What do you think?
Rate this book
Manto: The Greatest Stories
240 pages, Hardcover
Published September 25, 2025
4 people are currently reading
3 people want to read
About the author
Saadat Hasan Manto
550 books1,119 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.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
January 2, 2026
This was my first Manto and what I realised was, Manto will just bring you to the situation, he will not judge for you or formulate your opinion. He will just bring you to it, that's all.
The stories were intense!
The stories were intense!
October 18, 2025
-Timeless Gems-
Review of 'Manto the Greatest Stories' by multiple translators
Quote Alert
"𝐈𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧,𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭. 𝐎𝐮𝐭𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐰, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧, 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐧𝐨𝐰. 𝐎𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐰𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐰, 𝐚 𝐆𝐡𝐚𝐚𝐭𝐚𝐧 𝐠𝐢𝐫𝐥 𝐥𝐚𝐲 𝐰𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐑𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐡𝐢𝐫."
To discover Manto is to discover time. His stories are alive with it. Even though written almost a century ago, they sing through years. The love, affection, grief, pain, separation and so many myriad emotions reflected in them speak through and between the lines.
Sa’adat Hasan Manto is the most widely read and controversial essayist, satirist, playwright and short story writer in the Urdu language. He published twenty-two collections of short stories. He is best known for his stories about the partition of India, which he opposed vehemently.
Manto was tried six times for alleged obscenity in his writings; thrice before 1947 in British India, and thrice after independence in 1947 in Pakistan, but was never convicted.
In this collection, some of his most iconic short stories have been presented, including ‘Khol Do’, ‘Shah Dule Ka Chooha’, ‘Bu’, ‘Dus Rupaye’, ‘Thanda Gosht’ and ‘Naya Qanoon’. Suicide was one of my most favourite. A father whose entire life is toppled in a matter of minutes.
Now, a note on translation. It's the beauty as well as curse of a translation that it must remain invisible. Like a sturdy set of bones, it much prop up the story on its feet, without being visible. And the translation here does just that. The biggest compliment you can give to a translator is about their invisibility: 'The book didn't read like a translation at all.' So this crossing of the words, from one language to another, was fluid and organic. Kudos to all the translators for doing the great work.
Review of 'Manto the Greatest Stories' by multiple translators
Quote Alert
"𝐈𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧,𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭. 𝐎𝐮𝐭𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐰, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧, 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐧𝐨𝐰. 𝐎𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐰𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐰, 𝐚 𝐆𝐡𝐚𝐚𝐭𝐚𝐧 𝐠𝐢𝐫𝐥 𝐥𝐚𝐲 𝐰𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐑𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐡𝐢𝐫."
To discover Manto is to discover time. His stories are alive with it. Even though written almost a century ago, they sing through years. The love, affection, grief, pain, separation and so many myriad emotions reflected in them speak through and between the lines.
Sa’adat Hasan Manto is the most widely read and controversial essayist, satirist, playwright and short story writer in the Urdu language. He published twenty-two collections of short stories. He is best known for his stories about the partition of India, which he opposed vehemently.
Manto was tried six times for alleged obscenity in his writings; thrice before 1947 in British India, and thrice after independence in 1947 in Pakistan, but was never convicted.
In this collection, some of his most iconic short stories have been presented, including ‘Khol Do’, ‘Shah Dule Ka Chooha’, ‘Bu’, ‘Dus Rupaye’, ‘Thanda Gosht’ and ‘Naya Qanoon’. Suicide was one of my most favourite. A father whose entire life is toppled in a matter of minutes.
Now, a note on translation. It's the beauty as well as curse of a translation that it must remain invisible. Like a sturdy set of bones, it much prop up the story on its feet, without being visible. And the translation here does just that. The biggest compliment you can give to a translator is about their invisibility: 'The book didn't read like a translation at all.' So this crossing of the words, from one language to another, was fluid and organic. Kudos to all the translators for doing the great work.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews