Qila-e-Faramoshi / قلعہ فراموشی

by Fahmida Riaz

This is a historical novel about the life and times of Mazdak, a man who lived in the 5th century AD, and has the reputation of having been the first socialist revolutionary in history.

The novel is a fascinating account of the interacting forces at play in those times. All the action takes place in the Sassanid Empire when its capital was Ctesiphon on the banks of river Tigris. Contingent to it was its arch rival, the equally vast and powerful Byzantine Empire .Between the two Empires lay the Arab lands, largely inhabited by the desert –dwelling Bedouin tribes. Close to the borders of the Sassanid Empire and the Indian subcontinent, were the Khanates of the White Huns. All these entities played a role in shaping the story of Mazdak, the continuation of his revolutionary movement for seven long years, and ultimately his execution and the crushing of the socialist movement throughout the Sassanid Empire. At the same time the story reveals an interesting insight in the growth of religions and religious ideas during this important century.

Relating it to the present-day world, the author, Fahmida Riaz, gives the story a relevance to today’s turbulent times and the eternal human quest for social justice .It is a novel by a well-known author that would certainly catch the imagination of the reader.

Genres: Fiction

184 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2017

About the author

Fahmida Riaz (Urdu: فہمیدہ ریاض‎) is a Progressive Urdu writer, poet, and feminist from Pakistan.

Born in 1946 in Meerut, educated in Hyderabad (Sindh) and London, she is among the front rank writers and poets of Urdu. She is also the author of several short stories and novels. Three volumes of her novels and collection of short stories, apart from the Urdu translation of selected verses from Shaikh Ayaz and the Iranian poet, Farough Farrakhzad have also been published. She has translated a selection of ghazal from Divan-e-Shams Tabriz into Urdu. She has travelled widely and lectured at universities and cultural forums in many cities of Europe and the United States.

She lives in Karachi where she has been publishing for women and children.

Reviews

[Asim Bakhshi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall, an interesting quick read but a novel that unfortunately fails to drag you in due to its lack of characterization and very limited imagery. However, the language is powerful and there are some great anthropological tidbits as far as forgotten Zoroastrian and Mazdaic customs are concerned. One can only wish that there should have been more references to Zend-Avista and intricate narrative building. Author tried not to compromise historical authenticity but ended up compromising literary expansion. A sad lost opportunity.

[Muhammad Waqas · Rating 3 out of 5]

فہمیدہ ریاض کا یہ پہلا ناول ہے جو پڑھنے کا اتفاق ہوا۔ یہ بنیادی طور پر پارسی مذہب اور اس سے جڑے غالبا پہلے سماجی انقلاب کی روداد ہے۔ کتاب کا عنوان انتہائی دلچسپ ہے حالانکہ کہانی میں قلعہ پس منظر میں رہا جو ایک طرح کا 'کالا پانی' ہے جہاں مزاحمت کرتے عناصر کو بھیج دیا جاتا ہے مگر دوسروں کے طرح بجائے جبر کے ہر طرح کی آسائش کا بندوبست کیا جاتا تاکہ واپسی کی کوششیں کم سے کم کریں۔ کتاب بہرحال وسائل کی غیر مساوی تقسیم اور سوشلسٹ نظریات سی جڑی ہے ۔ ایک باغی پیش رو کی کہانی جو روایتی پاپایت ترک کر کے انسانی مساوات کی تحریک اور اس کےا نجام کی کہانی۔

مجموعی طور پر ایک اچھی کتاب ہے بہت سی جگہوں پر تشنگی رہ گئی معلوم پڑتا ہے مصنفہ کو تکمیل کی جلدی تھی ورنہ کہانی کی مزید پرتیں کھولی جا سکتی تھیں۔

[Shernawaz Gul · Rating 5 out of 5]

A historical novel about Mazdak, who started a revolution which has shattered the kingdoms of Iran back in 5th centuries.
The story is told very well and has a moving content.
It would be considered an epic novel of Urdu in coming days.

[Sagheer Ahmad]

Ok