For many people, Urdu is indelibly associated with a bygone era: the cultural renaissance of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries in the face of colonial oppression, heady mushairas and romantic poetry. For others, it brings to mind the gritty prose of the Progressive Writers portraying the grim social realities of the mid-twentieth century.

In this luminous collection of Urdu poetry and prose, Ralph Russell expands our world of Urdu letters to include folk and oral narratives, besides prose and poetry. By situating each form historically, he gives us a refreshing perspective on the diverse literary cultures and histories of India.

Besides canonical short stories by the likes of Manto and Premchand, there is Ismat Chughtai’s little-known autobiographical essay about her relationship with her brother, the writer Azim Beg Chughtai. There are creation tales from the Quran, popular stories of Akbar and Birbal, along with the legendary exploits of Sikandar (Alexander the Great). Selections from the sublime poetry of Mir, Ghalib and others are supplemented by astute commentary and roman transcriptions of the original Urdu. Farhatullah Beg’s brilliantly imagined account of the ‘last Delhi mushaira’ captures a moment in time never seen again, with the horrors of 1857 just around the corner.

An accessible introduction for unfamiliar readers, and a pleasurable companion for those familiar with Urdu literature, this volume is a treasure trove of stories, poetry and history. Originally published as Hidden in the Lute (1995), this revised edition has been edited by Russell’s student and friend for several years, the novelist Marion Molteno.

Contents
Ralph Russell & Urdu Literature:
Foreword by Marion Molteno
Introduction

Short Stories and Sketches
Prem Chand : A Wifes Complaint
Ismat Chughtai : Tinays Granny
Rashid Jahan : Behind the Veil
Krishna Chander : Kalu Bhangi
Saadat Hasan Manto : The Black Shalwar
Shaukat Thanavi : Love and Prudence
Ismat Chughtai : Hellbound


POPULAR LITERATURE

Outwitting the Powerful
Akbar and Birbal
Mullah Dopiaza
Shaikh Chilli
Tales of Famous Men
The Creation of Adam and the Loss of Paradise
Sikandar, Khizar and the Water of Life
Khwaja Hasan Nizami : Guests are Pests

Love Poetry
THE GHAZALS OF MIR AND GHALIB

Hasrat Mohani and Momin : Lovers Meetings
Mir: The Ideal Ghazal Lover
Ghalibs More Nuanced View of Love
Mystic Love
The Challenge to Orthodoxy
The Humanist Values of the Ghazal
God and Humankind
The Poet in Society
Ghalibs Personal Philosophy
Images and Allusions
Eleven Ghazals of Ghalib
A Living Tradition

THE LIVES OF POETS

Muhammad Husain Azad : Nasikh:
The Portrait of a Poet
Abdul Halim Sharar : The King and the Singer
Farhatullah Beg : A Memorable Delhi Mushaira
Altaf Husain Hali : A Memoir of Ghalib
ghalib : Letters
The New Light
Responding to Social Change
Sayyid Ahmad Khan and the Aligrah Movement
Akbar Ilahabadi : Satire in a Changing Society
The Novel
Rusva : Umrao Jan Ada
Editors Notes
Urdu Prounuciation
Further Reading

Includes bibliographical references.

Translated from Urdu.