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Selected Stories
Selected stories.
375 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1940
139 people are currently reading
3665 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.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
July 7, 2020
Manto at its best, most of writers are good at selling lies, but manto sold the truth. These stories are eye opener for anyone who thinks beyond languagistic abuse. A true mirror of society reflects in his words
September 9, 2015
Popularly known as Manto, this short story writer is one of the greatest, as well as the most controversial, writers belonging to Lahore, Pakistan. His stories, originally written in Urdu, are simply narrated, having an essence of lyricism, metaphors and deep insight into human nature. This collection of stories has been carefully translated by Aatish Taseer, and done in a way that is said to have maintained Manto's original style and its effect.
This collection has twelve translated stories, covering a variety of themes including partition, dogmas, women and society, sexuality, politics, and religion. The book begins with the author's introduction, which is a must-read if you are (like me) a first-time reader of Manto's stories, and wish to get an insight into the relationship between his Urdu stories and its translations. He has talked about his own experience and the declining fate of Urdu language. It greatly enhanced my reading experience as it gave a glimpse into Manto's literary life, influences and ideas. I have personally been fascinated with short stories that narrate stories worth telling in a novel, in just a few pages. Those stories have memorable characters, places and habits that come back to you at a later time. Manto's stories have that quality, and a lot more that's hard to describe in words.
Read full review http://bookwormreviews9.blogspot.in/2015/02/selected-short-stories-by-saadat-hasan.htmlhere.
This collection has twelve translated stories, covering a variety of themes including partition, dogmas, women and society, sexuality, politics, and religion. The book begins with the author's introduction, which is a must-read if you are (like me) a first-time reader of Manto's stories, and wish to get an insight into the relationship between his Urdu stories and its translations. He has talked about his own experience and the declining fate of Urdu language. It greatly enhanced my reading experience as it gave a glimpse into Manto's literary life, influences and ideas. I have personally been fascinated with short stories that narrate stories worth telling in a novel, in just a few pages. Those stories have memorable characters, places and habits that come back to you at a later time. Manto's stories have that quality, and a lot more that's hard to describe in words.
Read full review http://bookwormreviews9.blogspot.in/2015/02/selected-short-stories-by-saadat-hasan.htmlhere.
April 13, 2016
Brilliant portrayal of partition.....one of the best short story writers I've ever read....each story distinct and memorable...incredible themes, characters.
May 11, 2007
This is an amazing compilation of short stories. Manto writes in Urdu during the Indian partition. If you can get your hands on it, read it.
July 23, 2011
The penguin edition has choicest short stories by Manto one wouldn't want to miss but the original urdu definitely stands out.
Personal favorites are
A woman of all seasons, khol do and the odour.
Personal favorites are
A woman of all seasons, khol do and the odour.
February 10, 2019
Ustaaaad manto usually known as porn writer ,but as he writes blatantly he is termed as the torch bearer of ugly face of society.
July 8, 2019
When I first entered the film line and decided to write my own films, I was advised by nearly everybody to read Manto.
Manto's full name is Saadat Hasan Manto. He was story writer and also a screenplay writer, though his film writing career never took off.
Manto was a writer who primarily wrote for himself.
People also call him Premchand of Urdu Writing.
His writing was very simple and easy to understand.
He would create stories from daily life just like Premchand, but unlike Premchand, his stories were not message-driven rather were a matter of fact thing.
His stories were mostly inspired by his own personal life and were told in the first person.
There were times while reading I felt that he had written his biography in the garb of stories.
Not that every story written by him was biographical in nature.
He has written on nearly every style of writing, that is why he is recommended for newbie writers to read because he gives you cast amount of variety in his writing.
If you read his stories you will get complete knowledge about how to write stories, great stories.
It was not that he had not written any message-driven stories.
There are also message-driven stories too, like the farcical story called "Toba Tek Singh" which is so surreal that at first, it was difficult for me to understand at the first reading.
I had to read it many times and see its interpretations to understand it.
Brilliant it was.
Then there are stories like "San unnees sau Unnees ki ek ghatna" in which is told in third person where someone is telling an entire story about someone's life only to reveal in the end that it was all a made up story.
Manto was often reprimanded and called to court for promoting obscene and sexual content through his stories.
His stories, especially two of them, called "Boo" and " Kali Salwar" were y banned because they had too much sexual content in it.
If you read those stories, which are available now easily, you will see that it was not the sex he was talking about but an instance during which two humans were doing sex and he as a writer was trying to understand what was going inside the minds of the people involved in it.
Again, brilliant those stories are.
Manto's writing has great visual powers. You actually see the world he takes you to.
He has a great skill for putting details into stories and sometimes you wonder how observant he was to notice such things and later put them in his stories.
Famous writer, filmmaker and Poet Gulzaar is a big fan of Manto and often quotes him in his talks and writings.
He has even written a play on "Toba Tek Singh", one of the most controversial and famous stories of Manto.
I lost my collection of Manto stories during my house shifting but the stories are still living inside my mind.
Manto's full name is Saadat Hasan Manto. He was story writer and also a screenplay writer, though his film writing career never took off.
Manto was a writer who primarily wrote for himself.
People also call him Premchand of Urdu Writing.
His writing was very simple and easy to understand.
He would create stories from daily life just like Premchand, but unlike Premchand, his stories were not message-driven rather were a matter of fact thing.
His stories were mostly inspired by his own personal life and were told in the first person.
There were times while reading I felt that he had written his biography in the garb of stories.
Not that every story written by him was biographical in nature.
He has written on nearly every style of writing, that is why he is recommended for newbie writers to read because he gives you cast amount of variety in his writing.
If you read his stories you will get complete knowledge about how to write stories, great stories.
It was not that he had not written any message-driven stories.
There are also message-driven stories too, like the farcical story called "Toba Tek Singh" which is so surreal that at first, it was difficult for me to understand at the first reading.
I had to read it many times and see its interpretations to understand it.
Brilliant it was.
Then there are stories like "San unnees sau Unnees ki ek ghatna" in which is told in third person where someone is telling an entire story about someone's life only to reveal in the end that it was all a made up story.
Manto was often reprimanded and called to court for promoting obscene and sexual content through his stories.
His stories, especially two of them, called "Boo" and " Kali Salwar" were y banned because they had too much sexual content in it.
If you read those stories, which are available now easily, you will see that it was not the sex he was talking about but an instance during which two humans were doing sex and he as a writer was trying to understand what was going inside the minds of the people involved in it.
Again, brilliant those stories are.
Manto's writing has great visual powers. You actually see the world he takes you to.
He has a great skill for putting details into stories and sometimes you wonder how observant he was to notice such things and later put them in his stories.
Famous writer, filmmaker and Poet Gulzaar is a big fan of Manto and often quotes him in his talks and writings.
He has even written a play on "Toba Tek Singh", one of the most controversial and famous stories of Manto.
I lost my collection of Manto stories during my house shifting but the stories are still living inside my mind.
April 9, 2015
Selected stories from Urdu's preeminent story writer. Mostly in the backdrop of Partition and poverty-stricken Pakistan/India, the humanity in the characters shines through. Highlights include The Dog of Tetval, Toba Tek Singh, and The Blouse.
October 31, 2015
A time-well-spent book. beautifully written. Things are exposed and yet so true. Urdu vocabulary is smooth that nourishes the novel and the reader too. Manto is a mystery, my his nature, that is his books. I wish he was honored when he was alive.
February 24, 2013
The only thing I regret is not having read them in Urdu.
June 18, 2012
writes about the daily mundane things, capturing the nuances amazingly well. highly recommended if one likes to delve in the minds of ordinary people.
January 16, 2013
is words can show the impact of a war.. if your answer is no.. read manto, some impacts are prescribe in very few sentences.. he travels thru the indo-pak war period.. its a gem in my shelf..
Read
July 21, 2013ffbf
Read
October 16, 2016one of the best books I have ever read of the preindependence writer.saadat was much ahead of his times.A progressive writer.
Read
February 18, 2020needs patience to read! amazing narrative..
April 28, 2020
Tanda ghosht and Tob tek singh are a must read...
September 25, 2021
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
Check the BONUS Section to get more insights.
I still remember the scene where Nawazuddin Siddiqui stood in the courtroom and said this beautiful line,"अगर आप इन अफसानों को बर्दाश्त नहीं कर सकते तो ये जमाना नाकाबिले-बर्दाश्त है (If you cannot bear these stories then the society is unbearable.)" and that's how I came to know about the most controversial short-story writer in Urdu, Saadat Hasan Manto. Once asked, why do you write stories? Manto replied – "I do not write stories, stories write me." Manto was a writer who showed a new way to Urdu fiction with his conversational style of story-narration which strikes at the core of audience’s heart.
Manto like other regional writers has largely been forgotten by most of the Indians. If it not had been that ad then I could never have laid my hands on the works of Saadat Hasan Manto. This particular work of short stories contains ten gems assorted and elegantly translated by Aatish Taseer, the descendant of famous Urdu poet M.D.Taseer. Taseer has taken great care to retain the rhythm of the original Urdu in his translation, and no reader can deny the resonance of Manto’s voice that comes through.
My Personal Favorites are "My Name is Radha", "Khol Do", "Boo", "Blouse" and "For Freedom". "Khol Do", set at the time of partition, would leave you teary eyed and tells you about the gruesomeness of the bloody event. "Boo" shows how sex is not completely physical, at least not for us humans. "For Freedom" is the conflicting ideas set at the time of partition. Most of his stories are lens to see how the society was and now is. I would have loved to see the most controvesial story of Manto "Thanda Gosht" in this collection but it might be the controversy that the story was not added.
Manto's stories explore the darkest side of a human being without making them look ugly, vulgar or revolting. You are left with a restlessness, but never does his writing make you regret for spending your time on them. There is a darkness exposed, but that is not a void or an emptiness. They are just like a mirror we hold in front of us, yet a mirror that tells the truth which we do not want to say to ourselves. “If you cannot bear these stories then the society is unbearable. Who am I to remove the clothes of this society, which itself is naked. I don't even try to cover it, because it is not my job, that's the job of dressmakers.” ― Saadat Hasan Manto
Give it a read if you are interested in the Indian sub-continent and its history. It is a modern piece of extremely educational writing. You gonna love it, I promise you. The issues that is informed in Manto’s work continue to be relevant in the society and politics of both India and Pakistan.
Manto, a writer born in undivided India but who died in Pakistan, my new all-time favorite.
BONUS:
1. Check out Radio Mirchi's "Ek Purani Kahani" by RJ Sayema. She has done a phenomenal job, narating those stories in Hindi and Urdu. Give it a listen. You can even watch all the animated narrations here.
2. Check out Audible's "Syahhashiye Aur Anya Kahaniyan [Syllabus and Other Stories]". and "Boo Aur Anya Kahaniyan [Bu and Other Stories]". Even they have created a series of some selected stories which is free and worth listening - "Selected Short Stories of Manto"
Check the BONUS Section to get more insights.
I still remember the scene where Nawazuddin Siddiqui stood in the courtroom and said this beautiful line,"अगर आप इन अफसानों को बर्दाश्त नहीं कर सकते तो ये जमाना नाकाबिले-बर्दाश्त है (If you cannot bear these stories then the society is unbearable.)" and that's how I came to know about the most controversial short-story writer in Urdu, Saadat Hasan Manto. Once asked, why do you write stories? Manto replied – "I do not write stories, stories write me." Manto was a writer who showed a new way to Urdu fiction with his conversational style of story-narration which strikes at the core of audience’s heart.
Manto like other regional writers has largely been forgotten by most of the Indians. If it not had been that ad then I could never have laid my hands on the works of Saadat Hasan Manto. This particular work of short stories contains ten gems assorted and elegantly translated by Aatish Taseer, the descendant of famous Urdu poet M.D.Taseer. Taseer has taken great care to retain the rhythm of the original Urdu in his translation, and no reader can deny the resonance of Manto’s voice that comes through.
My Personal Favorites are "My Name is Radha", "Khol Do", "Boo", "Blouse" and "For Freedom". "Khol Do", set at the time of partition, would leave you teary eyed and tells you about the gruesomeness of the bloody event. "Boo" shows how sex is not completely physical, at least not for us humans. "For Freedom" is the conflicting ideas set at the time of partition. Most of his stories are lens to see how the society was and now is. I would have loved to see the most controvesial story of Manto "Thanda Gosht" in this collection but it might be the controversy that the story was not added.
Manto's stories explore the darkest side of a human being without making them look ugly, vulgar or revolting. You are left with a restlessness, but never does his writing make you regret for spending your time on them. There is a darkness exposed, but that is not a void or an emptiness. They are just like a mirror we hold in front of us, yet a mirror that tells the truth which we do not want to say to ourselves. “If you cannot bear these stories then the society is unbearable. Who am I to remove the clothes of this society, which itself is naked. I don't even try to cover it, because it is not my job, that's the job of dressmakers.” ― Saadat Hasan Manto
Give it a read if you are interested in the Indian sub-continent and its history. It is a modern piece of extremely educational writing. You gonna love it, I promise you. The issues that is informed in Manto’s work continue to be relevant in the society and politics of both India and Pakistan.
Manto, a writer born in undivided India but who died in Pakistan, my new all-time favorite.
BONUS:
1. Check out Radio Mirchi's "Ek Purani Kahani" by RJ Sayema. She has done a phenomenal job, narating those stories in Hindi and Urdu. Give it a listen. You can even watch all the animated narrations here.
2. Check out Audible's "Syahhashiye Aur Anya Kahaniyan [Syllabus and Other Stories]". and "Boo Aur Anya Kahaniyan [Bu and Other Stories]". Even they have created a series of some selected stories which is free and worth listening - "Selected Short Stories of Manto"
November 9, 2020
If you are an Indian, the only short story classics which might come to your mind, might be the ones written by Tagore, R.K. Naryana and Jumpa Lahari, but a treasure is secretly hiding and it is the work of Manto.
This is the first time a short story collection hooked me. In my experience, collections usually have 2-3 really good stories and rest of them are mostly underwhelming.
But Manto offers you something unique in every single story, maybe a vivid description of a street, an unexpected ending, accute observation of something we are conditioned to ignore, or capturing the essence of the story in one tiny detail. There is always something to reflect upon.
He is a very controversial writer( originally from Pakistan and written in Urdu) and I suggest you to read about his history before picking up the book.
He wrote widely about many haunting and real subjects around society - religion, independence, effect of partition, prostitution, our outlook towards women, adolescence anxiety, parental love, urbanisation, etc.
Check out his work when you are in the mood for some real, uncomfortable stories and don't just restrict yourself to this short selection.
Kudos to the translator for doing a wonderful job in translating literally and not trying to tidy up the original work.
This is the first time a short story collection hooked me. In my experience, collections usually have 2-3 really good stories and rest of them are mostly underwhelming.
But Manto offers you something unique in every single story, maybe a vivid description of a street, an unexpected ending, accute observation of something we are conditioned to ignore, or capturing the essence of the story in one tiny detail. There is always something to reflect upon.
He is a very controversial writer( originally from Pakistan and written in Urdu) and I suggest you to read about his history before picking up the book.
He wrote widely about many haunting and real subjects around society - religion, independence, effect of partition, prostitution, our outlook towards women, adolescence anxiety, parental love, urbanisation, etc.
Check out his work when you are in the mood for some real, uncomfortable stories and don't just restrict yourself to this short selection.
Kudos to the translator for doing a wonderful job in translating literally and not trying to tidy up the original work.
June 19, 2020
I was re reading this awe inspiring collection of short stories by one of the most controversial author Saadat Hasan Manto.The stories are poignant, vivid, daring sexual, utterly disturbing and thought provoking.
These stories were written mostly during the time of partition of India. Stories like 'Toba Tek Singh' and 'Thanda Gosht' draw satirical picture on chaotic situations, its effects and political conflicts and massacre during partition. Its difficult to decide which one I liked most.I think his eccentric work brings the unorthodox and bizzare reality of its time to the readers.Audacious and iconoclastic. Like seriously #cantstoptalkingaboutit #mustread #manto 🖤 #potd #saadathasanmanto #bookstagram #readoftheday
Also, during his life time, the author was also charged with obscenity. Most of his critics were writers themselves. Unfortunately true.
#Manto #sincerely #urge #you #to #read #abouthim #hiswork #saadathasanmanto #classic #tobateksingh
#youcanthankmelater
These stories were written mostly during the time of partition of India. Stories like 'Toba Tek Singh' and 'Thanda Gosht' draw satirical picture on chaotic situations, its effects and political conflicts and massacre during partition. Its difficult to decide which one I liked most.I think his eccentric work brings the unorthodox and bizzare reality of its time to the readers.Audacious and iconoclastic. Like seriously #cantstoptalkingaboutit #mustread #manto 🖤 #potd #saadathasanmanto #bookstagram #readoftheday
Also, during his life time, the author was also charged with obscenity. Most of his critics were writers themselves. Unfortunately true.
#Manto #sincerely #urge #you #to #read #abouthim #hiswork #saadathasanmanto #classic #tobateksingh
#youcanthankmelater
August 6, 2025
I am lucky to read Urdu and read Manto’s stories in original language. A must read for everyone as translations are available. Manto stories are more enjoyable after reading the life of manto which had ups and downs. He saw the bloody partition of the subcontinent.
Manto pen is razor sharp and his topics very bold. He was way ahead of his times. His writings on partition, religious bigotry, social injustices, class differences, gender based violence, are unparalleled with brilliance and originality. He doesn’t shy away to discuss social taboos with very convincing arguments.
Manto pen is razor sharp and his topics very bold. He was way ahead of his times. His writings on partition, religious bigotry, social injustices, class differences, gender based violence, are unparalleled with brilliance and originality. He doesn’t shy away to discuss social taboos with very convincing arguments.
September 2, 2024
Saadat Hasan Manto's stories are like sharp slivers of reality, cutting through the illusions of society. With unflinching honesty, he delves into the darkest corners of human nature, exploring themes like partition, sexuality, and social decay. Manto's characters are raw and real, revealing the complexities of life with a brutal yet empathetic lens. His work challenges norms and remains hauntingly relevant, making him a timeless voice in Urdu literature.
September 25, 2023
Brilliant and true reflection of our society. Wanted to read this for a long time after watching the movie. The endings forces us to think about things we usually avoid.
The dialogue does much justice to the style of Manto's writing
अगर आप इन अफसानों को बर्दाश्त नहीं कर सकते तो ये जमाना नाकाबिले बर्दाश्त है
The dialogue does much justice to the style of Manto's writing
अगर आप इन अफसानों को बर्दाश्त नहीं कर सकते तो ये जमाना नाकाबिले बर्दाश्त है
March 6, 2021
good short stories i liked it
July 9, 2022
Spine chilling.
February 13, 2011
a true collection of masterpices that makes you feel closer to the reality
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews