Saturday 27 November 2010

Khas O Khashak Zamany





Mustansar Hussain Tarar is a master craftsman, when he writes, the words he uses speak themselves what they stand for, the usual meaning takes a different stance look glossier, lively, deep and sensuous.

KHAS O KHASHAK ZAMANAY his latest novel published this year is another feather in his illustrious career as novelist. The story is so skillfully told using all new and old techniques- fantasy, stream of consciousness, magical realism just to say literary techniques, otherwise the craftsmanship used is also of a master architect, a master painter and a master sculptor. One is gripped all time, one cannot miss a single sentence, and you cannot afford to miss a single line when Tarar writes.

The story runs in a wide landscape of time and space. Past, present and future work as three dimensions of time in the story, past is never past and future is never future, past is always running parallel with future and future parallel with past in the whole story, whereas the reader is always aware that he is present in the story, in the NOW.

The very first page inspires the reader where following dedication appears:

DEDICATED TO ATTAR'S BIRDS AND NEW ADAM

The story starts in a village in pre -partition Punjab, and then spreads and develops after independence in Lahore, taking note of all important political and social events, like martial laws, 1965 war, 1971 war and fall of Dacca. The story takes a new high after 9/11 when Afghanistan and Iraq are devastated.
The final chapters of the story are classic example of how an artist can use his historic heritage and rise to glorifying heights. Tarar uses Attar’s metaphor of thirty birds in search of a king where the birds eventually find themselves. Here Tarar’s character in search of truth finds a new Adam…

Book published by Sang e meel Publications.
Pages 740
Year of Publication 2010

11 comments:

  1. hmm...this is the book I am longed to pruchase...

    Its very nice of you Dar Sahib to write about it.

    Thank you so much.

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  2. Lovely, It means I will have to read it soon so I can see what a writer like Tarar thinks about Attar's seven valleys and how can he compare those to a common man.

    Sir Akhtar, thank you for this valuable post. Your information about ancient and modern literature is brilliant.

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  3. Thanks Thinking and Urooj,after Bahao and Raakh Tarar has written novel like Qurbate Marg me Mohabat and Dakia and Johlaha but Khas O Khashak Zamany is a different experience.

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  4. How attractive is the title "Khas o Khashak Zamanay", the novel will surely be worth-reading, thanks for sharing.

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  5. Peerless, the format of story, the contents and the underlying emotions, intellectual curiosity and the characters of this novel are just superb and once you start you will read till end…

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  6. What a character of Bakht Jehan by Mustansir Sir!
    Great.....

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  7. Yes Kashif it was a fabulous character!

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  8. main bohut der sy yeh book lena chah rahe hun but mil nahe rahe ... i think u can understand jb mustanser sahb ki koi new book na pr pa rhy hon to kesa feel hota hai ... ap ny uper un k novels ka zikr kiya .... pta nai keo mujh sy bahao prha nai geya .. i tried thrice ... n rakh ka impact itna hua tha k mera accent bhi bdl geya hai ... n all of the rest are my favz ... i hope yeh buk jalti sy mil jaye .. !!!

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  9. Farwa you can get this book from sand meel publishers easily. And Baho is a must read book for Tarar's fans, one of the best urdu novels.

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  10. but i live in sheikhupura ... do they delivere books on order ???

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  11. yes Farwa sang meel delivers books by post to ant destination.

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