Pakistani Readers discussion

Anyone read the works of Ibn e Safi ? How do you view him as a writer ?

yeah, Jasoosi novels, zabardast hain jasoosi dunya series

Wasim bhai , still hasnt read him...kia in Jasoosi novels ka haqeqat se koi taluq raha ha? yeah kisi door ki aqaasi karty hian? bat sochny ki yeah ha... wese b hamaray culture mein "chitar is best" solution chalta ha,,,to yeah haqeqat se kafi door hain mere khyal se

I have read a couple of stories from the Imran series. I enjoyed them but not too much.

His books had a strong element of fantasy,yes he wasn't a realistic writer though many years ago when entertainment options were limited his books did have recreational value.

A side effect of his success was that the market became flooded with cheap thrillers.He had many imitators and most of them were very ordinary writers.For his part,Ibne Safi could write elegant prose.But his books were a mixed bag.The earlier era was more creative while in later life his books left a lot to be desired.

I have read almost 50 novels of imran series by ibn e safi. I think he was a talented fictional writer, I personally like the quality of humour he could create from nowhere, Although none of the stories were real, But this what is called ''fiction''.

Before him,there wasn't any tradition of detective fiction in Urdu.Among his characters,I prefer Faridi to Imran.Faridi is more sophisticated and the Jasoosi Dunya series is from the more creative phase of Ibn e Safi.Faridi's sidekick Hamid also provides plenty of moments of hilarity.

I am huge fan of Crime Fiction but his first novel of Imran series was foolish and lame blend of western hardboiled noir and local society. So i don't want to read further.

Alright,don't read him.My feelings about Ibne Safi are very mixed.
I read him a long time ago.Years later,I picked up Imran Series again and didn't like it.But the early Jasoosi Dunya books still appeal to me,partly for nostalgic reasons.

Hidden in the pages of his books were profound observations about life and human nature.Sometimes the prose would become lyrical,he was after all a very good poet as well.
As he wrote once :

Jo keh sakay wohi tehra hamara fun Asrar

Jo keh na paye na jane woh cheez kya hotee

And sometimes,his books could be very ordinary.He had to produce a book a month,to make a living.That wasn't an easy thing to do,so the quality suffered in quite a few.

I also found it interesting to read that he used to write,lying in bed,with all his children making a lot of noise around him.He said that it helped him concentrate.

I agree with Rural, that Khaufnaal Imarat was awful. Wsm is right, not all of his books were great.

I have not read very many books, especially in the detection fiction so my knowledge and experience is limited. I have read and re-read the books a million times...

آپ لوگ سوچ رہے ہوں گے کہ بہن اور کچھ کام نہیں؟ ہوتےںہیں، لیکن انسان کو دماغ ہلکا پھلکا کرنے کے لیے بھی تو کچھ چاہیے۔

Safi's writing is like first love. You can't get over it, even if there are flaws. I love his work for various reasons - nostalgia, comedy, wisdom of life, some great lines and a bunch of terrific characters.

His stories haven't aged. It is like Andaz Apna Apna, the movie is hilarious and entertains you even today. Sorry for bringing up an Indian reference, but I am Indian.

I echo Muhammad's sentiments - his comedy is unparalleled. The kind that made me laugh the hardest and my grandmother used to ask, "Is it funny? Read it to me."

Some time last year, I read a serious book and was so depressed that I wanted to read something light and funny. Sara suggested "a character named Ali Imran". Even Sara (Assalamualaikum, kaisi ho?), who did not like his books as much (not judging, just mentioning a fact), remembered that his books are funny. He leaves an impact, is all I am saying.

I should also note that people who have not read him previous and start from the first one (of either Jasoosi Duniya or Imran Series), would not like his writing. Obviously, he had begun writing and his writing had not matured until he wrote a few books. Give him a chance, read Sholay Series or Zameen Ke Baadal. It will blow your mind. Or, maybe it is just me.

I should stop now, lest the rambling continues.

P.S. If you don't mind my shameless self-promotion, I have posted about Ibn-e-Safi, and his work on my blog. Please do visit.

Continue with the rambling,it's very interesting.

Avoiding Ibn e Saffi isn't just due to his bad writing (If is it) but huge generation gap. World has moved on. Person like me who read western crime fiction in his teen years wouldn't dive in hole of decades old westernised desi "Jasoosi" World. I won't take away credit from him though as he had unique ideas and I would think his series gets mature. Someone told me that some of unique ideas he gave in his novels eventually turned onto inventions. Yeah same like Star Wars film franchise, birth of mobile phone (see their 1960 picture).
I would love to see crime to be taken serious gener in Urdu fiction but reading and writing under staff of morality or "Islami Aqdar" won't help you to produce stories about thugs, robbers, thieves and crooks. Because crime fiction isn't only about a clown spy/detective in "Sarkari Tankhaw".

Good to see you again,Rural Soul.I knew this thread would prompt you to comment,or rather criticize Ibn e Safi.

Good to see you Sir.

And Shabana,you are right.Liking him is for various reasons,for me,it is primarily nostalgia.His books remind me of not just him,but those good old days in my life.Whatever one reads in early life leaves a strong impression.Flaws there maybe,and sophisticated readers like Rural Soul,may find much to criticize,but there were many good things about his writing too.The originality of his ideas,the beauty of language,and a strong sense of morality.Not to mention,pure escapism and entertainment value.

@Wsm
Yep, that and many more... I'd love to say more but I have to finish 18000 words in 7 days for NaNoWriMo. I better logout from all social media platforms.

@Rural Soul
As I mentioned, my reading is limited. But I don't see Imran and Faridi as government employed clowns. Imran may be a bit quirky but his persona is more than that.

Indeed, as we discussed in some other thread, we need more variety in Urdu detective fiction, and I still have a to-do item in my list to translate English work to Urdu. Without permission of course, one of my favourites from Jeffery Archer perhaps.
Nobody say a word about copyright, okay?
Just kidding...

Shabana,you are more of an Ibn e Safi fan,than I am.Hope you'll add more of your thoughts on Ibn e Safi,after seven days.

If I could translate then I would go to The Girl With A Dragon Tattoo series. One of my most favourite series.
Jaffery Archer's work had been translated but it could never get publish in book form. It usually published in Jasoosi Digest (What a cheap name) and Akhbar e Jahan.

Because of Imran Series,Mazhar Kalim,also became a very popular writer.I found one of his books recently,but gave up on it,quickly.It was very badly written.

As for translated pulp fiction,there used to be a series in Urdu,called Kamran Series.It introduced the works of writers like James Hadley Chase,Alistaire MacLean,A.A.Fair,Brett Halliday,and many others.I found it very entertaining,and later found the original works of those writers.James Hadley Chase,who was once known as the king of thriller writers,became a particular favourite.

James Hadley Chase's "Like a Hole in the Head" was one of my most favourite novel. Though I didn't rate it high here.

Yes,it's good.He was a prolific writer,some very good books,and some very ordinary ones as well :
Some I liked particularly :
My Laugh Comes Last
The Way the Cookie Crumbles
A Coffin from Hong Kong
This Way for a Shroud

Another one I loved was "I Hold The Four Aces".

The Helga Rolfe series has three books.My favourite among them is,An Ace up My Sleeve.
Also,the book which made Chase famous in 1939,No Orchids for Miss Blandish.

I don't think I have read them but another one which I remember by him and I looooooved it was "Want to Stay Alive"?
Chase created one of the finest and admirable anti-hero/villain character in shape of Poki, The Native American youth who's on verge of revenge.

It was a very good one.I remember it,because it was the first Chase book,I bought.Non-stop action.
Some others I liked :
Get a Load of This (His only volume of short stories)
You Can Say That Again
Try This One for Size
The Wary Transgressor
There are still so many more.I almost read them all many years ago.

Similarly,I read all of Ibn e Safi,when I was in school.But it's been so long,that I cannot remember the names of his good books.There were many.
And while Imran may be a clown,Colonel Fareedi
isn't.He is Colonel Hard Stone,a very serious and formidable personality.His assistant Captain Hameed has his comic side,but he too is very intelligent.He actually is present for more time in the Jasoosi Dunya series,than Fareedi,who largely works behind the scenes.

Ibn e Safi has also been translated into English during the last decade.While I haven't read those translations,I still feel that a lot would get lost in translation.Part of the fun of reading him,is his mastery of the Urdu language.I learned more Urdu,from his books,than from text books.And lots of people agree,that they were drawn to the reading habit,because of Ibn e Safi.

He wrote that his writing career began,when he bet some friends,that he could write a series of clean novels,which would still find a market.While his friends were of the view,that only books of a titillating nature,were going to sell in Urdu.He proved them wrong.
Also,at that time,Urdu detective fiction as a genre,did not exist.He practically invented it.And his characters,were very original.Largely,his stories were his own,with only a few plots,taken from English fiction.And whatever his flaws,it was no easy task to produce a book (sometimes two),every month for so many years.He began writing in the 1950s,and continued till his death,in 1980.He was still,only 50,when he died.

Yes, on various counts... One, he was able to narrate an interesting story in simple Urdu which flowed and the comic element, often times, is in those selected words. I don't think English translation can do justice to that. For instance, Hameed often goes into Alif Laila / Daastan-goyi mode while giving updates and the intention is to irk Faridi. Faridi is irritated and the reader enjoys both - that narration and the things that Hameed is capable of doing.



Two, detective fiction used to be quite vulgar. Ki investigation bhi chal rahi hai aur khurafat bhi. I have read some Urdu novels (original and translations) that made me cringe. His efforts for writing clean detective work is commendable.



Three, it is not easy to be creative with a deadline. As I mentioned before, I am doing NaNoWriMo and have a target to write 50k words in November. I am not even publishing that. To write 40-45 pages (roughly 20k) words novel as a final product in one month, keeping it interesting and original is certainly not easy.

@wsm commenting doesn't take much time but it distracts me... Then, all I want to do is scroll through comments in every thread... Five more days... I will hopefully (certainly) have more to say.

By the way, hum kya thesis likh rahe Hain? ;-)

As for thesis,I remember reading somewhere,that one person actually did a doctorate on Ibn e Safi ! And as you are a true fan,why not analyze him,in some detail.In fact,it is your recent reviews of his books,which reminded me of Ibn e Safi again.
His fans,and he himself often complained that the "thekay daars" of Urdu adab,did not give him his due place in literature,because he wrote for the mass market.He did not have the luxury of writing literary fiction,as that wouldn't have sold well.But I did read,some of his poetry,and found it of a high quality.He could have made his name,as a poet as well,if he was not so pre occupied with writing novels.

His best novels, for me, were those where he unraveled another unknown facet of Imran's or Faridi's personality. Like Imran had a secret passage from his room to outside (Dedh Matwale, IIRC) and when Black Force was mentioned for the first time. Oh, the thrill and excitement of knowing something new.

And Faridi kept snakes,and dogs,and conducted all sorts of experiments in his laboratory.And Hameed,would occasionally drink,and his antics,then became very funny.

Rural Soul mentions that some of his ideas turned into inventions.I don't recall that happening.However,I remember reading,that once he was invited by a law enforcement agency,to give lectures,to its officers.
Once,he tried his hand,at movies.He wrote the script for a film,Dhamaka.Javed Shaikh,then a new face,played the character Zafar ul Mulk (from Imran Series).Shabnam,was also in the film.Dhamaka flopped badly,its prints,have never even turned up on YouTube.It is something I would have liked to see,out of curiosity.

Similarly,PTV once tried to dramatise,his novel Dr.Dua Go.Actor Qavi Khan,played Imran.But then,for some reason,after showing just one episode,they never showed it again.

Yeah, I read that ISI consulted him informally. Like you, I have heard that he was subject of someone's doctorate. I wish it was me. I don't know if the same topic can be chosen. I don't know if I can do PhD after graduation, presumably not.

Dhamaka... Uff... I remember trying every way of finding it on YouTube. You're right, it isn't. I was disappointed with the cast. Waheed Murad didn't match my imagination of Ali Imran M.Sc. PhD. Oxen.

I once found one audio clip of his interview. Even that made me emotional, to hear voice of a man whose books entertained me from childhood until today...

I'm typing on my phone and my phone has decided to choose words on its own. I am tired of correcting it every now and again. Please excuse typos.

Dhamaka had Javed Sheikh,not Waheed Murad.And Imran was not in Dhamaka.It was Zafar ul Mulk,one of Imran's secret service colleagues,who was the lead character in it.It was produced by a man called Maulana Hippie,who also played Zafar ul Mulk's servant,Jameson in the movie.
It seems that all the prints of this movie were lost.That is why it never showed up anywhere.
Yes,I also listened to that interview,on YouTube.It was the only time,PTV invited him,to one of their shows.
Now,his son Ahmed Safi,is active on social media and TV channels,often talking about his father.

I stand corrected.

But it does appear,that Dhamaka was not a good movie.Had to be the reason why it flopped so badly.

He also created other characters,crime reporter,Anwar and Rashida.They were the lead characters in some early Jasoosi Dunya books,in which Fareedi and Hameed,did not appear.
Also,Hameed's bumbling friend,the giant Qasim,and his tiny wife.I didn't like Qasim's humour much.
Neelam,who appeared in several Jasoosi Dunya novels,and was like a daughter,to Fareedi.
The other Secret Service agents in Imran Series,Safdar being the most active among them.And Juliana Fitzwater,the Swiss woman,whose banter,with Imran is always amusing.
Black Zero,who doubles in for Imran,sometimes as X2,the head of the Secret Service.

And the criminals,some of whom make several appearances,in his books.Notably,Sing He,who has invented the art of dodging bullets,which Imran also learns !
T3B,or Theresa Bumble Bee of Bohimia,who appears in many books,and many avatars.Together,with Sing He,she has founded,Zeroland.It is a realm,inhibited only by criminals.

Ibn e Safi migrated from India to Pakistan,in the 1950s.His early books are set in India.The setting changed,when he came to Pakistan.Karachi in those days had a lot of night clubs,bar and luxury hotels,which appear frequently in his books.His fictional landscape is populated by a lot of Europeans and Anglo Indians.Although his main characters don't drink (and I hate drinking myself),drinking is a frequent theme in his books.Imran's bodyguard Joseph,drank six bottles of Whiskey a day,and still remained alert.A lot of the action takes place in night clubs and bars.

In his later books,geo politics and super power rivalry also became a theme of his books,particularly in Imran Series.

Yes, that bored me.

It was easier to write about,without the need to invent new criminals,and new characters.

"Zamana baray shok se sun raha tha
Humeen so gaye dastan kehte kehte"