Do You Suppose It's the East Wind?: Stories from Pakistan

by Muhammad Umar Memon (Editor/Translator)

In the title story of Do You Suppose It's the East Wind?, Altaf Fatima portrays the pain felt by a Muslim who is forced to separate from her Hindu friend during Partition. Ghulam Abbas describes how the 'Lure of Music' seduces a father to abandon the confines of a middle-class existence and unwittingly embrace the culture of the kotha. Saadat Hasan Manto's 'For Freedom's Sake' is the story of the young Congress-dictator Ghulam Ali who suppresses his sexual desires for the cause of Independence, only to realize the folly of such a sacrifice. Abul Fazl Siddiqi narrates the tale of the poor, lovely Sundariya who wins a five-yearly mango competition with her new 'Gulab Khas' and faces the wrath of her aristocratic competitors. And in 'Sunlight', Abdullah Hussein captures the joy of the exile returning home after a long hiatus.

Retaining the flavour of the original, Muhammad Umar Memon's translations from the Urdu offer sharply observed snapshots of life in the subcontinent and celebrate the secular heritage of the language.

Genres: Short Stories

296 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Muhammad Umar Memon is a critic, short story writer, renowned Urdu translator and editor of The Annual of Urdu Studies from Pakistan. He is Professor Emeritus of Urdu Literature and Islamic Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Dr. Memon was born in Aligarh, India in 1939. In 1954, his family moved to Karachi, Pakistan where he earned his bachelors and masters degrees. After his graduation, he taught at Sachal Sarmast College and Sind University. In 1964 he won a Fulbright scholarship to the United States. This move enabled him to earn a masters degree from Harvard University and eventually a doctorate in Islamic Studies from UCLA. Dr. Memon joined the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1970 and retired from there after 38 years of service. He has remained active as a scholar: besides working on translation of Urdu works into English he serves on the editorial board of Pakistaniaat: A Journal of Pakistan Studies and is also an advisor to the Urdu Project.

Reviews

[Samrat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Banished was the one that hit me the most, but I loved so many of the shorts here, especially Gulab Khas.

[Kuldip S Attalia · Rating 5 out of 5]

The separation of India / Pakistan has left many broken painful hearts, painted in senseless bloodshed. Yet from theses short stories shows a side that people no matter what faith they belonged to, had love and care in them. Sadly the mass idiocy that followed has tainted those hearts forever.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent collection of short stories translated from Urdu. The english translation was masterfully done and sounded not only natural, but beautiful. Anyone with a general knowledge of the history and social/geographical landscape of South Asia will appreciate it, but it will be handy to have your favorite Urdu speaker nearby for untranslated phrases in the text, as well as some nuance and context.

[Siddharth Sharma]

A very nice collection of short stories from Pakistan. Authors like Saadat Hasan Manto, Fahmida Riaz are no less competent than any other author of the present century. Some stories were really touching. A boy who is sad because of his Parent's pathetic marriage. A feudal Mango Competition where rivalries are matched with guns and guts. A man in search of his lost mother. A muslim girl missing her childhood hindu friend.

Highly recommended.

[Suhit · Rating 2 out of 5]

the stories may be beautiful, but they are all sad. I lost interested because each of the stoies were sad. I liked a few of them.
Probably, I would have loved them if they were in urdu.

[Bijo Philip · Rating 4 out of 5]

excellent stories from Pakistan.... a window opened to our brother's backyard