The filmmaker abducted alongside Khalid Khwaja and Colonel Imam tells his story
Published 23 Jul, 2023 05:25am
A collection of scholarly essays is intellectually stimulating and enlightening in explaining the cross-cinema influences in...
Published 23 Jul, 2023 05:25am
The Franco-Czech writer who passed away on July 11 at the age of 94 was arguably the most quoted novelist ever and made the...
Published 23 Jul, 2023 05:25am
A sequel to her previous dystopian novel with a strong feminist agenda, Bina Shah’s latest underlines her command over her...
Published 16 Jul, 2023 09:00am
Quibbles about its production quality notwithstanding, Pakistanis would profit greatly if this scholarly book became the standard
Updated 16 Jul, 2023 09:55pm
A young man from a working class immigrant Pakistani family in Canada details his life growing up as the Other in the West
Published 16 Jul, 2023 08:49am
It’s common knowledge that Henry VIII had six wives. But the cataclysmic love triangle between Catherine of Aragon...
Published 16 Jul, 2023 08:44am
A candid autobiography of flawed cricketing superstar Wasim Akram can be disingenuous at times around some issues, but is also...
Published 09 Jul, 2023 07:57am
An anthology of life stories about diverse women may be inspirational to some expatriates living in Dubai but might find little...
Published 09 Jul, 2023 07:55am
A debut collection of Sindhi poetry candidly narrates the problems of the present day and elevates them to an artistic pedestal
Published 09 Jul, 2023 07:50am
That we make mistakes is true not just for the acquired languages we use — English and Persian, for instance — but also for when
Published 09 Jul, 2023 07:41am
Mushir Anwar’s posthumously published novel stretches the boundaries of the Pakistani novel in English and offers a captivating...
Published 02 Jul, 2023 07:59am
A compilation of 15 essays by Pakistani women tackles issues of what it means to be Pakistani, and how do the writers express...
Published 02 Jul, 2023 07:53am
Historian Manan Ahmed Asif’s ambitious mission in looking at changing nomenclature is to critically engage with the very...
Published 02 Jul, 2023 07:48am
It is testimony to Cormac McCarthy’s reputation as a writer of dark and violent fictions that his publishers ...
Published 02 Jul, 2023 07:43am
Ayesha Manazir Siddiqi’s debut novel, The Centre, takes readers into a cutthroat world of language, translation ...
Published 25 Jun, 2023 05:15am
A meticulously researched book covers the background to the waxing and waning of Pakistan-US ties
Published 25 Jun, 2023 05:15am
A book based on interviews of the last surviving prosecutor of the Nuremberg Trials, who passed away recently, is a tale of...
Published 25 Jun, 2023 05:15am
A compilation of 21 deeply moving short stories built on the events of Partition, by Pakistani and Indian writers, challenges...
Published 25 Jun, 2023 05:15am
I feel both privileged and sad to share that I was the buyer of one of the last books sold by London’s famous Al...
Published 18 Jun, 2023 07:09am
If great art delights even as it instructs, then this collection of Margaret Atwood’s essays qualifies
Published 18 Jun, 2023 07:09am
Well crafted, richly imagined and as funny as it is heart-wrenchingly moving, a debut adult novel from a Young Adult writer...
Published 18 Jun, 2023 07:09am
As Benazir Bhutto’s 70th birth anniversary approaches on June 21, Zahid Hussain’s book of interviews with the late former prime...
Published 18 Jun, 2023 07:09am
People often underestimate Moni Mohsin’s Social Butterfly, which is a pity. Anyone who reads her latest bulletin will see how
Published 11 Jun, 2023 07:05am
A sophomore novel combines the best features of Gothic fiction in a manner sure to satisfy those looking for suspense,
Updated 11 Jun, 2023 07:26am
The sixth instalment of picking books from a personal library worth re-reading…
Published 11 Jun, 2023 07:05am
How familiar are you with the Victorian-era newspaper feature known as the Agony Column? You are likely familiar with its methods
Published 11 Jun, 2023 07:05am
Two writers of Pakistani origin are up for some prestigious literary awards this month.
Published 11 Jun, 2023 07:05am
Social scientist Fouzia Saeed’s latest book takes a bold step towards acknowledging the place of women in Pakistan’s trajectory...
Updated 11 Jun, 2023 07:27am
While we find a colossus of contra-Muslim literature in the mediaeval Latin West on the one hand, there is also to be found pro...
Updated 04 Jun, 2023 02:24pm
A city gazetteer revived after 100 years is a first step towards building a replicable template for Pakistan’s other urban centres
Published 04 Jun, 2023 08:21am
Salman Rashid’s beautifully produced travel treatise is a zesty story of the origins of this extensively traversed highwa...
Updated 11 Jun, 2023 07:27am
Dr Pervez Hoodbhoy’s new book is a blunt, bold, yet well-informed and well-intentioned study of the outcomes of Pakistan’s...
Published 28 May, 2023 12:42pm
A collection of short stories translated from Punjabi to English takes readers on an immersive and poignant journey through Lahore
Published 28 May, 2023 12:35pm
A recap of Pakistan’s film history makes for a worthwhile resource and can be considered a true collector’s item
Published 28 May, 2023 12:27pm
“In the short history of the growth of America, if you look closely, there has perhaps been one good and clever man, Lincoln...
Published 28 May, 2023 11:51am
This guide on Islamic duas [prayers] aims to steer readers away from unscrupulous ‘faith healers’ and injunctions to recite surahs
Published 28 May, 2023 11:41am
Alka Joshi’s sophomore novel uses the same characters as her bestselling debut book and delves into a world of corruption, power
Published 21 May, 2023 08:20am
A book based on a PhD thesis attempts to provide a panoramic, broad-brush overview of the status of women in Pakistan, but...
Updated 23 May, 2023 12:03pm
A novel centred on video games and gamers is actually about friendship and the power of complex connections
Published 21 May, 2023 08:02am
The hospital twinkles with lights, like a beacon dispelling the darkness of the winter morning. The lobby sparkles. A steady...
Published 21 May, 2023 07:58am
If someone forgets to listen to the votive tale after a prayer has been answered, something can likely go wrong. However, if...
Published 14 May, 2023 08:17am
Athar Tahir returns to fiction with a debut novel about an ageing bureaucrat falling in love with a much younger Thai woman
Published 14 May, 2023 08:17am
A Youtuber picks 50 books from a diverse range of genres and summarises their content in a conversational way for those...
Published 14 May, 2023 08:17am
Anthropologist Zulfiqar Ali Kalhoro’s latest erudite book will pique the interest of local and foreign scholars and interested...
Published 14 May, 2023 08:17am
A translation into English of a spectacular 19th century poem provides important insights in South Asia’s cultural and literary...
Published 07 May, 2023 08:08am
A play by a noted Pashto poet and playwright is a tribute to a soul who enlightened Pakhtuns with the light of political...
Published 07 May, 2023 08:01am
Bestselling American author Peter Swanson’s latest novel is a fast-paced murder mystery in the style of Agatha Christie
Published 07 May, 2023 07:54am
The Institute of Historical and Social Research (IHSR), Karachi — set up by progressive activist-turned-philanthropist Dr Tariq...
Published 07 May, 2023 07:50am
A revised and enlarged second edition of a book looks at the reasons why federalism has been a feature of each of the country’s...
Published 30 Apr, 2023 08:40am
Academic, creative writer and poet Najeeba Arif’s latest book, Junoobi Aeshiai Musalmanon Ka Tassavvur-i-Maghrib: Attharveen Sadi
Published 30 Apr, 2023 08:35am
Rana Safvi’s translation of Khwaja Hasan Nizami’s documentation of what befell Mughal royalty after the First War of Independence
Published 30 Apr, 2023 08:30am
Late last Sunday evening I was browsing Netflix for a good film to watch when, to my surprise, I found a screen adaptation of one
Published 30 Apr, 2023 08:23am
The Uighurs — Turkic Muslims of China’s Xinjiang province, also known as East Turkestan — suffer from a covert but aggressive..
Published 22 Apr, 2023 07:14am
Many congratulations on winning the Writers’ Guild Award for The Return of Faraz Ali, a riveting, carefully structured novel...
Published 22 Apr, 2023 07:14am
The fast pace and suspenseful atmosphere of J.K. Rowling’s sixth pseudonymous detective novel makes it very entertaining in spite
Published 22 Apr, 2023 07:14am
Renowned erstwhile PTV newscaster Mahpara Safdar’s autobiography is a must for those interested in the events of the 1970s and ’80
Published 22 Apr, 2023 07:14am
A fascinating book asks that, if justice is an intrinsic value in Islam, why have women been treated as second-class citizens in
Published 16 Apr, 2023 08:58am
A debut novel sensitively explores multi-generational relationships, needs, expectations and obligations and the impact of...
Published 16 Apr, 2023 08:53am
Commemorating Mir Taqi Mir, the undisputed master of Rekhta, in the 300th year of his birth
Updated 18 Apr, 2023 03:31pm
American author and humorist Mark Twain once said that he never let his schooling interfere with his education. Likewise, Albert
Published 16 Apr, 2023 08:35am
A selection of editorials, analyses and interviews published in a long-defunct leftist journal from London presents not only a...
Published 09 Apr, 2023 07:57am
The latest bestselling novel from a Canadian author comes across almost as a beach read, but it is a page-turner that provokes...
Updated 11 Apr, 2023 11:01am
A lyrical collection of essays about the region’s history, culture and myths presents complex and layered humans engaged in...
Published 09 Apr, 2023 07:46am
I got hooked on American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan’s music in May 2021. Ammi and Abbu had passed away, one after...
Published 09 Apr, 2023 07:38am
Conspiracy theories now dominate the mainstream. Two British journalists provide a quick and entertaining primer to this topsy
Published 02 Apr, 2023 09:18am
Former banker-turned-entrepreneur Nadeem Hussain’s memoirs illustrate his belief that great achievement comes from bold visions
Published 02 Apr, 2023 09:15am
Photographer Qamar Bharoocha Bana offers a personal lens on a complex city, helping document its many hidden cultural treasures
Published 02 Apr, 2023 09:10am
The urs [death anniversary] of the sonorous Sufi poet of the 18th-19th century, Sachal Sarmast, starts in just a few...
Published 02 Apr, 2023 08:20am
Zoha Waseem takes an empathetic look at the colonial structures and subpar conditions that constrain the development...
Published 26 Mar, 2023 07:20am
It’s that time of the year again when women of Pakistani nationality and/or heritage are invited to pour their...
Published 26 Mar, 2023 07:18am
It is not essential for a creative artist to be politically active. But it is essential for any artist of significance to be...
Published 26 Mar, 2023 07:18am
A Pakistani comic book takes on the responsibility of providing a homegrown action icon, as well as encouraging reading among...
Published 26 Mar, 2023 07:18am
A sociologist attempts to grapple with the immense emotional and intellectual strain Covid-19 virus put humankind through,...
Published 26 Mar, 2023 07:18am
A reissue of the first novel in a Japanese hitmen trilogy is almost film noir in word form: complicated at the beginning, puzzling
Published 19 Mar, 2023 08:22am
A book by an international lawyer tells an appalling tale of British imperialism and the mendacity, hypocrisy and racism of...
Published 19 Mar, 2023 08:16am
An art historian urges readers to take her out-of-the-box book as a means to rethink what is feminist in the cultural context of
Published 19 Mar, 2023 08:12am
‘Constriction’ is a multivalent word. It holds in its depths a slew of emotions. It is like a tight knot of feelings inside your
Published 19 Mar, 2023 08:02am
Ilhan Niaz’s book paints a grim picture of human beings’ future on Earth, but also argues that this pessimistic realism is exactly
Published 12 Mar, 2023 08:53am
Nestled within a sappy romance that makes a novel almost unbearable at times, is a gritty, worthwhile and page-turning mystery
Published 12 Mar, 2023 08:46am
Sudanese-Scottish writer Leila Aboulela’s sixth novel, River Spirit, maintains the high standards set by her...
Published 12 Mar, 2023 08:41am
One of Punjab’s most revered folktales, the love story of Heer and Ranjha, turned into a great epic when, in the 18th century,...
Published 12 Mar, 2023 08:21am
Sri Lankan novelist Shehan Karunatilaka won the 2022 Booker Prize for his novel The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida, about a mu...
Published 05 Mar, 2023 07:13am
American artist, writer and translator Daisy Rockwell has translated several works of modern classical Urdu and Hindi lite...
Updated 05 Mar, 2023 10:13am
Earlier this year, organisers of the Lahore Literary Festival (LLF) announced a contest for young,...
Published 05 Mar, 2023 07:13am
The second Peshawar Literature Festival thematically focused on the power of
storytelling to build a more inclusive society
Published 05 Mar, 2023 07:13am
Author of nine books and four plays, South African writer Damon Galgut won the 2021 Booker Prize for his novel The Promise — a...
Updated 26 Feb, 2023 11:26am
In a sequel to the hugely popular ‘chick-lit’ novel It Ends With Us, the author satisfies her audience’s desire for romance...
Published 26 Feb, 2023 07:58am
London-based writer Moni Mohsin has long been sending readers into fits of laughter with her stories and characters that brim with
Published 26 Feb, 2023 07:52am
The United States-based magazine Clarkesworld — one of the rare paying publishers of science fiction and fantasy...
Published 26 Feb, 2023 07:45am
Amjad Islam Amjad, who passed away February 10, was, in the jargon of mushaira organisers, a ‘crowd-puller’. His immense...
Published 19 Feb, 2023 08:50am
The third book by a pioneer in vernacular travel writing is a cry from the heart about environmental degradation, and also an...
Published 19 Feb, 2023 08:42am
Andrea Wulf traces the birth of Romanticism to a small town in Germany and explains complex ideas in simple and seductive prose
Published 19 Feb, 2023 08:36am
In South Asia, where women are often subjected to a lot of pressure, climate change is also an urgent problem....
Published 19 Feb, 2023 08:28am
On Sept 23, 1973, Chilean poet Pablo Neruda passed away from prostate cancer and malnutrition. At least, that was the reason given
Published 19 Feb, 2023 08:19am
A former military man delves into Pakistan’s strategic culture and thinking with reference to India. The book is likely to remain
Published 12 Feb, 2023 09:47am
Celebrated Native American author Louise Erdrich’s latest novel is a book about books, about history read, written and created in
Published 12 Feb, 2023 09:42am
Tahmima Anam’s latest, futuristic novel is about technology, ambition, creativity, business and tornado-like undercurrents of...
Published 12 Feb, 2023 09:37am
“Itna fresh Urdu shayar main ne nahin parrha” was the impromptu comment made — in an ecstatic tone with a lilt...
Published 12 Feb, 2023 09:33am
