HIROSHIMA
The novella consists of 13 short stories with two being the author’s own translations. Written by Ibne Sa’id (better known as M.H. Askari), these literary compositions are unique in many ways. M. H. Askari started his career in the closing years of the Second World War as an officer in the public relations department of the British Indian Army. From there he got a ringside view of the War and the surrender of Japan…
ISBN:
978-969-716-159-1
Hardback:
331
Published:
2022
₨ 995
Description
The novella consists of 13 short stories with two being the author’s own translations. Written by Ibne Sa’id (better known as M.H. Askari), these literary compositions are unique in many ways. M. H. Askari started his career in the closing years of the Second World War as an officer in the public relations department of the British Indian Army. From there he got a ringside view of the War and the surrender of Japan. He also personally experienced the sensitivity of his Indian colleagues fighting for a power that had occupied their own country and forced the War on them. He also witnessed the start of the age of decolonization and how these events led to the break-up of societies. Most of the stories are written against this backdrop and subtly capture the paradoxes and nuances of these extraordinary global developments. The author’s insight into politics, society and human nature is so profound that his writing is no less than prescient, considering that these stories were written more than six decades ago.
About The Author
Short story writer Ibne Sa’id (M.H. Askari) was born in Delhi in 1924. After completing his schooling in Delhi, he graduated from the Lucknow University in 1944. He then joined the Indian army’s public relations department. Released from the army at the end of the Second World War, he joined The Statesman in Delhi. He worked there for a year and joined the English daily Dawn as a senior reporter. At Partition in 1947, Askari migrated to Pakistan and joined Radio Pakistan’s news department. He then joined Pakistan’s Inter- Services Public Relations department.In 1972, M. H. Askariwas posted as press counsellor at the Pakistan Embassy in Paris, France, and later as minister for pressat the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi, India. He settled in Karachi in 1980 and started writing for Dawn. M.H. Askari kept close company with eminent writers and intellectuals of his time and was a founder member of the Pakistan Writers’ Guild. He passed away in Karachi in 2005. Shama Askari has been associated with the performing arts for the last twenty years. She started her acting career in theatre in 1999 with Tehrik-e-Niswan, moving on to television, film, and dramatized readings. She has performed all over Pakistan as well as in India. Shama was a participant in the Transforming Narratives Cultural Leadership Programme supported by the British Council (2021). She is currently working with Adab Festival Pakistan and worked as a consultant with the international collaboration between Bradford Literature Festival, UK, and Adab Festival Pakistan. It is a support platform for creative skills development for women. Shama is looking forward to exploring the realm of translations as a means of connecting and communicating with a wider audience.
