The Courtesan, Her Lover and I

by Tarana Husain Khan

TWO WOMEN WRITERS. TWO CENTURIES. A CREATIVE KINSHIP.

In the royal courts of nineteenth-century Rampur, courtesan-poet Munni Bai Hijab captivates the legendary Urdu poet Dagh Dehlvi, who immortalizes her in his verses while inadvertently eclipsing her voice.

More than a century later, Rukmini, an aspiring writer, stumbles upon Dagh's letters in the archives of the Rampur Raza Library and finds herself drawn to the fierce, flickering presence of Munni Bai Hijab. Torn between worlds-a Hindu woman in a Muslim household, a cosmopolitan spirit in a conservative town-Rukmini begins to trace the forgotten threads of Hijab's story, even as her own life starts to unravel. Her husband chases yet another doomed business idea. Her daughter walks away from medical school. And when her friendship with Daniyal, the stoic guardian of Rampur's past, deepens into desire, Rukmini must confront her greatest becoming her mother, the woman who once walked away from their family.

The Courtesan, Her Lover and I is a haunting novel of longing, ambition and women who dare to write themselves into history.

379 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 25, 2025

Reviews

[shinyreads · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Courtesan, Her Lover, and I is a beautifully layered story of two women writers separated by centuries yet bound by creativity and longing. The novel moves between the present-day life of Rukmani, an aspiring writer, a Hindu woman in a Muslim household, and a cosmopolitan spirit living in conservative Rampur and the 19th-century world of Munni Bai Hijab, a courtesan-poet immortalised by the legendary Urdu poet Daagh Dehlvi. The parallels between these two timelines are woven with great sensitivity, making the past and present echo each other in powerful ways.

The writing is lyrical and poetic, unfolding slowly in the beginning but gaining emotional depth as the narratives merge. Rukmani’s personal life is quietly unraveling, her husband’s failing ambitions, her daughter Gul walking away from medical school, and her growing closeness with Daniyal force her to confront her deepest fear: becoming her mother, the woman who once abandoned their family. These conflicts add intimacy and realism to the story.

More than a single woman’s journey, this novel is a story of many women, of mothers and daughters, art and abandonment, love and resilience. Tarana handles these relationships with remarkable tenderness and depth. For readers who loved watching Heeramandi or Gangubai Kathiawadi, this book feels deeply familiar yet intimate, a poignant tribute to longing, ambition, and women who dare to write themselves into history.

[Shalusbookishdelights · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is truly beautiful and deeply moving. It tells two different stories set in different times, yet the emotions, struggles, and fears remain the same.
The novel follows two women — Hijab and Rukmini. Though separated by centuries, their lives mirror each other in many ways. Their loneliness is the same, their struggles are the same, and above all, their fear of losing themselves is the same.

What stood out to me most is how powerfully the book shows how women are silenced — whether in the past or the present. Society may change with time, but its judgment often remains the same. A courtesan and the man she loves are never accepted, and a woman who wants more than her assigned role is constantly questioned.

What I took away from this book is simple but powerful:
women must choose themselves. Whether a man chooses them or not should never define their worth.