THE decade of 1960’ brought profound changes in Pakistan’s history.1958 was the year when first martial law was imposed in the country, silencing the constitution.
1965 war was again a blow on country’s solidarity and economic development process.
1971 brought a severe blow to the unity of Pakistan, separating Dhaka from Islamabad.
These events shaped the tone of Pakistani society in the coming years and literature is not an exception.
Pakistani literature also underwent a change.
In the 1970s, several famous short story writers and novelists like Anwar Sajjad, Rasheed Amjad, Khalida Hussein, Samee Aahuja, Ahmad Hamesh, and others joined hands to shape a movement in Urdu fiction known as Symbolic Movement.
They emphasized to craft a symbolic narrative in fiction.
In Urdu poetry poets like Iftikhar Jalib, Jilani Kamran, Anees Nagi, Abdur Rasheed, Saadat Saeed and others also contributed the movement of Nai Nazm and ‘Nai Lisani Tashkeelat’ which appeared as a divergence from the traditional styles, langugae and idioms in Urdu poetry.
This was the time when Mazharul Islam rose to prominence as a shining symbolic short story writer.
His first collection of short stories, “The Only Man in the City of Horses”, which was published in 1977, soon became a topic of talk in literary circles.
Along with the crispy ambience and innovativeness, another novel characteristic of Mazharul Islam’s stories is their long titles, unconventional but attractive for readers.
‘Mostly they (critics) were not comfortable with my tendency to choose long titles for my stories, as they are lines of poems.
But I believe a good writer does not need critics.’ Mazharul Islam noted.
Mazharul Islam’s temperament in his personal life and literature is unconventional.
He experimented not only with the style and structure of writing story and selection of its titles but also with the presentation of his books.
‘I am not satisfied with the traditional structure of story and that is why I sought a different style in writing, not just in language which I used in stories and columns, but also the treatment of the themes.’ he explained.
The characters in Mazharul Islam’ stories live on the margins of society but it was the innovative style and narrative which make these stories different from his contemporaries and place him among the masters of Urdu fiction.
In the last decade of the previous century, Mazharul Islam published his first novel, “Love: the Symphony of Dead Flowers”, which has so far been translated into several languages.
The ambience of the novel is melancholy and the story is centred on themes of love and death.
The character building, atmosphere and the narrative is unique making the novel worth reading.
It created sharp ripples in the scenario of Pakistani literature inspiring both senior as well as junior writers.
I myself must admit that I was personally motivated by reading the novel and wished to write a novel myself based purely on a love story.
My motivation has been materialized recently in my latest novel Paani Pe Likhi Kahaani.
After a long silence spanning over two decades recently Mazharul Islam came back with his second novel, (“The Crane Sarus have Flown Away from their Dreams”).
The novel features a crane that has the ability to travel through time.
It makes journeys to the lost worlds of the last centuries.
It is the nostalgia of the bird which compels him to travel through time.
He visits the lost worlds and people and institutions and places and observes their life styles and the values they follow, which unfortunately have gone now.
Mazharul Islam idealizes the glory of the past.
His narrative includes depictions of imaginary institutions, vibrant characters, unique streets and their residents, and awe-inspiring habitations like Parindah Gali, Atar Gali, Sukh Chain Gali, Darvesh Gali, Phool Gali.
There is a mysterious post office that manages correspondence to or from the deceased.
The simplicity, purity and peace of the last centuries captivates the protagonist evoking feelings of sadness and loss.
Surrealism, magic realism, time travel and reality interweave as key elements in Mazharul Islam’s novel.
Time travel has been a hallmark of science fiction.
In Urdu Ibne Safi was attracted to science fiction and employed this element in his novels.
In serious Urdu fiction, Mazhar’s novel seems to be a pioneering example.
Recently Mazhar’s third novel ‘Life turned around to see the murderer of Shaitaan, and smiled’, has recently hit the shelves.
The innocence of a child, the simplicity of a saint and depth of a philosopher along with a craftsmanship of a master, are the fabric of Mazhar’s art.
Mazharul Islam employs magical realism to critique systemic corruption and institutional failures in delivering justice and development.
Shaitaan symbolizes corruption so ingrained that society defends it, blaming the protagonist—a middle-aged novelist—for others’ wrongs.
Arrested for an uncommitted crime, he faces a Kafkaesque fate where punishment exists without offense.
A corrupt society suppresses those who challenge it, mirroring Mansoor Hussain Hallaj’s persecution.
Mazhar’s stylistic prose enriches the novel, making it a captivating and profound read, further cementing his literary artistry.
—The writer is Director/Chief Editor Pakistan Academy of Letters, Islamabad (muhammadasimbutt99@gmail.com)
