Pakistani literature in English has developed over several stages from pre-partition to the present. Early works reflected the turmoil of the independence movement and creation of Pakistan. Major themes included nationalism, social conflicts, and secularism. Prominent early writers included Ahmed Ali and Mumtaz Shahzawaz. Post-partition literature focused on disillusionment and threats to liberal values. Writers like Manto, Kazi, and Farooqi explored social issues through short stories. More recent decades saw increased exploration of issues like politics, history, gender, and identity by writers such as Shamsie, Hamid, and Hanif. Pakistani literature has grown to give voice to the country's diverse experiences over the decades.

1. TRENDS & TRADITIONS IN
PAKISTANI LITERATURE IN
ENGLISH
By
Muhammad Azam
EX-Assistant Professor
F. G .Sir Syed College, RWP
azamnuml@gmail.com

2. MAIN STAGES
 Pre-partition Literature
 The 1950s
 The 1960s
 The 1970s to1980s
 The 1990s to-date

3. PRE-PARTITION LITERATURE
 Fabric of tragic tale in the background of
British held Sub-continent .
 Reflects dark picture of incessant strife.
 Themes of extreme nationalism, socio-
cultural conflicts, socialist & secular
movements.

4. PROMINENT WRITERS
 AHMED ALI
Twilight in Delhi (1940)
- set in 1911 in a Muslim neighborhood in Delhi
-reflects despair over downfall of the Mughals & rise of
the British.
 FEROZE KHAN NOON
From Memory (Autobiography)
Scented Dust-reflects the laws of social and religious
life among the communities of sub-continent.

5. Contd.
 KHAWAJA AHMAD ABBAS
• Tomorrow is Ours (Novel)
• Blood and Stones (Novelette)
• Flower of Her Feet,Twelve Hours, Saffron Blossom
and Reflection in Mirror (Short Stories).
*The major themes in his works pertain to socialist and
secular nationalistic movements, theme of courtesan
and prostitution, controversies and atrocities in sub-
continent.

6. Contd.
MUMTAZ SHAHZAWAZ
 Wrote poem under the title “The Spectator”
 Wrote a political novel “The Heart Divided” between
1943 and 1948, which sketches the creation of
Pakistan from Muslims’ point of view and the plot
consists of the changing relationship of a Hindu and a
Muslim Family.

7. The 1950s
 The early post-partition literature obviously
succeeded in capturing the sense of disillusionment
during 1950’s.
 Focus on individual experience, views of liberal
democratic elite, who regarded democracy, freedom
and egalitarianism as desirable political traditions,
which were being threatened by socialism on the
one side and on the other by theocratic thoughts.

8. PROMINENT WRITERS –TRENDS & THEMES
(1950s)
 Prominent publication was “Pakistan P.E.N
Miscellany” edited by Ahmed Ali at a time when
most of the Indian Writers’ credo was the democratic
ideals and liberalism. On the whole, the theory of
social realism was stressed during this decade.
 Saadat Hassan Manto’s “The New Constitution-
1935” and Syed Waliullah’s story “The Escape”
reflect the events relating to the India-Pakistan
Independence reflected through .
 In 1952, Elsa Kazi published the novel “Old English
Garden Symphony” having musical structure.

9. 1950s contd.
 During this decade, the short stories were getting
popular and were used as a tool to express the social
problems prevailing in the contemporary society.
 Among the Short story writers Zaib-un-Nisa
Hamidullah, the writer of “The Young Wife and
other Stories” was the prominent figure.
 “The Peepul Trees” and “Fame” are ironical and
are written on the style of Maupassant and O’
Henry;
 “The Young Wife” and “The First Born”, show the
conflict between the traditional values of the rural
areas of Pakistan and individualism.

10. 1950s Contd.
 ZAHIR H. FAROOQI, a young diplomat stayed in
Italy, China and Australia in the 1950’s.
 His first novel “Love in Ruins” is based upon his
Italian stay, but it lacks inane moralism and
sentimentality.
 Reflects his love for Rome, Florence and Venice.
Rome, Florence and Venice

11. The 1960s
 The 1960’s in Pakistan History are marked with great
political, sociological and geographical upheavals.
 Themes pertaining to the socio-political problems of
Pakistan, its history, its self-image, religious and
cultural policies especially the horrors of war, the
corruption and selfishness of Politicians, the neglect
of the cultural heritage, ethnic discrimination,
discrimination against women and social, political and
ideological conflicts rising in East Pakistan and the
quest for liberalism.

12. PROMINENT WRITERS (1960s)
NASIR AHMED FAROOQI-
 “Faces of Love and Death” (Novel), is based upon
the lives of upper middle class people in Pakistan.
ZULFIKAR GHOSE-the Novelist, Poet, Story Writer,
Autobiographer, Journalist, Educationalist, Essayist and
Literary Critic.
The Murder of Aziz Khan (1967). This was the first
cohesive, modern English novel written by a writer of
Pakistani origin. The plot is about a poor Punjab
Farmer destroyed by a group of industrialists.

13. PROMINENT WRITERS (1960s) Contd.
H.K. BURKI published only eight short stories under
the title “Saqipur Sacred” (1969). His stories have
generally a protagonist, who struggles against moral or
social forces of some kind while being in a temporarily
unstable state of being.
MEHDI ALI SELJOUK published a long poem entitled
My Goodness: A Devotional and a collection of short
stories called Corpses. His tirade reminds one of D.H
Lawrence’s similar tirade as depicted in the novel
“Kangaroo”.
Major theme in Seljouk’s works is the struggle of one
main character against circumstances.

14. The 1970s to 1980s
 A period of literary spirits and writing enthusiasm.
 Prominent writers include Taufiq Rafat, Daud Kamal,
Sara Suleri and Alamgir Hashmi.
 Represented the culture of Pakistan through their
poetry.
 Mainly highlighted political upheavals, economic
disparity, women’s emancipation, and dictatorship
regime.

15. The 1970s to 1980s Contd.
 Bapsi Sidhwa, the mother of Pakistani English novel
published her first novel “The Crow Eaters” in 1978
and The novel Cracking India (first published as Ice-
Candy-Man in 1980), by Bapsi Sidhwa, explores the
civil war that occurred during the Partition of India in
1947. The political and social upheaval engendered
by independence and Partition included religious
intolerance
 Sara Sulehri’s contributed her classic memoir
Meatless Days in 1989 that presents a picture of
personal and private life of the writer and laid the
foundations of distinctive Pakistani idiom.

16. 1990s to-date
 KAMILA SHAMSIE, entered the literary arena with
her debut novel In the City by the Sea in 1998. She
later went on to publishing highly acclaimed novels
including Salt and Safron(2000), Kartography (2002),
Broken Verses (2005), Home Fire (2017), and Burnt
Shadows (2009).
 Shamsie deals with themes of identity, gender
politics, history, terrorism and many more current
issues that deconstruct the Pakistani consciousness.

17. 1990s to-date Contd.
 Kamila Shamsie's Salt and Saffron touches upon the
issues of female emancipation, love, class-divide,
womanhood and its relationship to myth and how
'woman' creates a balance out of tradition and
modernity.
 MOHSIN HAMID’S publication of Moth Smoke in
2000 & The Reluctant Fundamentalist that created
quite a stir among South Asian readers.
 Depict themes of identity and cultural conflicts and
the resultant alienation and disillusionment especially
after 9/11.

18. 1990s to-date Contd.
 First two decades of 21st century proved most ripe
and writers like Muhammad Hanif, Omar Shahid
Hamid,Fatima Bhutto, Nadeem Aslam, Bina Shah
and Dr. Osama Siddique made real contributions to
enrich the Pakistani-novel.
 Discussed different philosophical, civilizational,
religious and socio-political issues which an ordinary
Pakistani faced in 21st century world.
 Questioned the moral and political corruption,
satirized the dictatorship and unveiled the untouched
realms of gender issues.

19. CONCLUSION
 The journey of Pakistani literature from partition to
21st century globalized world is an expression of
heterogeneous experiences and all those realities
and experiences found their voices in works of
Pakistani authors.
 Where the pre-partition literature mirrors the saga of
those loyal lovers, who struggled and strived for the
sacred soul of Pakistan, the writers of post-partition
Pakistani literature in English have proved their
matchless artistic skills as novelists, historians,
essayists, story-teller and playwright.

20. SOURCES
 A History of Pakistani Literature in English by Tariq
Rehman.
 Pakistani Fiction in English (Source Wikipedia –
Internet).
 Pakistani Writers in English by Muneeza Shamsie.

21. QUESTIONS