Thinking With Ghalib

by Anjum Altaf

Connecting Ghalib with the realities of life encountered by contemporary readers, this volume departs from the traditional approach and abandons the ghazalas the primary medium for introducing this extraordinary poet to new readers. With a selection of couplets from Ghalib’s ghazalsthat best exemplify his power as a source of insight, knowledge, and wisdom, these are presented in Urdu, Hindi, and Roman transliteration along with a literal translation, and interpretation, relating it to the central social, political and economic issues of our times. It is the creative timelessness of his poetry that makes this a ‘brilliant contribution to understanding the past in the present.’

144 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2023

About the author

Anjum Altaf is a South Asian living in Lahore.

Reviews

[Parvinder Kaur · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book Review📕📕

"Thinking with Ghalib"
Poetry for new generation — A meticulous work by Amit Basole and Anjum Altaf

📕Format Paperback
📕Publication @rolibooks


❤️COVER AND TITLE

𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓰𝓵𝓸𝓼𝓼𝔂 𝓯𝓲𝓷𝓲𝓼𝓱 𝓸𝓯 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓽𝓲𝓽𝓵𝓮 "𝓣𝓱𝓲𝓷𝓴𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝔀𝓲𝓽𝓱 𝓖𝓱𝓪𝓵𝓲𝓫" 𝓲𝓶𝓶𝓮𝓭𝓲𝓪𝓽𝓮𝓵𝔂 𝓬𝓪𝓽𝓬𝓱𝓮𝓼 𝓶𝔂 𝓮𝔂𝓮, 𝓰𝓲𝓿𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓲𝓽 𝓪 𝓼𝓸𝓹𝓱𝓲𝓼𝓽𝓲𝓬𝓪𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓮𝓵𝓮𝓰𝓪𝓷𝓽 𝓵𝓸𝓸𝓴. 𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓾𝓼𝓮 𝓸𝓯 𝓤𝓻𝓭𝓾 𝓯𝓸𝓷𝓽𝓼 𝓪𝓭𝓭𝓼 𝓪 𝓽𝓸𝓾𝓬𝓱 𝓸𝓯 𝓪𝓾𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓷𝓽𝓲𝓬𝓲𝓽𝔂 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓬𝓾𝓵𝓽𝓾𝓻𝓪𝓵 𝓻𝓲𝓬𝓱𝓷𝓮𝓼𝓼 𝓽𝓸 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓭𝓮𝓼𝓲𝓰𝓷, 𝓶𝓪𝓴𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓲𝓽 𝓿𝓲𝓼𝓾𝓪𝓵𝓵𝔂 𝓪𝓹𝓹𝓮𝓪𝓵𝓲𝓷𝓰. 𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓬𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓻 𝓭𝓮𝓼𝓲𝓰𝓷 𝓻𝓮𝓯𝓵𝓮𝓬𝓽𝓼 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓹𝓻𝓸𝓶𝓲𝓼𝓮 𝓸𝓯 𝔀𝓲𝓼𝓭𝓸𝓶 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓹𝓻𝓸𝓯𝓸𝓾𝓷𝓭 𝓲𝓷𝓼𝓲𝓰𝓱𝓽𝓼 𝓽𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓵𝓲𝓮 𝔀𝓲𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓷 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓹𝓪𝓰𝓮𝓼 𝓸𝓯 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓫𝓸𝓸𝓴.


❤️ABOUT THE BOOK

“Thinking with Ghalib" is a book that explores the works of the famous Urdu poet Mirza Ghalib. The book is divided into 30 chapters, each of which includes an analysis of one of Ghalib's couplets. The authors provide artistic descriptions of the couplets and explore their meanings, themes, and relevance to modern times. The book also includes a brief biography of Ghalib and his contributions to Urdu poetry.

❤️WRITING STYLE

The book is written in a clear and accessible style, making it an enjoyable read for both scholars and general readers. The authors' deep knowledge of Ghalib's poetry and their ability to convey its essence in a simple yet profound way makes this book a valuable addition to the literature on Urdu poetry.

❤️MY VIEWS

"Thinking with Ghalib" provides a fresh perspective on the works of Mirza Ghalib, one of the most celebrated poets in Urdu literature. The authors' analysis of Ghalib's couplets is insightful and thought-provoking, and their ability to relate the couplets to contemporary issues shows how Ghalib's poetry remains relevant to modern times.

❤️MIRZA GHALIB

Mirza Ghalib is widely regarded as one of the greatest poets in the Urdu language. His works are known for their depth, complexity, and emotional intensity. Ghalib's poetry is a reflection of his own life experiences, and his ability to convey his thoughts and feelings through his words is truly remarkable. His contributions to Urdu poetry have made him an icon in the literary world, and his influence can still be felt today.

[Simmering Dreamz · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got this book with great excitement. Urdu poetry is something that has always enamored me. And in terms of the poetry itself, the book wasn't disappointing. However, the interpretation by the authors especially in the context of "asian" culture and specifically politics, ended up becoming a dampener of sorts. There's so much depth in poetry that tying it into a boundary of politics, especially at some place, felt forced, and unnecessary.
The 3 stars are for the poetry and the author's attempt to 'think' the verses through. Had there been raw human emotions used to interpret the verses, I believe it might have been much more authentic and stayed in the hearts much like the poetry itself.
Commendable attempt by authors though.
A good buy.

[Vibhu · Rating 4 out of 5]

i really liked it- i too am a kind of person who likes talk at lengths on a few lines of poetry. thoroughly enjoyed it.