Intizar Hussain or Intezar Hussain (Urdu: انتظار حسین; 21 December 1925 – 2 February 2016) was a Pakistani writer of Urdu novels, short stories, poetry and nonfiction. He is widely recognised as a leading literary figure of Pakistan.[2][3][4][5]
Intizar Hussain was born on 21 December 1925 in Bulandshahr district, Uttar Pradesh, British India.[5] He received a degree in Urdu literature in Meerut.[7] As someone born in the Indian subcontinent who later migrated to Pakistan during 1947 Partition, a perennial theme in Hussain's works deals with the nostalgia linked with his life in the pre-partition era.[8] Intizar Husain was often described as possibly the greatest living Urdu writer.[9]
Lahore's literary scene was divided between two groups, Anjuman-e-Tarraqi-Pasand-Mussannifeen (Progressive Writers Movement) (a leftwing group) and the rightwing Halqa-e Arbab-e Zauq in the 1950s. Intizar Hussain decided not to be closely associated with either group and managed to stay neutral and focus on his writing career.[5]
Literary work
He wrote short stories, novels and poetry in Urdu, and also literary columns for newspapers such as Dawn and Daily Express.[2][3][4]The Seventh Door, Leaves and Basti are among English translations of his books.
Among the five novels he wrote – Chaand Gehan (1952), Din Aur Daastaan (1959), Basti (1980), Tazkira (1987), and Aage Samandar Hai (1995) – received global praise.[2]
His other writings include Hindustan Se Aakhri Khat, Aagay Sumandar Hai,[2]Shehr-e-Afsos, Jataka Tales, Janam Kahanian and Wo Jo Kho Gaye. Aagay Sumandar Hai (Sea is facing you in the front) contrasts the spiraling urban violence of contemporary Karachi with a vision of the lost Islamic realm of al-Andalus in modern Spain.[2][10][4][11]
Among his books, "Basti" and "Khali Pinjra" have been translated into Persian by Samira Gilani.
Death
On 2 February 2016, he died at National Hospital, Defence Housing Authority at Lahore after contracting pneumonia.[10][7][5]The Indian Express newspaper termed him the "best-known Pakistani writer in the world" after Manto.[12]
His wife, Aliya Begum, had died in 2004 and they had no children.[13]
Influences
Hussain believed that two forces had risen in contemporary Pakistan: women and the mullahs. He also acknowledged his study and the influence of Buddhist texts and the Mahabharata.[14]
Legacy
In 2016, Pakistan Academy of Letters (PAL) announced the ‘Intizar Hussain Award’ which would be given to a literary figure every year.[15]
^"List of Awardees". Pakistan Academy of Letters, Government of Pakistan website. Archived from the original on 31 August 2014. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
