakistani literature an international outlook. They also enjoy great following among English readers in Pakistan. Modern Pakistani English fiction is a representative of the turbulence of its times and raises important contemporary issues concerning Pakistan’s society and its place among other nations of the world. On the other hand, there’s a strong opinion that Pakistani English writers are divorced from the country’s reality. Their fiction floats in the air and has no roots in Pakistan’s soil. Most of them live in the west and have a patronizing and extra critical attitude towards Pakistan and its people. How can a person authentically write about the tribal areas or Karachi’s gang wars from their comfortable study in London or New York? Ultimately, the authenticity and literary value of Pakistani English fiction is for the readers to decide.

One exception to this phenomenon is Musharraf Ali Farooqi, one the most popular Pakistani English writers. He writes in English and lives in Karachi and Toronto but unlike most of his tribe, his fiction is very deeply rooted in Pakistan’s culture, its soil and Urdu’s literary tradition. His themes, characters, situations, sensibilities, wisdom and cultural references are so very desi that it feels like you are reading the English translation of a novel originally written in Urdu. To this date, Farooqi has written three novels and translations of classic Urdu epics Daastan-e-Amir Hamza and Tilism-e-Hoshruba. He has also worked on children’s fiction. His works have received critical acclaimed as well as public appreciation.

Farooqi’s debut novel titled Salar Jung’s Passion was released in 2002. It’s a broad canvas story set in an imaginary Indian town of Purana Sheher. The city is infested with termites eating away entire neighborhoods and ending in collapse of one building after the other. In such a drastic backdrop, the protagonist, an eccentric aristocrat Salar Jung holds the heart of a young man in an old body. In the twilight of his life, he’s seduced by an enchantress and is striving against nature and state of things to be young again and fill his days and nights with love and passion. The novel presents a vast and rich picture of the life of a troubled city. The story is perfectly told and makes its way through many colorful characters and interesting situations. Overall outlook of the story is serious but one can feel a subtle layer of humor in the backdrop which at times beautifully unfolds and takes the forefront. In the middle of a crisis within a crisis, a third crisis emerges which involves the problem of five portly pehelwans (wrestlers) climbing the roof of a house eaten away by termites. Farooqi’s humor gives a light touch to the novel and is measured and well placed within the story. Although being a first rate novel, Salar Jung’s Passion remains largely ignored. In my opinion, it’s a much better novel than the author’s later novels which were both shortlisted for various prestigious literary awards.

Farooqi’s second novel The Story of a Widow is the story of a widow, inspiration of which came to the author from a portrait hanging on a wall inside a home in Toronto. It was picture of the late husband of the lady of the house. Although married again, she refused to remove the picture from her home and her life. That woman inspired Farooqi to create the character of Mona, protagonist of The Story of a Widow. The novel tells the story of a middle aged woman in Karachi who is faced with many absurdities and uncertainties of life just after being widowed out of a difficult and suffocating marriage. Realization that at her age she could still get an admirer and enjoy marital bliss after all, makes her bold enough to take difficult decisions against social and emotional pressures. The character evolves from a miserable wife and a lonely widow to a happily married woman. The tragic conclusion of the story shows Mona emerging as an even stronger person taking complete charge of her life and happiness. The Story of a Widow has a strong feminist streak, showing a woman making her own decisions and breaking social taboos. Its contemporary theme makes it very relevant with the present times.

Between Clay and Dust, Farooqi’s latest novel is a story of two legendary performers who have become mere shadow of their former glory and going through emotional struggles in their twilight years. Ustad Ramzi is a greatly renowned pehelwan (wrestler) who ruled the world of pehelwani for many years and remained undefeated. He has devoted his retirement years for training the next generation of pehelwans, taking care of his ancestor’s graves and running his famous akhara (training ground) in strict discipline. The tragedy of Ustad Ramzi’s life is his younger brother and heir Tamami, who was to succeed him as the great pehelwan and custodian of the akhara. Tamami hugely disappoints his mentor’s expectations in every way possible. The other half of the story revolves around Gauhar Jan, a famous courtesan in the old days. During her peak time, she was renowned for her exquisite beauty and unmatched singing prowess. The glitter is quite gone in her old age and she’s suffering from ill health. Just like Ustad Ramzi, life has disappointed her too. As the story progresses she succumbs to her sorrows and becomes more and more disenchanted with life. The two stories are linked with some rare meetings between Ustad Ramzi and Gauhar Jan. These meetings are the most precious part of the story. They develop a rare affinity for each other. It seems they want to share their feelings but most of it is left unsaid. Between Clay and Dust is a tribute to the two most exquisite and popular artistic traditions of our land which have faded in the sands of time. Author’s powerful narrative and attention to detail has brought the colorful worlds of akhara and kotha (courtesan’s parlor) to life.  

Musharraf Ali Farooqi’s greatest work to this date is his first rate English translation of Tilism-e-Hoshruba, a nineteenth century fantasy magical epic which is most popular Urdu dastaan of all times. Spanning over eight thousand pages, the epic was written and expanded by a number of master storytellers from Lucknow during the latter half of nineteenth century. Storytelling was one of the most sophisticated forms of entertainment in those days and Tilism-e-Hoshruba became a craze with its audiences. It was a continuation of the legendary epic Dastaan-e-Amir Hamza which was told for centuries all over the Muslim world. The story is an endless series of magical wars between good and evil. Packed with sorcerers, djinns, giants, tricksters and damsels, Tilism-e-Hoshruba takes its reader to a fascinating world of endless imagination. It’s no wonder that it still mesmerizes its readers and listeners. However, due to its incredible length, obsolete flowery language, metaphors and symbolism the readership of the tale diminished over generations. Farooqi’s simple English translation with substantial explanatory material has not only introduced this fantastic tale to English reading audiences internationally but also made it possible to read for audiences in Subcontinent who are unable to understand or easily read nineteenth century Urdu.

Judging by his themes and storytelling in Salar Jung’s Passion and after seeing the massive translation of Tilim-e-Hoshruba, my impression of Musharraf Ali Farooqi was that of an elderly man publishing his life’s work. He was nothing of that sort when I saw him in person at Faiz International Festival held at Alhamra Arts and Cultural Center at Lahore in November 2015. One evening, during a break between the sessions, I spotted him at the art gallery. A casually dressed man in his late forties, he was curiously studying works of art displayed on the walls. I asked him to sign his novels for me. He gave an impression of friendliness and humility. He was happy to see my copy of Salar Jung’s Passion and asked me where I got it from because even he didn’t have its hard copy. I didn’t tell him that I picked it up from a footpath in Anarkali and never saw this great book on shelves of any book store. Instead I offered him to keep it but he smiled in response and told me that he has a soft copy. I believe we can expect great things from Musharraf Ali Farooqi who has already achieved so much.