A formulaic romance novel segues into a study of the emotional and psychological challenges faced by its protagonists, exploring
Published 11 May, 2025 09:02am
A debut novel by a Middle East political analyst forces readers to reconsider their assumptions about ideological transformation
Published 11 May, 2025 08:56am
In the works of Urdu’s prominent poet and cultural historian Farrukh Yar, the compositeness of South Asian civilisation and its...
Updated 11 May, 2025 02:17pm
Regarding the shelves in a bookshop the other day, where some of my favourite writers were displayed, I recalled
Published 04 May, 2025 07:15am
An unconventional biography of Shyam Benegal by a longtime collaborator and mentee, provides rich information on the filmmaker
Published 04 May, 2025 07:15am
Coco Mellors’ remarkably engaging latest novel is an authentic story about sisterhood,
sibling rivalry, loss, anguish
Published 04 May, 2025 07:15am
An academic book investigates the demand for populism in the country and analyses the complex relationship between populism,
Published 04 May, 2025 07:15am
What is the ‘Pakistan Ideology’ and is it the same as ‘Islamic Ideology’, as it is sometimes represented? The latest book
Published 27 Apr, 2025 06:44am
A novel about exes getting involved with their exes’ partners’ exes is a sweet, light, easy read but do not expect it to stay
Published 27 Apr, 2025 06:44am
The sequel to The Light Blue Jumper has deeper themes and more ambitious worldbuilding, while retaining the sci-fi novel’s trad
Published 27 Apr, 2025 06:44am
When it comes to art’s relationship with power, history is replete with instances where artists have sucked up to power. However
Updated 27 Apr, 2025 11:25am
A book co-authored by a Pakistani and an American scholar is the first-ever to present a South Asian perspective on the...
Published 20 Apr, 2025 08:06am
A debut novel about a family dispute showcases the author’s facility with words but suffers from a less-than-riveting plot
Published 20 Apr, 2025 07:58am
An Urdu book by a disciple pays worthy tribute to the musical legend that was composer Nisar Bazmi
Published 20 Apr, 2025 07:53am
The death of Peruvian author Mario Vargas Llosa (Arequipa, 1936-Lima, 2025) marks the end of a Golden Age of Latin...
Published 20 Apr, 2025 07:47am
A selection of articles and editorials by Shaukat Siddiqi, originally published in the Urdu weekly magazine Al-Fath during the...
Published 13 Apr, 2025 09:00am
A debut novel set in rural England explores the deep fractures caused by rigid traditions, identity struggles and ideological...
Published 13 Apr, 2025 08:52am
A book on linguistics presents findings about how change in the world and modernisation is impacting patterns of behaviour and...
Published 13 Apr, 2025 08:48am
My father Shamsur Rahman Faruqi’s archive of letters is vast. Before emails diminished the volume of handwritten...
Updated 13 Apr, 2025 01:42pm
Over 100 years after the first publication of T.S. Eliot’s ‘The Waste Land’, an Urdu book delves into the poem’s journey and...
Published 06 Apr, 2025 11:05am
A gothic YA novel is often predictable but also atmospheric and entertaining and would enhance a young person’s desire to develop
Published 06 Apr, 2025 10:58am
A Punjabi book brings together interesting biographies and anecdotes about 30 outstanding sportspersons from both Pakistani...
Published 06 Apr, 2025 10:54am
The qissa is a marvellous genre that encompasses every imaginable form of storytelling, from adventures to travelogues to healing
Published 06 Apr, 2025 10:46am
A recent book is a compelling examination of the interplay between growth, equity and governance and an essential read for anyone
Published 30 Mar, 2025 08:49am
A second collection of engaging short fiction from writer Shahbano Alvi, often centred on unhappy marriages, death and disease...
Published 30 Mar, 2025 08:37am
An ambitious anthology presents the curated work of 68 Pakistani poets writing in English, turning the venture into an informal...
Published 30 Mar, 2025 07:57am
In Pakistan and among the Pakistani diaspora, it is heartening to see the strong emergence of a new generation of gifted English
Published 30 Mar, 2025 07:47am
The Zeenat Haroon Writing Prize for Women is sending out a call for submissions. This year’s category is ‘Short Fiction’. Writers
Published 30 Mar, 2025 07:42am
A ‘standalone sequel’ collection of college stories by Nadya Chishty-Mujahid draws readers into familiar territory but is more...
Published 23 Mar, 2025 09:06am
A recent book details the story of a woman who, through her sheer dedication and pursuit of excellence, has shaped the future of
Published 23 Mar, 2025 08:59am
A well-researched book details a people’s history of Karachi and how gradual negligence turned the city of lights into a city of
Published 23 Mar, 2025 08:54am
My copy of So Long a Letter is dated September 1986. That year, I was feeding my imagination on what we then quaintly referred to
Published 23 Mar, 2025 08:35am
A voluminous biography of China’s celebrated former prime minister, based on previously inaccessible documents, is also partly a
Published 16 Mar, 2025 12:03pm
American journalist and author Jessica Bruder was in Pakistan last month to attend the Lahore Literary Festival. She speaks with
Published 16 Mar, 2025 11:54am
Mustansar Hussain Tarar’s new book delves into the intricacies of human nature as he shares his personal experiences with some of
Published 16 Mar, 2025 11:42am
‘True crime’ has existed in some guise since the late 19th century, but it got its name in the 1960s. Books in...
Published 16 Mar, 2025 11:32am
Ta-Nehisi Coates’ new book, spanning Senegal, the United States and Palestine, is a call to arms for anyone who believes in the
Published 09 Mar, 2025 09:25am
A rewrite of the movie Runaway Bride with a new ending conceived by the author is consummate romance novel fodder
Published 09 Mar, 2025 09:20am
Published 13 years after his death, the memoirs of legendary comedian, actor and compere Moin Akhtar make one feel as if he is...
Published 09 Mar, 2025 09:17am
Many years ago, the late poet, critic and broadcaster Qamar Jameel scribed his poetry collection Chahaar Khwaab [Four Dreams] for
Published 09 Mar, 2025 09:12am
The 13th Lahore Literary Festival, which took place February 21-23, had some intriguing sessions of discussions focusing on the...
Published 02 Mar, 2025 08:19am
A retired detective and his daughter-in-law create a dynamic and unconventional crime-solving duo
Published 02 Mar, 2025 08:15am
Winner of the 2024 Booker Prize, a slim novel set in a space station engages with deep questions about the future of humanity and
Published 02 Mar, 2025 08:09am
A kind of poetic justice was meted out to me some years later. My school had been recently nationalised and, while a number of
Published 02 Mar, 2025 08:03am
While sometimes dated, journalist Zahid Hussain’s collection of 39 interviews with people who mattered at the time, provides...
Published 23 Feb, 2025 09:42am
A slim collection of short stories covers vast ground, from magical realism to social ills and diverse issues facing expatriate...
Published 23 Feb, 2025 09:37am
At a first glance, one feels jitters going through the spine to note the title Ghalib gave to his 1857-1858 diary of that fateful
Published 23 Feb, 2025 09:34am
The book provides the complete history of Jammu & Kashmir, from the rule of the Mughals followed by the Sikhs and Britishers...
Published 23 Feb, 2025 09:58am
The 16th Karachi Literature Festival was held over three days from February 7-9. An author of two novels assesses the annual...
Published 16 Feb, 2025 09:29am
An Urdu translation of the most famous book by last year’s winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature, Han Kang, is flawless and...
Published 16 Feb, 2025 09:23am
An important new book leads one to rethink what the world could have been, had notions of ethnic and civilisational superiority...
Published 16 Feb, 2025 09:17am
At the 16th Karachi Literature Festival (KLF), the two incisive keynote speeches in the inaugural session, by F.S....
Updated 09 Mar, 2025 09:11am
A second edition of a book with an additional article delves into the prickly issues surrounding the state of Pakistan, in...
Published 09 Feb, 2025 10:01am
Awais Khan’s latest novel, about a married Lahore high-society couple trying to navigate a relationship fraught with personal...
Published 09 Feb, 2025 09:33am
A stupendous piece of painstaking research, a new book in Urdu provides the most comprehensive listing of Mohammed Rafi songs...
Published 09 Feb, 2025 09:26am
The pronoun ‘hum’ or ‘we’ is added to many of Farsi-Urdu nouns to create poetic, evocative compounds such as...
Published 09 Feb, 2025 09:24am
A historian looks at Lahore as a case-study to see how his hometown has systematically lost its connection to its many-splendoured
Published 02 Feb, 2025 09:17am
A memoir by a young blogger seems like a self-help book for young women like her and is primarily focused on child-rearing and...
Published 02 Feb, 2025 09:13am
Dr Mahmood Ali Ayub compares the life experiences and poetic styles of two celebrated poets — Pakistan’s Faiz Ahmed Faiz...
Published 02 Feb, 2025 09:10am
Sometimes the lack of stimulation is just what the mind needs to develop in a healthy way. I recently thought about...
Published 02 Feb, 2025 09:03am
While a new book about the scandalous death of poet and former bureaucrat Mustafa Zaidi more than 50 years ago still doesn’t give
Published 26 Jan, 2025 09:58am
A slim book is a good starting point for those who want to have a basic idea about Pakistan’s economic problems and policies over
Published 26 Jan, 2025 09:53am
An English translation of Hasan Manzar’s Urdu novel Habs successfully retains the style and meaning of the original work
Published 26 Jan, 2025 09:40am
In Jamshoro, a couple of months ago, I had a chance to visit the M.H. Panhwar Institute of Sindh Studies. The...
Published 26 Jan, 2025 09:35am
A gripping tale about prevailing political realities, Omar Shahid Hamid’s sixth novel is a playful political satire about power
Published 19 Jan, 2025 09:11am
A collection of short stories, essays and reflections force one to ponder the harsh realities of life and the resilience required
Updated 19 Jan, 2025 05:03pm
A coffee table book chronicles the convoluted journey of the establishment of the National Art Gallery in Islamabad, from its...
Published 19 Jan, 2025 08:58am
This summer I was awarded a GCSE in Urdu. I’m now inching towards an A-level in the language. I was inspired to...
Published 19 Jan, 2025 08:48am
A first collection of short stories by a renowned academic fuses the absurd with realism and explores social layers of...
Published 12 Jan, 2025 08:43am
