A collection of classic, yet shockingly contemporary, short stories set in the vibrant world of mid-century Bombay, from one of India’s greatest writers. Arriving in 1930s Bombay, Saadat Hasan Manto discovered a city like no other. A metropolis for all, and an exhilarating hub of license and liberty, bursting with both creative energy and helpless despondency. A journalist, screenwriter, and editor, Manto is best known as a master of the short story, and Bombay was his lifelong muse. Vividly bringing to life the city’s seedy underbelly—the prostitutes, pimps, and gangsters that filled its streets—as well as the aspiring writers and actors who arrived looking for fame, here are all of Manto’s Bombay-based stories, together in English for the very first time. By turns humorous and fantastical, Manto’s tales are the provocative and unflinching lives of those forgotten by humanity.
Manto was born as Saadat Hasan Manto in 1912 and died in 1955. He was never a bright student; failed thrice for his matriculation and, ironically, failed in Urdu, his idiom of expression, in all those attempts. He began his writing career as a cadet journalist in a monthly magazine and Baari Alig encouraged him to start translating classics from European languages. Victor Hugo's "Last days of a condemned" was his first attempt. His first story "Tamasha" was published in the same monthly magazine in 1934. In his chequered career, he always struggled financially. The political atmosphere in the country in the 30s and 40s was poisonous for both Muslims and Hindus. The communal riots started both in mainland India and would- be Pakistan. It significantly affected Manto's thinking. Many of his friends and benefactors dissuaded Manto from migrating to Pakistan, a decision that he always regretted. In the maelstrom of communal frenzy, there were many writers of both Hindi and Urdu, who succumbed and wrote stories siding with their respective communities. He remained above the prejudices of religion, caste, and creed. He wrote, what he saw, faithfully. Some critics had suggested that Manto died as a writer when he moved to Pakistan, though many of his classic stories emanated after reaching Pakistan, particularly, those which were written against the backdrop of partition. Manto rightly thought that he was being neglected and was not given the respect that was his due. Secondly, he always felt out of place in Lahore, which he found too stuffing in the new nation being formulated along religious lines as had ever been used to secular environs of pre-partitioned India, no matter how dangerous political atmosphere was. From his Bombay (now Mumbai)'s days in India until Lahore in Pakistan, Manto had become addicted to alcohol. As his resources were limited, that on occasions, he would write a story in a newspaper's office in half an hour and collect money, just enough to buy half a bottle of Rum. What makes Manto significant? "When I read Manto, I always feel that all his contemporaries, including me, am traveling in a bullock cart while he is flying in an airplane above us. He is so much ahead of his times".(Krishan Chander, the legendary writer from the sub-continent)Krishan Chander was reflecting on the themes of Manto's stories, which had never been attempted before by an Indian author. He was charged with obscenity for his stories, at least, three times, because the subject matter he was writing was taboo. Unsurprisingly, all the cases originated in Lahore (now, in Pakistan) where he went and settled after migrating from India. In his lifetime, Manto was accused of provoking sexual perversion. Here a quote from Waris Alvi, a prominent critic, would be not out of place."Sex has been an active theme in many of Manto's stories; but, there is also much more than sex in them. His characters reveal many other traits of their personalities. For example, his stories on prostitutes must not be called erotic stories. However, sex is a necessary part of a prostitute's life, and her profession but Manto's prostitutes are also motherly, selfless, innocent, caring. They are victims of degradation, isolation, and contempt of the society".To persistent criticism that he was indulging in sex, Manto replied that he did not have a "Salle Allah Ki Laundry " where he could wash and rinse human emotions and their actions. His themes for his time were avant-garde. Manto has written good, memorable, enduring, and weak stories. His mediocre stories are, mainly, a product of his desperate desire to buy a half bottle of Rum. When alive, he wrote an epitaph to be engraved on his grave after his death- "Here lies Manto, under mounds of earth. He thinks if he was a greater storyteller or God above." I am told that this epitaph has now been removed, under the pressure of the clergy, as it was considered blasphemous.
If you killed a bad man, what you would have killed was not his badness, but the man himself." As Mumtaz prepares to leave for Pakistan—a concept that in itself seems strange—Juggal can't shake away the feeling of guilt. His closest friend, his confidante was leaving because of what he said and the strange thing was, Juggal wasn't sure whether his guilt had to do with the fact that Mumtaz was leaving or the fact that he'd meant what he said: "I would kill you." Partition will forever be that one event that created and destroyed so much in its wake for India and Pakistan. Lands, homes, lives, and relationships suffered, turning neighbours into strangers, friends into foes. Even as Mumtaz bids a reluctant farewell to Bombay, he can't stop thinking of Sahae, the pimp with a heart of gold, a man who lived a life of contradictions until his very last breath. Manto's genius lies in telling stories whose characters forever remain a suspect to conventional morality. With Sahae, he also manages to show us how his thinking was way ahead of his times. Powerful and heartwrenching, this is short fiction at its best.
The undisputed master of the modern Indian short story.'--Salman Rushdie Originally published in 1955 as Shikari Auratein, Women of Prey is a hugely entertaining and forgotten classic containing raunchy, hilarious short stories and profiles that show a completely different side of Manto. As he's enjoying a kulfi in his Victoria coach after a long day at Filmistan, a beautiful burqa-clad woman suddenly hops in next to Manto, ready to go home. What will he do next? When Ashok stumbles across a porn film for the first time in his life, he is appalled. What will happen when his wife gets a hold of the contraband? Will two bitter lovers--about to give it all up--resolve their differences, before they take each other's lives? Can Ashok Kumar, heartthrob to millions of women, handle Paro Devi's affections? In addition to these stories, this volume also includes 'Sitara', Manto's scandalous profile of the legendary Kathak dancer, famous for her troop of lovers. Appearing in English translation for the first time ever, this gem of a collection is a gloriously pulpy, sexual, hilarious and tragic romp through Manto's Bombay, Lahore and Amritsar.
A conversation, a litany, a prayer—one of these three will usually bail you out of a tricky situation. But there are times when all the three combined don't hold enough power to keep the inevitable at bay. Even as the woman offers all that she can, deep down she knows that what's done is done. Her cries will disappear into a void just like everything else. She doesn't know what else to do. What else can she do? Manto's genius lies in presenting the most complex characters and their circumstances in the simplest manner, and nowhere is this more evident than in By the Roadside. While the story was written more than half a decade ago, this powerful take on women in our country is still as relevant today.
I don't think I can put up with you any more. Please divorce me.' With this begins yet another argument between a woman and her husband. As is the case with most disputes, it starts off with one thing but soon ends up focusing on something entirely different. One can always make out the relationship two people share from the arguments they have. As a fly on the wall, observing this heated exchange between a man and his wife is as fascinating as it is revealing. A story told entirely through dialogue, Green Sandals has Manto's genius shining through every insult—and affectation—that the couple throws at one another. Read on.
If there is one thing that Manto has always wanted to understand, but never has, is this: why is that singles—men not interested in getting married, ever—are so unnaturally obsessed with empty bottles and cans. Be it his fifty-year-old relative, his friend who is a reader at the high court, or the retired Colonel Sahib, all of them have one thing in common: a collection of empty bottles and cans spread all over their homes. Manto wishes to make sense of this fascination, but it isn't something that can be explained easily in psychological terms. Until, one day, he meets Ram Saroop, the superstar, who is not just single but has an entire room full of empty rum bottles and cigarette packs in his small flat by the sea at Shivaji Park. Will Ram Saroop finally help Manto solve this bizarre mystery? One of the lighter stories from Manto's repertoire of short fiction, Empty Bottles, Empty Cans is an interesting take on the concept of emptiness and a generation of single men experiencing it.
A bohemian and an iconoclast, the figure of Saadat Hasan Manto looms large over the literature of the Indian subcontinent. We know of his stories on the horrors of Partition and the struggles of prostitutes. But neither Partition nor prostitution gave birth to the genius of Manto. They only furnished him with an occasion to reveal the truth of the human condition. My Name Is Radha is a path-breaking edition of stories which delves deep into Manto’s creative world, and refreshingly brings into focus Manto the writer rather than Manto the commentator. Muhammad Umar Memon’s inspired selection of Manto’s best-known stories along with those less talked about, and his precise and elegant translation showcase an astonishing writer being true to his calling. ‘The undisputed master of the modern Indian short story’ Salman Rushdie ‘An errant genius’ The Hindu
It was a day just like today—the leaves of the peepul tree outside his window were drenched in the rain—and yet Randheer knew, today was nowhere close to the day he was desperately trying to hold on to. What is it about memories and the way our bodies remember things? Why is it that just the absence of one thing—her smell—can change everything about a day that seems exactly how he remembers it? Do we shape our memories or do our memories shape us? Every bit as evocative as it is lyrical, Smell is what happens when excellent prose tells the story of intriguing characters. Read on to experience a masterpiece by the master of short fiction, Manto.
The difference between a good dhobi and a bad dhobi is that the latter definitely makes his presence felt. However, Manto was lucky that Ram Khilawan was of the former kind. Because not only was he good at his job but he'd seen Manto through his impoverished days and his days of prosperity with equal enthusiasm; never insisting on getting paid as he really didn't know "what account is". However, when you're faced with circumstances that are out of your control, the strongest relationships sometimes crumble in the face of it. But is there anything that can threaten Manto and Ram Khilawan's bond? Incredibly moving and innately Manto, Ram Khilawan is everything you expect from a Manto story, and some more. Read on.
Ever since Sultana had moved to Delhi, business had slowed down. Unlike her time in Ambala, not a single gora had visited her so far. Even Khuda Bakhsh, her lucky charm wasn't bringing her any luck. Times were so bad that she didn't even have any money to buy black mourning clothes for Muharram. Lonely and idle, Sultana felt as if she was wasting her days away. Until she met Shankar. Confusing, intriguing and unlike any other man she'd ever met—and she'd met more than her share of men—Shankar was just like her and yet nothing like her. What she didn't realize though was that with a curious exchange and the promise of a black salwar, hers and Shankar's lives were about to be entangled in ways she could never have imagined. Written in Manto's typically engaging style, The Black Shalwarand its surprising twist at the end is as bewitching as Sultana and as unexpected as Shankar.
“[Manto’s] empathy and narrative economy invite comparisons with Chekhov. These readable, idiomatic translations have all the agile swiftness and understated poignancy that parallel suggests." ---Boyd Tonkin, Wall Street Journal Stories from "the undisputed master of the modern Indian short story" encircling the marginalized, forgotten lives of Bombay, set against the backdrop of the India-Pakistan Partition (Salman Rushdie) By far the most comprehensive collection of stories by this 20th Century master available in English. A master of the short story, Saadat Hasan Manto opens a window onto Bombay’s demimonde—its prostitutes, rickshaw drivers, artists, and strays as well probing the pain and bewilderment of the Hindus, Muslims, and Sikhs ripped apart by the India-Pakistan Partition. Manto is best known for his dry-eyed examination of the violence, horrors, and reverberations from the Partition. From a stray dog caught in the crossfire at the fresh border of India and Pakistan, to friendly neighbors turned enemy soldiers pausing for tea together in a momentary cease fire—Manto shines incandescent light into hidden corners with an unflinching gaze, and a fierce humanism. With a foreword by Pulitzer Prize–winning poet Vijay Seshadri, these stories are essential reading for our current moment where divisiveness is erupting into violence in so many parts of the world.
They were all mujahids, God's valiant soldiers who didn't know anything about fighting but were ready to jump into the battlefield at the first opportunity. The issue at hand was grabbing Kashmir at any cost. As the discussion continued, Haneef showed great enthusiasm for the cause but Manto could tell that something was bothering his friend. Perhaps there was something wrong at home? But when Haneef reveals the truth, Manto realizes that it is a weight that now belongs to him too. Only Manto's writing has the power to make a political statement using an incredibly personal story. Beautifully layered and heart-wrenchingly poignant, I'm No Good for You! is a masterpiece.
People take pleasure in winning. But it was losing that gave him a greater thrill, especially when it came in the wake of winning.' Bombay has always been a land of opportunities—to earn money, fame and whatever else one desires. And while Seth knows how to grab each opportunity, he has always revelled in the pleasure of losing it all. In fact, he would seize opportunities only for the pleasure of squandering all that he earned. Strange as it was, it was a pattern that he was happily living by. Until one day, on his way to his favourite gambling den, he meets Gangu Bai, an old prostitute. Striking unusual deals was his habit but who would have known that a harmless little deal with Gangu Bai would prove to be the biggest decision he ever took. Manto's speciality lies in his characters that defy the norm in almost every way possible. Pleasure in Losing is an example of precisely this.
Shahbaz Khan had only one problem with Hamzah Khan, the new employee at the restaurant: his looks. Hamzah was dedicated, knew how to get the coal at the best prices, treated the customers right, but that didn't take away from the fact that he was ugly. But Hamzah Khan—or Gilgit Khan as everyone had come to call him—didn't mind this much because he had found a companion in a puppy outside the restaurant. While Shahbaz Khan thought that the dog was even more unsightly than Gilgit Khan, the latter had never been happier. The thing about love—even it is for an animal—is that you don't realize its intensity until you venture too deep. Once you are aware of it, it is too late to do anything. Will it be too late by the time Gilgit Khan experiences his moment of realization? Many of Manto's characters display logical, but entirely human, contradictions. Whether it's Shahbaz Khan's piousness against his bigotry or Gilgit Khan's kindness in the shadow of his crudeness, Manto elevates the art of storytelling. Read on to find out what lies in store for Gilgit Khan and his beloved Tan-Tan.
When the riots first broke out, everyone in Amritsar, including retired sub-judge Mian Abdul Hayy, thought they wouldn't last long. They were expected to die down soon. But Sughra, Mian Sahib's daughter, was worried, and rightly so because the situation only seemed to be getting worse. In fact, it got so bad that when Mian Sahib suffered a stroke and was critical, the family couldn't call a doctor to see him. But Mian Sahib didn't lose hope. Even as he heard loud, insistent knocks on his door on Chhoti Eid, Mian Sahib didn't let his faith waver. Surely no harm could befall his family on Chhoti Eid? If there's anyone who can narrate a Partition story that is as tender as it is powerful, it is Manto. Sometimes the smallest arm packs the mightiest punch and The Testament of Gurmukh Singh is a fine example of this.
Meet Babu Gopinath: world's number one gullible fool, a home-wrecker known for wrecking his own home, and a recent immigrant to Bombay. He's brought along with him a Kashmiri 'kabutri'—a weak-looking young woman—Zeenat Begum, who is as uninterested as she is unambitious. While this kind introduction was given by his friend Abdur Rahim Sando, Manto soon realized that not everything was actually as it seemed. We handle things in our lives based on our past experiences and our assumptions about how things will work out, but it's almost like the laws of reason and the world never seem to apply to Manto's characters. As Manto gets to know Babu Gopinath and his world a little better, he takes us along this journey of discovery, to reach a destination neither of us are prepared for. It is generally the women in Manto's stories who are enchanting and intriguing, but Manto's Babu Gopinath is equally, if not more, fascinating. Read on.
Ever since the Hindi-Urdu debate has been raging, Manto has tried to understand what the fuss is about. And while Maulvi Abdul Haq Sahib, Dr Tara Singh and Mahatma Gandhi seem to know all there is to know, the matter remains as elusive as ever to Manto. As Manto struggles to understand a seemingly pointless debate, what follows is an imagined conversation between Munshi Narain Parshad and Mirza Muhammad Iqbal who are arguing about the merits of lemon water over soda water. If anyone knows how to pack a punch and be tongue-in-cheek at the same time, it's Manto. Hilarious and brilliant, Hindi-Urdu is a fine example of the shape short fiction can take in the hands of a prolific writer like him.
“[Manto’s] empathy and narrative economy invite comparisons with Chekhov. These readable, idiomatic translations have all the agile swiftness and understated poignancy that parallel suggests." ---Boyd Tonkin, Wall Street Journal Stories from "the undisputed master of the modern Indian short story" encircling the marginalized, forgotten lives of Bombay, set against the backdrop of the India-Pakistan Partition (Salman Rushdie) By far the most comprehensive collection of stories by this 20th Century master available in English. A master of the short story, Saadat Hasan Manto opens a window onto Bombay’s demimonde—its prostitutes, rickshaw drivers, artists, and strays as well probing the pain and bewilderment of the Hindus, Muslims, and Sikhs ripped apart by the India-Pakistan Partition. Manto is best known for his dry-eyed examination of the violence, horrors, and reverberations from the Partition. From a stray dog caught in the crossfire at the fresh border of India and Pakistan, to friendly neighbors turned enemy soldiers pausing for tea together in a momentary cease fire—Manto shines incandescent light into hidden corners with an unflinching gaze, and a fierce humanism. With a foreword by Pulitzer Prize–winning poet Vijay Seshadri, these stories are essential reading for our current moment where divisiveness is erupting into violence in so many parts of the world.
A collection of classic, yet shockingly contemporary, short stories set in the vibrant world of mid-century Bombay, from one of India’s greatest writers. Arriving in 1930s Bombay, Saadat Hasan Manto discovered a city like no other. A metropolis for all, and an exhilarating hub of license and liberty, bursting with both creative energy and helpless despondency. A journalist, screenwriter, and editor, Manto is best known as a master of the short story, and Bombay was his lifelong muse. Vividly bringing to life the city’s seedy underbelly—the prostitutes, pimps, and gangsters that filled its streets—as well as the aspiring writers and actors who arrived looking for fame, here are all of Manto’s Bombay-based stories, together in English for the very first time. By turns humorous and fantastical, Manto’s tales are the provocative and unflinching lives of those forgotten by humanity.
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