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Lifting The Veil
At a time when writing by and about women was rare and tentative, Ismat Chughtai explored female sexuality with unparalleled frankness and examined the political and social mores of her time.She wrote about the world that she knew, bringing the idiom of the middle class to Urdu prose, and totally transformed the complexion of Urdu fiction.Lifting the Veil brings together Ismat Chughtai's fiction and non-fiction writing. The twenty-one pieces in this selection are Chughtai at her best, marked by her brilliant turn of phrase, scintillating dialogue and wry humour, her characteristic irreverence, wit and eye for detail.
257 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 12, 2001
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
December 21, 2019
As promised, I did it. I finally completed reading 'Lifting The Veil' and I can't wait to review it. It was one hell of a read and I definitely recommend everyone to pick this gem of a collection of short stories by one of my favorite 20th century writers Ismat Chughtai. I love short stories because just in a few pages an author conveys everything that he or she has to and this quality is exhibited the best by Chughtai. .
Out of all the stories that feature in the book, 'Kafir', 'Quit India' and 'The Wedding Suit' are my favourite. I love how scrutinizing Chughtai can be and how she blends the personal with the political in such an intricate fashion. What I liked about her stories, especially these three was how the lives of these women were those shaped by the society and how adversely it affected them but they always tried and stood up against all the odds, no matter what. Yes, they were defeated but the stories give you
strength and perspective. .
Talking about my favourite stories, in 'Kafir' its the idea of an inter-religious couple is what makes the story come alive whereas in 'Quit India' it's the idea of friendship and politics coming together and how it screws up even basic relations is what works very well and in 'The Wedding Suit' well the one who's suffering and how unfortunate she is, as per the society is what works. All of these stories have a sad yet beautiful ending which blends with the story exceptionally well. Also, the way she uses personification and metaphors is brilliant. I will recommend everyone, especially those who want to begin reading Chughtai to pick this book up. .
Out of all the stories that feature in the book, 'Kafir', 'Quit India' and 'The Wedding Suit' are my favourite. I love how scrutinizing Chughtai can be and how she blends the personal with the political in such an intricate fashion. What I liked about her stories, especially these three was how the lives of these women were those shaped by the society and how adversely it affected them but they always tried and stood up against all the odds, no matter what. Yes, they were defeated but the stories give you
strength and perspective. .
Talking about my favourite stories, in 'Kafir' its the idea of an inter-religious couple is what makes the story come alive whereas in 'Quit India' it's the idea of friendship and politics coming together and how it screws up even basic relations is what works very well and in 'The Wedding Suit' well the one who's suffering and how unfortunate she is, as per the society is what works. All of these stories have a sad yet beautiful ending which blends with the story exceptionally well. Also, the way she uses personification and metaphors is brilliant. I will recommend everyone, especially those who want to begin reading Chughtai to pick this book up. .
November 5, 2017
Interesting tales. Helped understand the community from close. My presumptions changed after this read.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews