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Why I Write: Essays by Saadat Hasan Manto
One of the greatest raconteurs of the 20th century, Saadat Hasan Manto declares that he was forced to write when his wife routinely demanded that he put bread on the table for the family. He doesn’t attribute any genius to his skills as a writer and convinces his readers that the stories flowed even as he minded his daughters or tossed a salad. Equally, Manto treats his tryst with Bollywood with disdain and unmasks the cardboard lives of tinsel town when a horse is painted to double up for a zebra or multiple fans rotate to create a deluge. Two of Manto’s favourite and recurring themes — Women and Partition—find special mention.
For the first time ever, this unique collection of non-fiction writing from the subcontinent’s greatest writer, translated by well known author and journalist, Aakar Patel showcases Saadat Hasan Manto’s brilliance while dealing with life’s most mundane things — graveyards, bumming
cigarettes, a film crew with motley characters from mythology — and a sharp dissection of what ails the subcontinent even after 6 decades —Hindi or Urdu, vile politicians and the hopelessness of living under the shadow of fear.
For the first time ever, this unique collection of non-fiction writing from the subcontinent’s greatest writer, translated by well known author and journalist, Aakar Patel showcases Saadat Hasan Manto’s brilliance while dealing with life’s most mundane things — graveyards, bumming
cigarettes, a film crew with motley characters from mythology — and a sharp dissection of what ails the subcontinent even after 6 decades —Hindi or Urdu, vile politicians and the hopelessness of living under the shadow of fear.
194 pages, Paperback
First published May 12, 2014
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About the author
Saadat Hasan Manto
545 books1,112 followersSaadat Hasan Manto (Urdu: سعادت حسن منٹو, Hindi: सआदत हसन मंटो), the most widely read and the most controversial short-story writer in Urdu, was born on 11 May 1912 at Sambrala in Punjab's Ludhiana District. In a writing career spanning over two decades he produced twenty-two collections of short stories, one novel, five collections of radio plays, three collections of essays, two collections of reminiscences and many scripts for films. He was tried for obscenity half a dozen times, thrice before and thrice after independence. Not always was he acquitted. Some of Manto's greatest work was produced in the last seven years of his life, a time of great financial and emotional hardship for him. He died a few months short of his forty-third birthday, in January 1955, in Lahore.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews
May 17, 2019
Read this book to know the man who was Manto.
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Also, this is one of the best books to read if one wants to know of a Bombay before and during India's partition.
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“Literature and film in my opinion are like saloons where bottles have no labels. I want to taste each one myself and figure out which is what. If I'm denied this by labelling, then my entertainment is considerably lessened.”
- Manto on Modern Cinema
“To those men who say that women from “good families” must come into the world of cinema, I have this question: What is it that you mean by “good?” A woman, who honestly puts her wares on display, and sells them without an intention to cheat, is such a woman not virtuous?”
- Manto on Prostitutes in Cinema
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Proper review to follow.
.
.
.
Also, this is one of the best books to read if one wants to know of a Bombay before and during India's partition.
.
.
“Literature and film in my opinion are like saloons where bottles have no labels. I want to taste each one myself and figure out which is what. If I'm denied this by labelling, then my entertainment is considerably lessened.”
- Manto on Modern Cinema
“To those men who say that women from “good families” must come into the world of cinema, I have this question: What is it that you mean by “good?” A woman, who honestly puts her wares on display, and sells them without an intention to cheat, is such a woman not virtuous?”
- Manto on Prostitutes in Cinema
.
.
Proper review to follow.
December 1, 2018
মান্টো, সাদাত হাসান মান্টোর স্মৃতিকথা, রম্য, চলচ্চিত্র ও সাহিত্যভিত্তিক ধারণা লীন হয়েছে ' Why I Write' নামের বইতে৷
বইয়ের নাম দেখে ধোঁয়াশা তৈরি হলো।স্মৃতি তবে কী ধোঁকা দিল? জানতাম মান্টো সাহেব উর্দুতে লিখতেন৷ ভালোভাবে বইটা নেড়েচেড়ে দেখলাম। নাহ্, নিশ্চিত হওয়া গেল। আকার প্যাটেল ( Aakar Patel)অনুবাদ ও সম্পাদনা করেছেন।
কোনো নির্দিষ্ট দিকে গমন করেনি বইটির বিষয়বস্তু। তবে ' Why I Write' শেষ করার পর মনে হয়েছে, বেশিরভাগ জুড়েই দখল ছিল মান্টোর নিজের জীবনের। হোক তা প্রত্যক্ষ কিংবা পরোক্ষ। বেকার মান্টো। আলিগড়ের ড্রপআউট মান্টো। মায়ের খুব আদরের মান্টো। মুম্বাই (মান্টোর বোম্বে) শহরের ফিল্ম সিটির চিত্রনাট্যকার মান্টো৷ মদারু মান্টো। দেশভাগের দগদগে ঘা সারা শরীরে বয়ে বেড়ানো মান্টাে৷ একদিকে দারিদ্র্যের জ্বালায় জ্বলে অঙ্গার হওয়া মান্টো, ওপরপ্রান্তে অশ্লীলতার দায়ে পাঁচবার আদালতের কাঠগড়ায় দাঁড়ানো মান্টো - এ সবের কোনোটি বাদ দিলো অপূর্ণ থেকে যাবেন সাদাত হাসান মান্টো। সেই অপূর্ণাঙ্গতা, অপ্রাপ্তি নিয়ে কথা বলার সুযোগ রাখেনি এই বইটি। মান্টোর বিচিত্ররূপ এক শ ৯৪ পাতায় বন্দি হয়েছে।
এখন আসি প্রবন্ধ নিয়ে আলোচনায়। বহুদিকে গিয়েছে এই বই। এই ধরুন, শিরোনামের প্রবন্ধটির কথা। মান্টো কেন লিখেন? তার উত্তর নানাভাবে দিয়েছেন তিনি। সবচেয়ে ভালো লেগেছে এই জবাব -
" I’m addicted to writing, just as I am to drinking. When I don’t write, it feels like I’m unclothed, like I haven’t had a bath. Like I haven’t had my first drink".
জ্বী, মোহগ্রস্ত মান্টো লেখা ছাড়া নিজেকে ভাবতে পারেন না। তাই লিখতে হয় মান্টোকে।
নিজের বিবাহের স্মৃতি লিখেছেন মান্টো। ' The Story Of My Wedding' শুধু বিয়ের মধ্যেই সীমাবদ্ধ থাকেনি। এই প্রবন্ধে মান্টোর পরিবার, পড়াশোনা আর চিত্রনাট্যকার হয়ে ওঠার পেছনের কথাও এসেছে। সাহিত্যিক নয়, সাধারণ মানুষ হিসেবে মান্টোকে বিচার করতে চাইলে এই লেখাটির দাম একেবারেই আলাদা। আগ্রহীদের জন্য রত্নবিশেষ।
বাবা মারা গেছে। ভবঘুরে আর পড়াশোনায় চূড়ান্ত অমনোযোগী মান্টো। বাবার পছন্দের হতে পারেন নি তার জীবদ্দশায়। তাই পিতা তার সম্পত্তি লিখে দেয় মান্টোর বোনের স্বামীকে। মা থাকতো বোনের সাথেই। বোম্বে এসেছেন মান্টো। কাজ যোগাড় হলো। মান্টো লিখেছেন,
" Mr Nazir hired me for a salary of forty rupees a month. After he discovered that I was sleeping in the office, he began cutting two rupees from my salary towards rent every month."
চিত্রনাট্যকার হিসেবে অসফল ছিলেন মান্টো। যে কোম্পানিতে কাজ করতেন তার অবস্থাও তথৈবচ। মাইনে ততদিনে বেড়েছে। তবে তা কাগজে-কলমে। পকেটে কানাকড়িও আসেনি। এদিকে দারিদ্রতার বেড়াজালে আরও বেশি জড়িয়ে পড়ছেন মান্টো। মান্টো তখন এক বস্তির মতো বাসায় থাকেন। তা দেখে মান্টোর মা কাঁদছিলেন।মান্টো লিখেছেন,
" After she had cried her fill, my mother asked me: ‘Saadat, why don’t you earn more money?’I replied: ‘What will I do with more money, Bibi Jaan? What I earn is sufficient for me.’She said sternly: ‘No. The reality is that you cannot earn more than you do. If you had been more educated, it would have been different.’That was true. But I had never been inclined towards studying. I failed in class twelve three times."
উর্দু সাহিত্যের অন্যতম সেরা এই নক্ষত্র কিন্তু ৩ বার উর্দুতেই ডাব্বা মেরেছিলেন!
মান্টোর মায়ের পিড়াপীড়িতে বিয়ে করলেন। খরচ যা হলো তার অনেকটা অংশ ধার করা!সেই বিয়েতে তৎকালীন বোম্বের ফিল্মজগতের প্রায় সব রথী-মহারথীরাই এসেছিল৷
অবিভক্ত ভারতের রাষ্ট্রভাষা প্রশ্নে তখনি ভেবেছিলেন মান্টো। ' Hindi Or Urdu' প্রবন্ধটি সেই সাক্ষ্যই দেয়। নারীশিক্ষার সপক্ষে লিখেছেন। লিখেছেন নারী নির্যাতন, ইভটিজিং নিয়েও৷
সাম্প্রদায়িকতা আর রাজনীতির নামে দেশবিক্রির বিরুদ্ধে খুবই সোচ্চার মনে হচ্ছিল মান্টোকে। তিনি তৎকালীন নেতাদের উদ্দেশে যা লিখেছিলেন তা আজও শতভাগ সত্য -
"These people — “leaders” — see religion and politics as some lame, crippled man. They peddle him around to beg for money. They shoulder his corpse and appeal to those who will believe anything said from high on up. They claim they are bringing the corpse back to life with their effort."
যারা ধর্মের ভয় দেখিয়ে রাজনীতি করে, তাদের সম্বন্ধে মান্টোর বক্তব্য,
" When these leaders shed tears and wail, “Mazhab khatre mein hai” (Religion is in danger), it is all rubbish. Faith isn’t the sort of thing that can come into danger in the first place. If anything is in danger, it’s these leaders who want to be saved by claiming religion is in peril."
দেশভাগ হয়েছে। মান্টোকে মেনে নিতে হয়েছে সেই বিভক্তি।ঘৃণ্য সাম্প্রদায়িক দাঙার স্মৃতি যেন মান্টোর করোটিতে আঘাত করছিল প্রতিমুহুর্তে। সেই যন্ত্রণায় কুকঁড়ে যাচ্ছিলেন মান্টো। বিপর্যস্ত হয়েছিল মানুষ মান্টো। ক্ষতের যাতনা সইছিল সাহিত্যক মান্টো৷ বোম্বেতে ' Unwanted' মান্টো। উদ্বাস্তুর মতো আশ্রয় নিয়েছেন লাহোরে। যার সাথে ন্যূনতম সম্পর্ক ছিল না মান্টোর। বরং বিভেদ ছিল ঢের বেশি। মানসিক দূরত্ব ছিল অমোচনীয়। তাই পাকিস্তানকে কখনোই মেনে নিতে পারেন নি। তুমুল সমালোচনা করেছেন ধর্মভিত্তিতে গড়ে ওঠা দেশটিকে। ধর্মীয় গোঁড়ামিকে ব্যঙ্গ করেছেন নিজস্ব ভঙিতে।
লেখালেখিতে অশ্লীলতার দায়ে ৫ বার আদালতে হাজির হতে হয়েছে মান্টোকে। পাকিস্তানেই বেশি হেনস্তার স্বীকার হয়েছেন তিনি৷ জরিমানা দিতে হয়েছে। সংবাদপত্রে তাঁকে ব্যক্তিগত আক্রমণ করা হয়েছে৷ তাতে ব্যথিত হৃদয়ে মান্টো লিখেছেন,
" No man is without his weaknesses, but why put them on display? It’s true that personal trivia about writers and artists is always interesting to read and reveals something about their character. But what’s the point of such revelation when it brings the writer into disgrace?"
বইয়ের সবচেয়ে সুন্দর প্রবন্ধটি কিন্তু সাহিত্য কিংবা স্মৃতিকথাধর্মী নয়। এটি ফিল্ম নিয়ে। ভারতীয় উপমহাদেশের চলচ্চিত্র নিয়ে কতো গভীরভাবে ভাবতেন মান্টো তা এই প্রবন্ধটি পড়লে বোঝা যায়। এখনকার প্রেক্ষিতেও ভাববার দাবি রাখবে চলচ্চিত্র নিয়ে সাদাত হাসান মান্টোর যুক্তিপূর্ণ প্রবন্ধটি।
এই বইয়ের সবলদিক প্রবন্ধগ্রন্থ হিসেবে এর বৈচিত্র্য। আকার প্যাটেল চমৎকার অনুবাদ করেছেন। সহজসরল গদ্য। গাম্ভীর্য নেই ; সহজবোধ্যতা আছে৷ উর্দু জানি নে। তাই মূল থেকে কতোটা সরেছেন অনুবাদক বলতেও পারছিনা। অনুবাদের মান যথেষ্ট ভালো।
অনুবাদক আকার প্যাটেল একটি অযাচিত কাজ করেছেন। প্রত্যেক প্রবন্ধের শুরুতেই ভূমিকার ছলে কিছু কথা লিখেছেন। এবং তা সাহিত্যিক মান্টোর অনুবাদকের দৃষ্টিতে নয়, তার বিচার করবার ধরন ছিল ভারতীয় নাগরিকের নিরিখে৷ তাতেই পক্ষপাতী আচরণ করেছেন অনুবাদক৷ তাতে বইটির চমৎকারিত্ব ক্ষুণ্ণ হয়েছে। হতে বাধ্য।
বইয়ের নাম দেখে ধোঁয়াশা তৈরি হলো।স্মৃতি তবে কী ধোঁকা দিল? জানতাম মান্টো সাহেব উর্দুতে লিখতেন৷ ভালোভাবে বইটা নেড়েচেড়ে দেখলাম। নাহ্, নিশ্চিত হওয়া গেল। আকার প্যাটেল ( Aakar Patel)অনুবাদ ও সম্পাদনা করেছেন।
কোনো নির্দিষ্ট দিকে গমন করেনি বইটির বিষয়বস্তু। তবে ' Why I Write' শেষ করার পর মনে হয়েছে, বেশিরভাগ জুড়েই দখল ছিল মান্টোর নিজের জীবনের। হোক তা প্রত্যক্ষ কিংবা পরোক্ষ। বেকার মান্টো। আলিগড়ের ড্রপআউট মান্টো। মায়ের খুব আদরের মান্টো। মুম্বাই (মান্টোর বোম্বে) শহরের ফিল্ম সিটির চিত্রনাট্যকার মান্টো৷ মদারু মান্টো। দেশভাগের দগদগে ঘা সারা শরীরে বয়ে বেড়ানো মান্টাে৷ একদিকে দারিদ্র্যের জ্বালায় জ্বলে অঙ্গার হওয়া মান্টো, ওপরপ্রান্তে অশ্লীলতার দায়ে পাঁচবার আদালতের কাঠগড়ায় দাঁড়ানো মান্টো - এ সবের কোনোটি বাদ দিলো অপূর্ণ থেকে যাবেন সাদাত হাসান মান্টো। সেই অপূর্ণাঙ্গতা, অপ্রাপ্তি নিয়ে কথা বলার সুযোগ রাখেনি এই বইটি। মান্টোর বিচিত্ররূপ এক শ ৯৪ পাতায় বন্দি হয়েছে।
এখন আসি প্রবন্ধ নিয়ে আলোচনায়। বহুদিকে গিয়েছে এই বই। এই ধরুন, শিরোনামের প্রবন্ধটির কথা। মান্টো কেন লিখেন? তার উত্তর নানাভাবে দিয়েছেন তিনি। সবচেয়ে ভালো লেগেছে এই জবাব -
" I’m addicted to writing, just as I am to drinking. When I don’t write, it feels like I’m unclothed, like I haven’t had a bath. Like I haven’t had my first drink".
জ্বী, মোহগ্রস্ত মান্টো লেখা ছাড়া নিজেকে ভাবতে পারেন না। তাই লিখতে হয় মান্টোকে।
নিজের বিবাহের স্মৃতি লিখেছেন মান্টো। ' The Story Of My Wedding' শুধু বিয়ের মধ্যেই সীমাবদ্ধ থাকেনি। এই প্রবন্ধে মান্টোর পরিবার, পড়াশোনা আর চিত্রনাট্যকার হয়ে ওঠার পেছনের কথাও এসেছে। সাহিত্যিক নয়, সাধারণ মানুষ হিসেবে মান্টোকে বিচার করতে চাইলে এই লেখাটির দাম একেবারেই আলাদা। আগ্রহীদের জন্য রত্নবিশেষ।
বাবা মারা গেছে। ভবঘুরে আর পড়াশোনায় চূড়ান্ত অমনোযোগী মান্টো। বাবার পছন্দের হতে পারেন নি তার জীবদ্দশায়। তাই পিতা তার সম্পত্তি লিখে দেয় মান্টোর বোনের স্বামীকে। মা থাকতো বোনের সাথেই। বোম্বে এসেছেন মান্টো। কাজ যোগাড় হলো। মান্টো লিখেছেন,
" Mr Nazir hired me for a salary of forty rupees a month. After he discovered that I was sleeping in the office, he began cutting two rupees from my salary towards rent every month."
চিত্রনাট্যকার হিসেবে অসফল ছিলেন মান্টো। যে কোম্পানিতে কাজ করতেন তার অবস্থাও তথৈবচ। মাইনে ততদিনে বেড়েছে। তবে তা কাগজে-কলমে। পকেটে কানাকড়িও আসেনি। এদিকে দারিদ্রতার বেড়াজালে আরও বেশি জড়িয়ে পড়ছেন মান্টো। মান্টো তখন এক বস্তির মতো বাসায় থাকেন। তা দেখে মান্টোর মা কাঁদছিলেন।মান্টো লিখেছেন,
" After she had cried her fill, my mother asked me: ‘Saadat, why don’t you earn more money?’I replied: ‘What will I do with more money, Bibi Jaan? What I earn is sufficient for me.’She said sternly: ‘No. The reality is that you cannot earn more than you do. If you had been more educated, it would have been different.’That was true. But I had never been inclined towards studying. I failed in class twelve three times."
উর্দু সাহিত্যের অন্যতম সেরা এই নক্ষত্র কিন্তু ৩ বার উর্দুতেই ডাব্বা মেরেছিলেন!
মান্টোর মায়ের পিড়াপীড়িতে বিয়ে করলেন। খরচ যা হলো তার অনেকটা অংশ ধার করা!সেই বিয়েতে তৎকালীন বোম্বের ফিল্মজগতের প্রায় সব রথী-মহারথীরাই এসেছিল৷
অবিভক্ত ভারতের রাষ্ট্রভাষা প্রশ্নে তখনি ভেবেছিলেন মান্টো। ' Hindi Or Urdu' প্রবন্ধটি সেই সাক্ষ্যই দেয়। নারীশিক্ষার সপক্ষে লিখেছেন। লিখেছেন নারী নির্যাতন, ইভটিজিং নিয়েও৷
সাম্প্রদায়িকতা আর রাজনীতির নামে দেশবিক্রির বিরুদ্ধে খুবই সোচ্চার মনে হচ্ছিল মান্টোকে। তিনি তৎকালীন নেতাদের উদ্দেশে যা লিখেছিলেন তা আজও শতভাগ সত্য -
"These people — “leaders” — see religion and politics as some lame, crippled man. They peddle him around to beg for money. They shoulder his corpse and appeal to those who will believe anything said from high on up. They claim they are bringing the corpse back to life with their effort."
যারা ধর্মের ভয় দেখিয়ে রাজনীতি করে, তাদের সম্বন্ধে মান্টোর বক্তব্য,
" When these leaders shed tears and wail, “Mazhab khatre mein hai” (Religion is in danger), it is all rubbish. Faith isn’t the sort of thing that can come into danger in the first place. If anything is in danger, it’s these leaders who want to be saved by claiming religion is in peril."
দেশভাগ হয়েছে। মান্টোকে মেনে নিতে হয়েছে সেই বিভক্তি।ঘৃণ্য সাম্প্রদায়িক দাঙার স্মৃতি যেন মান্টোর করোটিতে আঘাত করছিল প্রতিমুহুর্তে। সেই যন্ত্রণায় কুকঁড়ে যাচ্ছিলেন মান্টো। বিপর্যস্ত হয়েছিল মানুষ মান্টো। ক্ষতের যাতনা সইছিল সাহিত্যক মান্টো৷ বোম্বেতে ' Unwanted' মান্টো। উদ্বাস্তুর মতো আশ্রয় নিয়েছেন লাহোরে। যার সাথে ন্যূনতম সম্পর্ক ছিল না মান্টোর। বরং বিভেদ ছিল ঢের বেশি। মানসিক দূরত্ব ছিল অমোচনীয়। তাই পাকিস্তানকে কখনোই মেনে নিতে পারেন নি। তুমুল সমালোচনা করেছেন ধর্মভিত্তিতে গড়ে ওঠা দেশটিকে। ধর্মীয় গোঁড়ামিকে ব্যঙ্গ করেছেন নিজস্ব ভঙিতে।
লেখালেখিতে অশ্লীলতার দায়ে ৫ বার আদালতে হাজির হতে হয়েছে মান্টোকে। পাকিস্তানেই বেশি হেনস্তার স্বীকার হয়েছেন তিনি৷ জরিমানা দিতে হয়েছে। সংবাদপত্রে তাঁকে ব্যক্তিগত আক্রমণ করা হয়েছে৷ তাতে ব্যথিত হৃদয়ে মান্টো লিখেছেন,
" No man is without his weaknesses, but why put them on display? It’s true that personal trivia about writers and artists is always interesting to read and reveals something about their character. But what’s the point of such revelation when it brings the writer into disgrace?"
বইয়ের সবচেয়ে সুন্দর প্রবন্ধটি কিন্তু সাহিত্য কিংবা স্মৃতিকথাধর্মী নয়। এটি ফিল্ম নিয়ে। ভারতীয় উপমহাদেশের চলচ্চিত্র নিয়ে কতো গভীরভাবে ভাবতেন মান্টো তা এই প্রবন্ধটি পড়লে বোঝা যায়। এখনকার প্রেক্ষিতেও ভাববার দাবি রাখবে চলচ্চিত্র নিয়ে সাদাত হাসান মান্টোর যুক্তিপূর্ণ প্রবন্ধটি।
এই বইয়ের সবলদিক প্রবন্ধগ্রন্থ হিসেবে এর বৈচিত্র্য। আকার প্যাটেল চমৎকার অনুবাদ করেছেন। সহজসরল গদ্য। গাম্ভীর্য নেই ; সহজবোধ্যতা আছে৷ উর্দু জানি নে। তাই মূল থেকে কতোটা সরেছেন অনুবাদক বলতেও পারছিনা। অনুবাদের মান যথেষ্ট ভালো।
অনুবাদক আকার প্যাটেল একটি অযাচিত কাজ করেছেন। প্রত্যেক প্রবন্ধের শুরুতেই ভূমিকার ছলে কিছু কথা লিখেছেন। এবং তা সাহিত্যিক মান্টোর অনুবাদকের দৃষ্টিতে নয়, তার বিচার করবার ধরন ছিল ভারতীয় নাগরিকের নিরিখে৷ তাতেই পক্ষপাতী আচরণ করেছেন অনুবাদক৷ তাতে বইটির চমৎকারিত্ব ক্ষুণ্ণ হয়েছে। হতে বাধ্য।
April 8, 2020
So throughout my reading I had a sense that manto is indeed speaking about current state of affairs. It's sad that even after so many decades the things are pretty much on the same lines. Initially I was reluctant to keep going with the book because the essays at the start didn't appeal to me much. But I must admit that the moment he went into partition woes and the state of pakistan and the religious fundamentalism, it all made sense.
Manto summarises about why he writes in this paragraph-
"The most important reason is that I’m addicted to writing, just as I am to drinking. When I don’t write, it feels like I’m unclothed, like I haven’t had a bath. Like I haven’t had my first drink."
He further moves on to the best essay of the book which is "save us from politicians ". Some of the insights are-
" These people— “leaders”— see religion and politics as some lame, crippled man. They peddle him around to beg for money. They shoulder his corpse and appeal to those who will believe anything said from high on up. They claim they are bringing the corpse back to life with their effort."
" When these leaders shed tears and wail, “Mazhab khatre mein hai” (Religion is in danger), it is all rubbish. Faith isn’t the sort of thing that can come into danger in the first place. If anything is in danger, it’s these leaders who want to be saved by claiming religion is in peril."
"Those leaders who used religion to rouse hatred, and whom I hold responsible, should know that there are many in India who understand what they are doing. They should know that they are viewed with disgust and contempt."
He goes on to narrate the woes of the partition on both sides of the spectrum. His specific focus remains on Bombay of that time. He also takes on the religious fundamentalism of pakistan. He writes with great contempt against the so called harbingers of faith.
He also talks about the trials he apparently faced in the courts for writing something which he felt is reality of the society. It's actually a great read when he deals with all in sarcasm.
In the later parts he also comments about the Bollywood and cinema as a whole. In between there are also essays highlighting the concept of virtuous women in cinema.
The book gives a feel that manto was indeed right about things he said during his period of time. Many of his prophecies went on to become the reality or is still the reality.
Manto summarises about why he writes in this paragraph-
"The most important reason is that I’m addicted to writing, just as I am to drinking. When I don’t write, it feels like I’m unclothed, like I haven’t had a bath. Like I haven’t had my first drink."
He further moves on to the best essay of the book which is "save us from politicians ". Some of the insights are-
" These people— “leaders”— see religion and politics as some lame, crippled man. They peddle him around to beg for money. They shoulder his corpse and appeal to those who will believe anything said from high on up. They claim they are bringing the corpse back to life with their effort."
" When these leaders shed tears and wail, “Mazhab khatre mein hai” (Religion is in danger), it is all rubbish. Faith isn’t the sort of thing that can come into danger in the first place. If anything is in danger, it’s these leaders who want to be saved by claiming religion is in peril."
"Those leaders who used religion to rouse hatred, and whom I hold responsible, should know that there are many in India who understand what they are doing. They should know that they are viewed with disgust and contempt."
He goes on to narrate the woes of the partition on both sides of the spectrum. His specific focus remains on Bombay of that time. He also takes on the religious fundamentalism of pakistan. He writes with great contempt against the so called harbingers of faith.
He also talks about the trials he apparently faced in the courts for writing something which he felt is reality of the society. It's actually a great read when he deals with all in sarcasm.
In the later parts he also comments about the Bollywood and cinema as a whole. In between there are also essays highlighting the concept of virtuous women in cinema.
The book gives a feel that manto was indeed right about things he said during his period of time. Many of his prophecies went on to become the reality or is still the reality.
September 20, 2015
This is the first book of Manto, i have read in my life. I must say i am cursing myself for not reading his work till now. Even though i am sure, some of the charm might have lost in translating, Aakar Patel more or less brings Manto to English readers perfectly.
The great thing about this essays is, they are still relevant. Manto'S writings on Bombay is one of the best i feel. His essay on 25th Anniversary of Bollywood, "What Bollywood Must Do" is relevant even today. It seems like we have not moved on and history is repeating itself.
Manto's brilliance lies in simplifying subjects like arms race, religion and make it palatable to vast section of readers.
Must Read.
The great thing about this essays is, they are still relevant. Manto'S writings on Bombay is one of the best i feel. His essay on 25th Anniversary of Bollywood, "What Bollywood Must Do" is relevant even today. It seems like we have not moved on and history is repeating itself.
Manto's brilliance lies in simplifying subjects like arms race, religion and make it palatable to vast section of readers.
Must Read.
June 18, 2016
Of all the Indian authors I've read, Manto is one my top 3 favorites. After years of turning my head away from the cloying themes of small town life and spirituality that other Indian writers tend to push, an article in The Hindu alerted me to Manto's irreverent and (relatively much) darker style. I found a copy of The Bitter Fruit at the library and I became a fan after that.
While I've enjoyed a number of his short stories, reading his essays was different - But felt familiar at the same time. I got to see into the mind of this great writer and his thoughts on issues facing him in real life. His staunch humanism only made me respect him even more. The essays are on a wide range of subjects, from theocratic rule, to women's place in society, to marriage, and even firecrackers, and they carry themes of frustration, modernization, and even feminism.
The book ends with a long essay on the state of Bollywood, and its massive potential for expressing the spirit of the newly independent (and newly confident) India. Manto talks of the artistic integrity he finds missing in Bollywood, and the mediocrity of those involved in the industry. The trite cliches, the fumbled lines, the awkward casting, and the reductive character stereotypes. Is this what we can expect from a nation of millions of youths dreaming for a better tomorrow, he almost seems to ask the reader. This essay's my favorite of the bunch and shows lucid, piercing insights from someone actually in 'the biz'.
Not all of Manto’s observations and opinions are fresh, relevant (I'm looking at the Partition ones here), or even interesting, but his wit saves the day even with the driest of essays. (One such example was Manto’s review of a movie called Zindagi, which starts off long winded but leaves you chuckling heartily by the time you reach its end.) However, Aakar Patel’s style of translation surprised me in one aspect. Words and even entire lines and verses in Urdu are left untranslated - Grave oversights, in my opinion. It was almost as if he assumed the readers would know Urdu themselves. Apart from that, the translation reads smoothly elsewhere.
Read with an open mind, this book of essays will entertain you, and show you just how little the middle class Indian psyche has changed from back then - Something hilarious in itself.
While I've enjoyed a number of his short stories, reading his essays was different - But felt familiar at the same time. I got to see into the mind of this great writer and his thoughts on issues facing him in real life. His staunch humanism only made me respect him even more. The essays are on a wide range of subjects, from theocratic rule, to women's place in society, to marriage, and even firecrackers, and they carry themes of frustration, modernization, and even feminism.
The book ends with a long essay on the state of Bollywood, and its massive potential for expressing the spirit of the newly independent (and newly confident) India. Manto talks of the artistic integrity he finds missing in Bollywood, and the mediocrity of those involved in the industry. The trite cliches, the fumbled lines, the awkward casting, and the reductive character stereotypes. Is this what we can expect from a nation of millions of youths dreaming for a better tomorrow, he almost seems to ask the reader. This essay's my favorite of the bunch and shows lucid, piercing insights from someone actually in 'the biz'.
Not all of Manto’s observations and opinions are fresh, relevant (I'm looking at the Partition ones here), or even interesting, but his wit saves the day even with the driest of essays. (One such example was Manto’s review of a movie called Zindagi, which starts off long winded but leaves you chuckling heartily by the time you reach its end.) However, Aakar Patel’s style of translation surprised me in one aspect. Words and even entire lines and verses in Urdu are left untranslated - Grave oversights, in my opinion. It was almost as if he assumed the readers would know Urdu themselves. Apart from that, the translation reads smoothly elsewhere.
Read with an open mind, this book of essays will entertain you, and show you just how little the middle class Indian psyche has changed from back then - Something hilarious in itself.
April 4, 2020
I read this book to get the experience of reading Manto in English. The book is well translated and Manto as always is terrific. Bombay and Bollywood, two of Manto's favorite topics, take a larger space in the essays although the essays written on Bollywood are still very relevant and useful.
Manto had a very different voice which never even slightly faded in the translation, it felt like he is still laughing on the society and spitting all those genius sentences from his mouth, but this time, in English.
Manto had a very different voice which never even slightly faded in the translation, it felt like he is still laughing on the society and spitting all those genius sentences from his mouth, but this time, in English.
May 29, 2019
The translation wasn’t the best; it’s Manto so I couldn’t help but read on. Some favourites: What Bollywood Must Do, Virtuous Women in Cinema, God is Gracious in Pakistan, Save India from its Leaders, Bombay during Partition, Hindi or Urdu
March 29, 2016
I’ve been putting off this review for quite a while now. Not because the book was a tough one to read but because it wasn’t my kind and I am not sure how to review it.
One: This is a translation – which I’m not fond of. Language I feel, is a part of the story and that is often lost in translation.Or so I thought.
And two This was titled ‘Essays by Sadat Hasan Manto’.. essays? For me E.S.S.A.Y. spells B.O.R.I.N.G. Consider it a hangover from school.
This book served to dispel both those myths. I do continue to suspect though, that it would have read much better in the original Urdu. But then that might be because even if I do not know the language too well I remain partial to it.
The Book..
… is a collection of articles by Manto that appeared in various publications over a number of years. They have been edited and translated by Aakar Patel. I have no way of knowing how much of the original has been retained but Manto’s thoughts certainly shine through.
The amazing thing about this book is that he wrote these articles (I prefer to call them that rather than essays) over six decades ago and yet they are more relevant than ever. It makes one think that either Manto had precognitive powers or that things really haven’t changed over the years or perhaps we did make progress only to regress again.
Manto picks varied topics from something like surviving in the Indian film industry (he wrote scripts for Bollywood, none of which were very successful) bumming cigarettes from friends and eve teasing to politics, politicians and partition riots. He wrote of his struggles with poverty and his inability to support his family as also of his brush with the law – he was tried a number of times for obscenity. Not once does he sound desperate or depressed. He writes with humour and a sharp satirical voice.
The ones I loved
One of my favourites was Hindi or Urdu where he sets up a dialogue between a Munshi Narayan Prasad and a Mirza Mohammad Iqbal each making a case for their language. The futility of the argument shines through in the dialogue. He adds: Languages are not created, they make themselves and no human effort can destroy one already made. He reduces issues like Arms Control to a hilariously simplistic level in his piece How Arms Control works. Another one I liked was What Bollywood must do. It is amazingly applicable today. Sample this: India needs entertaining movies that also educate, exercise the mind and introduces us to new ideas and new thinking.
I saved up my favourite one for the last – God is Gracious in Pakistan – a brilliant piece of satire where he professes relief that artists, poets, painters, musicians and even scientists had all been done away with for, Creation, as he says is the preserve of Allah. He is incisive in this derision of the Government that blocks out creativity.
How we need writers like him.
One: This is a translation – which I’m not fond of. Language I feel, is a part of the story and that is often lost in translation.Or so I thought.
And two This was titled ‘Essays by Sadat Hasan Manto’.. essays? For me E.S.S.A.Y. spells B.O.R.I.N.G. Consider it a hangover from school.
This book served to dispel both those myths. I do continue to suspect though, that it would have read much better in the original Urdu. But then that might be because even if I do not know the language too well I remain partial to it.
The Book..
… is a collection of articles by Manto that appeared in various publications over a number of years. They have been edited and translated by Aakar Patel. I have no way of knowing how much of the original has been retained but Manto’s thoughts certainly shine through.
The amazing thing about this book is that he wrote these articles (I prefer to call them that rather than essays) over six decades ago and yet they are more relevant than ever. It makes one think that either Manto had precognitive powers or that things really haven’t changed over the years or perhaps we did make progress only to regress again.
Manto picks varied topics from something like surviving in the Indian film industry (he wrote scripts for Bollywood, none of which were very successful) bumming cigarettes from friends and eve teasing to politics, politicians and partition riots. He wrote of his struggles with poverty and his inability to support his family as also of his brush with the law – he was tried a number of times for obscenity. Not once does he sound desperate or depressed. He writes with humour and a sharp satirical voice.
The ones I loved
One of my favourites was Hindi or Urdu where he sets up a dialogue between a Munshi Narayan Prasad and a Mirza Mohammad Iqbal each making a case for their language. The futility of the argument shines through in the dialogue. He adds: Languages are not created, they make themselves and no human effort can destroy one already made. He reduces issues like Arms Control to a hilariously simplistic level in his piece How Arms Control works. Another one I liked was What Bollywood must do. It is amazingly applicable today. Sample this: India needs entertaining movies that also educate, exercise the mind and introduces us to new ideas and new thinking.
I saved up my favourite one for the last – God is Gracious in Pakistan – a brilliant piece of satire where he professes relief that artists, poets, painters, musicians and even scientists had all been done away with for, Creation, as he says is the preserve of Allah. He is incisive in this derision of the Government that blocks out creativity.
How we need writers like him.
April 22, 2019
I'm still in awe of my amazing library staff who sourced an English translation of Manto's essays all the way out here in Australia. I wished to read something written by Manto - and my wish was duly fulfilled - for free!
Coming to this book itself - Aakar Patel does a fairly good job of capturing Manto's 'voice' so to speak - his sarcasm, bitterness, directness and his compassion are all visible in the English words though the earthiness of his writing is obviously lost in translation.
You can tell from the progression of the essays, how Manto's life and circumstances change - from his fun, light-hearted commentary on Bollywood written during his days as a film writer in Bombay, to the self-deprecating tale of how he became a 'family' man to the caustic and pessimistic essays written about the obscenity trials he faced when his beautiful, hyper-real writing was considered 'pornography' in British India and later post-partition Pakistan.
The last essay he wrote before his death is here. How optimistically it ended! Manto died a few weeks after having written it and it was published posthumously.
There is something about Mantosaab's writing that reminds me of home - he was a wanderer, I suppose and found his best possible home in his adopted city of Bombay. Leaving Bombay broke his heart. In that sense, I think of him as a kindred spirit. A man who sought a home, his whole life.
I'd have said, rest in peace. But knowing Mantosaab, he's probably off raising hell wherever he is!
Coming to this book itself - Aakar Patel does a fairly good job of capturing Manto's 'voice' so to speak - his sarcasm, bitterness, directness and his compassion are all visible in the English words though the earthiness of his writing is obviously lost in translation.
You can tell from the progression of the essays, how Manto's life and circumstances change - from his fun, light-hearted commentary on Bollywood written during his days as a film writer in Bombay, to the self-deprecating tale of how he became a 'family' man to the caustic and pessimistic essays written about the obscenity trials he faced when his beautiful, hyper-real writing was considered 'pornography' in British India and later post-partition Pakistan.
The last essay he wrote before his death is here. How optimistically it ended! Manto died a few weeks after having written it and it was published posthumously.
There is something about Mantosaab's writing that reminds me of home - he was a wanderer, I suppose and found his best possible home in his adopted city of Bombay. Leaving Bombay broke his heart. In that sense, I think of him as a kindred spirit. A man who sought a home, his whole life.
I'd have said, rest in peace. But knowing Mantosaab, he's probably off raising hell wherever he is!
September 28, 2018
"God is Gracious in Pakistan", for its stinging sarcasm. Manto at his best. This is just burn!
"Bombay During Partition", for its historical significance.
"Virtuous Women in Cinema", for it's eloquent articulation of women's rights, on their place in society and cinema, and especially on Bollywood's hypocrisy and fake morality.
"A Review of Saigal's Zindagi", (a review of the movie Zindagi where Saigal played the lead role), for being hilariously funny that I actually laughed out loud!
"Bombay During Partition", for its historical significance.
"Virtuous Women in Cinema", for it's eloquent articulation of women's rights, on their place in society and cinema, and especially on Bollywood's hypocrisy and fake morality.
"A Review of Saigal's Zindagi", (a review of the movie Zindagi where Saigal played the lead role), for being hilariously funny that I actually laughed out loud!
December 20, 2020
Insights into the life of a strange but great mind, with a great translation effort by Aakar Patel.
The essays are mostly chronological and hence turn progressively from banter and humour to satire to darkness over the pages. It pains the mind to read about this decline. How a person who loved Bombay the city and the film industry, despised Jinnah, and disagreed with the idea of Pakistan moved there anyway. Imagine the insecurities he must've faced to undertake such a move.
The essays are mostly chronological and hence turn progressively from banter and humour to satire to darkness over the pages. It pains the mind to read about this decline. How a person who loved Bombay the city and the film industry, despised Jinnah, and disagreed with the idea of Pakistan moved there anyway. Imagine the insecurities he must've faced to undertake such a move.
April 2, 2019
I read Manto’s short stories when I was in college. His writing was a shock to me. I hadn’t read writing like that before. Honest, and real. His language, simple and powerful.
When I came across “Why I write” by Manto, I was curious about his process. His views on his craft. I wanted to learn the ways of the master. So, I picked it up.
The book was a surprise. It did have essays talking about his work, his struggles, and his craft. But in other essays, he talks about a medley of other topics.
Manto had strong opinions on the politics of the time - Muslim league, Congress, Jinnah, and the partition. He talked about it in some essays. He also talked about Bollywood. The problems he mentioned in the films at the time are still true today. I had a good laugh reading this one.
His writing is funny and sharp. Even when he talks about his mother’s death, he managed to make me laugh. In this essay, he talks about the bureaucracy involved in a person’s death. The business of it. Talking about personal loss, he brings out the ridiculous things mourners have to face.
It’s for people who have read Manto and are intrigued by his writing. People who want to want to go back in time and see snippets of India before and after partition. Images of old Bombay. It’s for people who enjoy personal stories written with humor and honesty.
When I came across “Why I write” by Manto, I was curious about his process. His views on his craft. I wanted to learn the ways of the master. So, I picked it up.
The book was a surprise. It did have essays talking about his work, his struggles, and his craft. But in other essays, he talks about a medley of other topics.
Manto had strong opinions on the politics of the time - Muslim league, Congress, Jinnah, and the partition. He talked about it in some essays. He also talked about Bollywood. The problems he mentioned in the films at the time are still true today. I had a good laugh reading this one.
His writing is funny and sharp. Even when he talks about his mother’s death, he managed to make me laugh. In this essay, he talks about the bureaucracy involved in a person’s death. The business of it. Talking about personal loss, he brings out the ridiculous things mourners have to face.
It’s for people who have read Manto and are intrigued by his writing. People who want to want to go back in time and see snippets of India before and after partition. Images of old Bombay. It’s for people who enjoy personal stories written with humor and honesty.
Read
February 5, 2018the translation seems randomly done, still it was enjoyable.
August 8, 2022
This was one of the most magnificent books I happened to read recently. I loved it immensely.
Saadat Hasan Manto was truly an amazing artist. He did everything in his power to change the mindset of some stupid souls back then but he failed in it. I feel the same when I write something in 2022.
His views on women and men were enthralling. He truly respected women far better than men. He talked about prostitutes and he even questioned why does it be an easier job for a man to call a woman a whore? While it's the men who seek sex more than women. No wonder I have never seen a men's brothel till now. Because I doubt that they will get a lot of women clients there.
Women for centuries know how to control their sexual desires and live their lives with dignity and grace but men ah! Don't even get me started on this.
Read this book and you will thank yourself. It's an amazing feeling to know that there was a man in this world who thought like me.
Saadat Hasan Manto was truly an amazing artist. He did everything in his power to change the mindset of some stupid souls back then but he failed in it. I feel the same when I write something in 2022.
His views on women and men were enthralling. He truly respected women far better than men. He talked about prostitutes and he even questioned why does it be an easier job for a man to call a woman a whore? While it's the men who seek sex more than women. No wonder I have never seen a men's brothel till now. Because I doubt that they will get a lot of women clients there.
Women for centuries know how to control their sexual desires and live their lives with dignity and grace but men ah! Don't even get me started on this.
Read this book and you will thank yourself. It's an amazing feeling to know that there was a man in this world who thought like me.
February 15, 2018
Manto, one of the most highly celebrated writers of the Indian subcontinent who authored short stories primarily in Urdu.
This book is mostly a collection of short essays written both before and just after the partition. A lot of these essays would be a complementary read to his well known short stories, while some of them are more towards his other magazine writings and speeches. Rest are commentary/critique on the state of Pakistan. The book covers a range of topics like the administration/judiciary, movies, fundamentalism prevalent at the time, and the routine life in both Bombay and later in Pakistan among many others.
I had heard about Manto long back, but read his short stories just a year and a half back and instantly understood what the praise was about. His short stories have the charm of an easy approachability, yet are deep. This book covers the discourses of freedom of speech very nicely. The writing is overall sharp and consistently funny.
Two of the chapters stand out, namely “God is gracious in Pakistan”, and “What Bollywood must do”.
“God is gracious in Pakistan” (or its original and better name “Allah ka Bada Fazal Hai”) is the most unique form of writing here. It is part-satire, part-dystopia where the fundamentalists have taken over Pakistan; shutting down jails, courts, science, literature and other functionality of a nation. It shows, dare I say it, an exaggerated current-Pakistan. It proves again what a visionary Manto was. This piece invokes the Orwellian society of Nineteen Eighty-Four brilliantly. I was thoroughly amused.
“What Bollywood must do” is another great chapter as it deals with the Hindi film industry, and raises points and question which sadly exist even today (although I really despise the use of the word Bollywood in this book). It talks about the state of movies (and Talkies) at the nascent 25 years. This chapter shines in a book with great chapters, and has probably the most number of quotable passages from the book. Also, I finally understood why our elders didn’t think much good about movies (hookers and prostitutes were heavily involved back then!) Manto had an amazing understanding of movie plot/structures back then, comparing the Western cinema and the shortfalls in our own.
The biggest issue I had was the translation in English language here. The writing lost a lot of its charm, and I was mostly thinking what it would sound like in Urdu language. This was a huge let-down. Conversely, it inspired me to pick up a Manto book in Urdu and start reading (I’ve never ready more than 4 consecutive lines in Urdu in my life). So, good luck to me with that.
Finally, I’d recommend this to people who would want to know how partition affected the normal people; also for the people who would like to know what effect Manto’s writing had on the society then. Lastly, you can understand a little part of what it felt to be Manto.
This book is mostly a collection of short essays written both before and just after the partition. A lot of these essays would be a complementary read to his well known short stories, while some of them are more towards his other magazine writings and speeches. Rest are commentary/critique on the state of Pakistan. The book covers a range of topics like the administration/judiciary, movies, fundamentalism prevalent at the time, and the routine life in both Bombay and later in Pakistan among many others.
I had heard about Manto long back, but read his short stories just a year and a half back and instantly understood what the praise was about. His short stories have the charm of an easy approachability, yet are deep. This book covers the discourses of freedom of speech very nicely. The writing is overall sharp and consistently funny.
Two of the chapters stand out, namely “God is gracious in Pakistan”, and “What Bollywood must do”.
“God is gracious in Pakistan” (or its original and better name “Allah ka Bada Fazal Hai”) is the most unique form of writing here. It is part-satire, part-dystopia where the fundamentalists have taken over Pakistan; shutting down jails, courts, science, literature and other functionality of a nation. It shows, dare I say it, an exaggerated current-Pakistan. It proves again what a visionary Manto was. This piece invokes the Orwellian society of Nineteen Eighty-Four brilliantly. I was thoroughly amused.
“What Bollywood must do” is another great chapter as it deals with the Hindi film industry, and raises points and question which sadly exist even today (although I really despise the use of the word Bollywood in this book). It talks about the state of movies (and Talkies) at the nascent 25 years. This chapter shines in a book with great chapters, and has probably the most number of quotable passages from the book. Also, I finally understood why our elders didn’t think much good about movies (hookers and prostitutes were heavily involved back then!) Manto had an amazing understanding of movie plot/structures back then, comparing the Western cinema and the shortfalls in our own.
The biggest issue I had was the translation in English language here. The writing lost a lot of its charm, and I was mostly thinking what it would sound like in Urdu language. This was a huge let-down. Conversely, it inspired me to pick up a Manto book in Urdu and start reading (I’ve never ready more than 4 consecutive lines in Urdu in my life). So, good luck to me with that.
Finally, I’d recommend this to people who would want to know how partition affected the normal people; also for the people who would like to know what effect Manto’s writing had on the society then. Lastly, you can understand a little part of what it felt to be Manto.
August 20, 2025
Ah, that was a beauty of a purchase—2015 Book Fair, a place where wallets grow lighter and shelves heavier!!
Why I Write: Essays by Saadat Hasan Manto (translated and edited by Aakar Patel) is one of those slim volumes that feels deceptively modest but carries a dynamite charge.
When I read Manto, I always get the sense that he’s writing with a cigarette in one hand and a mirror in the other—burning himself even as he forces society to look at its own scars. This collection of essays shows that side of him in prose form, stripped of the fictional veil he used in his short stories. Here he’s not hiding behind characters or invented situations; he’s talking directly, often abrasively, about what it means to write, to witness, and to provoke.
The essays carry that Manto signature tone: irreverent, biting, unafraid of offending, yet startlingly lucid. He demolishes hypocrisies—political, social, and religious—with a mix of wit and fury. The title essay, Why I Write, is practically a manifesto. Manto doesn’t romanticize writing; he presents it as a compulsion, almost a curse. He writes because he must, because silence would be betrayal. And when he talks about the Partition, the communal bloodlust, or the pettiness of censorship boards, you feel the sheer urgency of his pen.
Aakar Patel’s translation does a fine job of keeping Manto’s rawness intact. There’s always the danger that translators sandpaper rough edges to make writers “palatable,” but thankfully Patel doesn’t fall into that trap. Manto comes across as messy, sharp, and restless—the way he should. The introduction adds context, but the essays themselves stand on their own, pulsing with that dangerous mix of rage and tenderness Manto was known for.
Reading this in the aftermath of buying it at the 2015 Book Fair must’ve been like slipping into a direct conversation with a ghost. It’s strange how Manto—writing in the 1940s and 50s—feels like he’s speaking to us in the 21st century without losing relevance. His warnings about communal hatred, about censorship, about the hypocrisy of elites—don’t they sound like today’s headlines?
This collection isn’t large, but it lingers. You close the book, and Manto’s voice is still in your head, mocking, questioning, needling. It’s the literary equivalent of a drink that burns your throat but clears your vision.
Why I Write: Essays by Saadat Hasan Manto (translated and edited by Aakar Patel) is one of those slim volumes that feels deceptively modest but carries a dynamite charge.
When I read Manto, I always get the sense that he’s writing with a cigarette in one hand and a mirror in the other—burning himself even as he forces society to look at its own scars. This collection of essays shows that side of him in prose form, stripped of the fictional veil he used in his short stories. Here he’s not hiding behind characters or invented situations; he’s talking directly, often abrasively, about what it means to write, to witness, and to provoke.
The essays carry that Manto signature tone: irreverent, biting, unafraid of offending, yet startlingly lucid. He demolishes hypocrisies—political, social, and religious—with a mix of wit and fury. The title essay, Why I Write, is practically a manifesto. Manto doesn’t romanticize writing; he presents it as a compulsion, almost a curse. He writes because he must, because silence would be betrayal. And when he talks about the Partition, the communal bloodlust, or the pettiness of censorship boards, you feel the sheer urgency of his pen.
Aakar Patel’s translation does a fine job of keeping Manto’s rawness intact. There’s always the danger that translators sandpaper rough edges to make writers “palatable,” but thankfully Patel doesn’t fall into that trap. Manto comes across as messy, sharp, and restless—the way he should. The introduction adds context, but the essays themselves stand on their own, pulsing with that dangerous mix of rage and tenderness Manto was known for.
Reading this in the aftermath of buying it at the 2015 Book Fair must’ve been like slipping into a direct conversation with a ghost. It’s strange how Manto—writing in the 1940s and 50s—feels like he’s speaking to us in the 21st century without losing relevance. His warnings about communal hatred, about censorship, about the hypocrisy of elites—don’t they sound like today’s headlines?
This collection isn’t large, but it lingers. You close the book, and Manto’s voice is still in your head, mocking, questioning, needling. It’s the literary equivalent of a drink that burns your throat but clears your vision.
June 5, 2016
I could relate to what Manto had to say about India. When he talks about his marriage, for instance, I can see it happening in that day and time. So when the intensity of the situation becomes grave as he discusses the conditions around and post partition, I take his words as true. Even though they are essays, they come alive. Each statement that he makes is weighted. His words are straight-forward. He questions without fearing authority. He accepts his mistakes with the same attitude. The way he expresses himself, I can identify him in the crowd around me and yet fail to muster the courage that he demonstrates, to demand a right to be an equal, thinking individual.
Manto comes forth as an important writer to me, personally. I have read very few accounts that sketch the struggle partition brought to the citizens. We hear about the struggle, but this is a 101 to witnessing that struggle beyond the textbooks, not just as an event, but as a driver of fate, change and struggle that contributes to the picture of the subcontinent, as we witness it today.
I would like to thank Manto for writing it and Aakar Patel for translating it. This needs to reach more and more young Indian readers who need to experience what the partition meant, to those who wrote about it and to those who were the part of the public that had to go by the political wind. It brings forward questions that our history books never raise, and answers, so weird and tentative, that our history books will never capture them; and yet, these are the real chunks of experience that should drive us to look at our history as an account of evolution of an entire nation and its equation with itself.
PS. As a disclaimer, since this is a translation, I am not sure what it lost or gained in the process. What follows is what I think of this translated and compiled edition as a read.
Manto comes forth as an important writer to me, personally. I have read very few accounts that sketch the struggle partition brought to the citizens. We hear about the struggle, but this is a 101 to witnessing that struggle beyond the textbooks, not just as an event, but as a driver of fate, change and struggle that contributes to the picture of the subcontinent, as we witness it today.
I would like to thank Manto for writing it and Aakar Patel for translating it. This needs to reach more and more young Indian readers who need to experience what the partition meant, to those who wrote about it and to those who were the part of the public that had to go by the political wind. It brings forward questions that our history books never raise, and answers, so weird and tentative, that our history books will never capture them; and yet, these are the real chunks of experience that should drive us to look at our history as an account of evolution of an entire nation and its equation with itself.
PS. As a disclaimer, since this is a translation, I am not sure what it lost or gained in the process. What follows is what I think of this translated and compiled edition as a read.
January 8, 2022
Saadat Hasan Manto was an Indian trapped in Pakistan. This was his misfortune, and it was ours too. We can no more blame him for going than we can our grandfathers for staying.
It’s said that every big man thinks in the loo. I can say with some evidence that I’m not a big man, for I’ve never had a productive thought there.
When a true artist plucks a string, its vibrations remain for centuries and fill the atmosphere with his message. It reaches out and touches those it was meant for.
It’s an unfortunate fact that those who were ahead of their time were always rejected by their society. It takes guts to think outside the box, but courage to put a voice to those thoughts. Saadat Hasan Manto was one of those people. This book was a collection of short essays Manto wrote throughout his life, and I promise you, once your read his stories, you will be dying to get your hands on this book.
He is a great Indian writer, who wrote in an Indian language to an Indian audience about his Indian experiences. This is why he should be read in any language he can be accessed in.
Review Continued Here
It’s said that every big man thinks in the loo. I can say with some evidence that I’m not a big man, for I’ve never had a productive thought there.
When a true artist plucks a string, its vibrations remain for centuries and fill the atmosphere with his message. It reaches out and touches those it was meant for.
It’s an unfortunate fact that those who were ahead of their time were always rejected by their society. It takes guts to think outside the box, but courage to put a voice to those thoughts. Saadat Hasan Manto was one of those people. This book was a collection of short essays Manto wrote throughout his life, and I promise you, once your read his stories, you will be dying to get your hands on this book.
He is a great Indian writer, who wrote in an Indian language to an Indian audience about his Indian experiences. This is why he should be read in any language he can be accessed in.
Review Continued Here
July 30, 2019
A collection of essays from the short story writer, Saadat Hasan Manto. Originally written in Urdu, except for two, none of the other writings have been published in English before, making this book a treat for readers. Manto was born in India and worked in the film industry in Bombay (now known as Bollywood), writing screenplays for movies, and moved to Lahore in Pakistan due to the Partition. The essays strongly stand out as pre and post Partition, as Manto moves from humor, wit, sarcasm to disgruntlement and melancholy. Each of the essays offers a different facet of Manto's personality, and the book is a delight for readers to get to know the widely read and controversial writer who passed away at age 42.
May 19, 2015
I had merely had a chance to explore Manto through his short-stories and partition sketches. Hence, this was a completely new experience for me, since here was Manto talking directly to his reader even as he presented a slice of his life and times in the 40s. The essays begin with a small introduction by the translator that help the readers to warm into the context of the piece, and if one has read Manto, then one is rather delighted to find the same kind of candour, and ironic fun that forms an integral part of his writing. He moves smoothly and seamlessly from the serious, to the ironic, to the satiric, to the poignant, to the romantic, to the idealistic. Worth a read for Manto fans.
June 4, 2020
What made me buy the book - the author's fame
What I liked about the book - the worldview of Manto, and the wide range of issues that he wrote upon
Who will I recommend the book to - anyone and everyone at any point of time. This book must be read
What did the book teach me - where there is true art, there's no space for anything else
#OBAAT One Book At A Time
What I liked about the book - the worldview of Manto, and the wide range of issues that he wrote upon
Who will I recommend the book to - anyone and everyone at any point of time. This book must be read
What did the book teach me - where there is true art, there's no space for anything else
#OBAAT One Book At A Time
June 30, 2014
Classic Manto! Its amusing to read how some things haven't changed a bit in the last 60 years.
October 28, 2015
***** REVIEW TO FOLLOW *****
Not all essays picked are great ones but enough to give a clear insight of head/heart of Manto saheb.
Not all essays picked are great ones but enough to give a clear insight of head/heart of Manto saheb.
November 27, 2016
Funny, short and very Manto.
July 30, 2019
A typical Manto book. Thought provoking and a bit humorous read.
June 28, 2020
Too much lost in translation, otherwise great read.
March 14, 2019
"For me, remembrance of things past has always been a waste of time, and what's the point of tears? I don't know. I've always been focused on today. Yesterday and tomorrow hold no interest for me. What had to happen, did, and what will happen, will." Pg 8
September 12, 2023
The book puts together a series of Manto’s articles and essays from various sources, with a short backstory for each by the editor. Though there’s a lot of content to read, only a few essays stayed with me. Most of the essays and articles only help us understand Manto as a person - his affliction, his disappointments, and in some cases even him as a person with some ‘questionable’ traits whose few works were deemed immoral and vulgar. That being said, for anyone who hasn’t read a book by Manto book or does not know anything about Manto, this book may not be an apt starting point. For me, this book only added information to what I already knew.
I’m sure the editor and translator - Aakar Patel - tried his best to translate Manto’s prose. Manto’s writing however does feel a bit dated, especially in some of the attempts at humour which fall flat. It’s when he writes about the angst of the time - of independence and partition - that his prose feel strong and resolute.
I did like the book, but at some point I also wanted to finish reading it as soon as possible.
I’m sure the editor and translator - Aakar Patel - tried his best to translate Manto’s prose. Manto’s writing however does feel a bit dated, especially in some of the attempts at humour which fall flat. It’s when he writes about the angst of the time - of independence and partition - that his prose feel strong and resolute.
I did like the book, but at some point I also wanted to finish reading it as soon as possible.
July 22, 2016
Manto is one of the greatest writers ever. Whenever I start reading Saadat Hasan Manto, I am queerly reminded of my father.
To start with both of them were simple,intelligent,broadminded, thorough gentleman, kind, compassionate, blunt enough to prove their point, loved their drink, attached to their children, men of few and precise words, never apologetic about using cuss words in print, respect for women, often misunderstood, couldn't care less about their appearance, writers (my father used to write part time for newspapers /translator), died young and so the list goes on.
This book is again a translation of his essays and right from the introduction till the end, the book holds you in its sway. Manto's reading still holds relevance in today's times which just shows how far sighted he was. His empathy towards ordinary people and his astute observations are what marks him as unique.
He is the voice of the people. He is simply unstoppable in expressing his views against opposition and stupidity. One really wishes that there were more of his kind around us. The world would be a much better place.
To start with both of them were simple,intelligent,broadminded, thorough gentleman, kind, compassionate, blunt enough to prove their point, loved their drink, attached to their children, men of few and precise words, never apologetic about using cuss words in print, respect for women, often misunderstood, couldn't care less about their appearance, writers (my father used to write part time for newspapers /translator), died young and so the list goes on.
This book is again a translation of his essays and right from the introduction till the end, the book holds you in its sway. Manto's reading still holds relevance in today's times which just shows how far sighted he was. His empathy towards ordinary people and his astute observations are what marks him as unique.
He is the voice of the people. He is simply unstoppable in expressing his views against opposition and stupidity. One really wishes that there were more of his kind around us. The world would be a much better place.
February 27, 2018
Bangalore Lit Fest 2016 introduced me to Manto via this book which Aakar Patel had a reading session. Since then I had this book on my to-read list. Few days back, a friend went on a Manto reading spree.. being jealous of how she was raving about it I decided to pick this up and start my own Manto journey, and I am super pleased I did.
This is a collected essay, and translated so well that you can actually listen to Manto in these writings. Thankfully, the author has given a context at the start of every writing that makes it easier to digest and set your mind according to what you would encounter in the piece.
As a writer, I see Manto was way ahead of his times. Take for example, a piece he wrote on the silver jubilee of Indian cinema is so very relevant today (and thankfully certain changes have been made which he would have liked) makes you like him even more. His critical pieces of Pakistan and the Muslim league can tickle your funny bone and you could easily say that he was an Indian trapped in the wrong country.
I look forward to reading every thing Manto very soon, starting with his short stories. A beautiful read!
This is a collected essay, and translated so well that you can actually listen to Manto in these writings. Thankfully, the author has given a context at the start of every writing that makes it easier to digest and set your mind according to what you would encounter in the piece.
As a writer, I see Manto was way ahead of his times. Take for example, a piece he wrote on the silver jubilee of Indian cinema is so very relevant today (and thankfully certain changes have been made which he would have liked) makes you like him even more. His critical pieces of Pakistan and the Muslim league can tickle your funny bone and you could easily say that he was an Indian trapped in the wrong country.
I look forward to reading every thing Manto very soon, starting with his short stories. A beautiful read!
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